Hellobee

Unfortunately, most of my close girlfriends from high school don’t live nearby. For their birthdays I would love to take them out to lunch, to get a pedicure, or visit a local winery, but those aren’t usually options. So, here are my ideas for birthday gifts that are easy to get to them, while still being thoughtful.

1) Jeni’s Ice Cream – How can you go wrong with ice cream?? Especially gourmet ice cream with ridiculously delicious flavors?? You can’t. These ice creams arrive within 1-2 days in a cooler to assure it stays, ya know, ice cream. None of my friends have ever complained about this gift! Someday I plan on getting to try it too (drat on winter birthdays)!!

2) A gift certificate to somewhere near them – Just because I can’t indulge with them, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t! If I’ve heard my friend talk about a specific place she gets her hair or nails done, I’ll get a gift card to there. But if I just happen to find a restaurant near her that has great reviews, I’ll get a gift card there in hopes that she can go with her hubby, or solo.

3) Etsy – Oh Etsy. How I love thee. I find so many interesting, handmade things on Etsy that it’s usually my first stop for a unique gift. One of my more favored gifts for mom friends of mine is a necklace with their child/ren’s initials on it. I’ve also found unique t-shirts for all ages and unique jewelry that highlight my friends’ specific interests.

4) Edible Arrangements – I love fresh fruit – especially in cute flower shapes! I don’t use Edible Arrangements a lot – but they are good in a pinch or for a friend who really loves fruit!

5) Along the same lines as Edible Arrangements, is Pajamagram! There are all kinds of cute pajamas on here that can be sent right to your friend’s door. They come packaged in a free fabric bag that can be upgraded to deluxe packaging – which included a few extra gifts, for a fee. Who doesn’t love fluffy pajamas in the wintertime??

6) BoxFox – I haven’t used this service yet – but I fully intend to!! BoxFox allows you to shop through numerous products. Then they package the gift in, what looks like, beautiful boxes with a handwritten note of your choosing. Boxes range from $35-$135. There are boxes for birthdays (a candle, wine opener, and hair clips), boxes for morning people (honey, granola, and tea sticks), and boxes filled with things to relax her (candle, notebox set, and a sleep mask). Fun!!

7) One Hope: This is a wine company that also has cute boxes available for gifts (like this birthday one). This is another service I haven’t tried yet – but I definitely know some friends who could use a nice bottle of wine.

8) Bklyn Larder: This company packs up hand-crafted cheeses, homemade prepared foods, and hard-to-find grocery items and ships them out. There are combos that contain snacks from the Brooklyn area, items for a breakfast in bed, and even one with a selection of nut butters. Yum!

Do you have any types of gifts that you like to send to long-distance friends?