Christmas Gifts for Someone in AA That They'll Use
Updated: 11 hours ago
The best Christmas gift for someone in AA is one that goes back to the meeting with them. Candles and mugs are nice. A gift that supports their sobriety, their Step work or their friendships in the program gets used every day. This guide covers ideas for newcomers, sponsees, sponsors and long-timers, plus a few gifts that cost nothing at all.
AA Big Book, Highlighted & AAmazingtabbed
Laminated, pre-labeled tabs and color-highlighted passages, ready to use. Ships in 2–3 days.
What Makes a Good Christmas Gift for Someone in AA
Three things separate the gifts people keep from the ones that end up in a drawer:
It gets used. A tool for reading, Step work or getting to meetings beats a decoration.
It is about them, not about drinking. Skip anything alcohol-themed, including jokes about not drinking. The gift is for the person they are becoming.
It comes with words. A short handwritten note turns almost any gift into something they will remember.
If you are not sure what fits, ask yourself one question: will this help them on an ordinary Tuesday in February? If the answer is yes, you are on the right track.
Christmas Gifts for a Newcomer
A first sober Christmas can be hard. The most useful gifts make the program easier to reach.
A Big Book they can actually find their way around. Newer members often struggle to locate the Steps, the prayers and the Promises. A tabbed and highlighted AA Big Book arrives with 144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs and color-highlighted passages, so they can open it on Day 1 and find what their sponsor is talking about. It comes in standard hardcover or large print, both $99.
A meeting list and a phone list. Write out a few local meetings and the first names and numbers of people who said they would take a call. It costs nothing and it may be the most important page they own this season.
A ride or a meeting date. Offer to pick them up for a holiday meeting. Many groups hold extra meetings over Christmas and New Year's, so check with your local intergroup or central office.
A coffee card. Simple, useful and a quiet nudge to keep showing up early and staying late.
A recovery app for the hard nights. The AABlueBook recovery app puts the Big Book, a meeting finder and a 1930s word dictionary on their phone.
Christmas Gifts for a Sponsee Working the Steps
If you sponsor someone, the best gifts support the work you are already doing together.
Tabs for the Big Book they already have. If your sponsee has a book they want to keep, the AAmazingtabs Tabs Kit has 144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs, a template and highlighting guide, and the 4th, 6th, 8th and 9th Step inventory packets. It is $39 and makes a good evening of work to do together.
A complete DIY kit. For a sponsee who would rather build their own study book, the DIY AA Big Book Kits include the 4th Edition Big Book, 144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs, a highlighting guide, the Step inventory packets, and highlighters and a ruler.
Help with the Fourth Step. If they are heading into their inventory, the 4th Step Inventory Packet is a Big Book companion for Steps 4, 6 and 8.
A Big Book with a note inside. Write the date, your phone number and a few lines of encouragement inside the front cover. Years from now, that page is what they will turn to.
Christmas Gifts for Your Sponsor
Sponsors give a lot of time and rarely ask for anything back. The gifts they treasure tend to be personal.
A letter. Tell them what has changed in your life since you started working with them. Be specific. This is often the gift sponsors keep longest.
A large print Big Book. Many long-time members read their Big Book every day and welcome bigger type. The large print edition has the same 144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs and color highlighting as the standard hardcover.
Service in their honor. Take a commitment at your home group or say yes to sponsoring someone yourself, then tell them you did it because of them.
Your time. Coffee after a meeting, a holiday meal, a walk. Show up for the person who keeps showing up for you.
For more ideas, see our AA sponsor gift guide.
Christmas Gifts for a Long-Timer
Someone with many years of sobriety usually has the tools they need. Gifts that respect that work best.
A fresh copy of a well-worn book. After years of daily use, many old-timers are ready for a new Big Book. Large print is a thoughtful choice for anyone who prefers easier reading.
A gift card. An AAmazingtabs gift card lets them choose what they need, whether that is a book for themselves or one to give a sponsee.
An invitation. Ask them to speak, to lead a Big Book study or to share their story with your group. Being asked to carry the message is a gift in itself.
AAmazingtabs Tabs Kit
144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs to put in your own Big Book. Ships in 2–3 days.
If You Are Family and Not in AA Yourself
You do not need to know the program to give a good gift. Focus on the person and their new life:
Plan a sober holiday activity together, like a movie, a hike or a meal at a favorite place.
Give a gift connected to a hobby they have picked up in sobriety.
Write a card about something specific you have noticed in them this year.
Not sure what they would like? Ask them. Many people in AA are glad to tell you what would mean the most. And if you want support of your own, Al-Anon is a separate fellowship for family and friends of alcoholics.
Gifts That Cost Nothing
Some of the most remembered Christmas gifts in AA are free:
A ride to a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meeting
A phone call on the hardest day of the season
An invitation to a sober holiday meal
Your own story of your first sober Christmas
When to Order for Christmas
If you are ordering from AAmazingtabs, here is what to know:
Ships in 2–3 days: the tabbed and highlighted Big Book (standard and large print), the Tabs Kit and the $75 DIY Big Book Kits. For Christmas, order by December 15.
Made to order, ships in 4–6 weeks: the tabbed and unhighlighted Big Book and the $85 tabbed and unhighlighted kits. For Christmas, order by November 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you not give someone in AA for Christmas?
Avoid anything alcohol-themed, including gag gifts about not drinking, and gifts that focus on their past instead of their present. A useful tool, a shared experience or a personal note is a safer choice.
Is a Big Book a good gift if they already have one?
It can be. Many members wear out their first copy, and some want a large print edition or a book with tabs and highlighting for Step work. If they want to keep their own book, a Tabs Kit lets them tab the copy they already have.
What is a good Christmas gift for an AA sponsor?
Sponsors often value personal gifts most: a heartfelt letter, an act of service in their honor, time together, or a book they will use every day, such as a large print Big Book.
When should I order a Big Book for Christmas delivery?
Tabbed and highlighted Big Books, the Tabs Kit and the $75 DIY Big Book Kits ship in 2–3 days, so order by December 15. Made-to-order items ship in 4–6 weeks, so order those by November 10.
A Gift That Goes to Every Meeting
We are a family with 30+ years of sobriety, and we have been hand-crafting tabbed Big Books for 10+ years. If you are looking for one gift that will be opened at meetings, at the kitchen table and with a sponsor all year long, start with the tabbed and highlighted AA Big Book.
DIY Big Book Kits
A Big Book with tabs and highlighters, so you can set it up yourself. DIY kits ship in 2–3 days.
Take the Big Book with you: get the AAmazingtabs app. App Store · Google Play
AAmazingtabs is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
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