37 Socially-Distanced Birthday Gifts To Send Your Friends
Just because you can't be present doesn't mean you can't *send* presents.
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1. A 25-pack of Baked By Melissa cupcakes for anyone whose favorite flavor is "all of them."
Each box includes Tie-Dye (vanilla), Cookies & Cream, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Cookie Dough, Triple Chocolate Fudge, Chocolate Chip Pancake, Red Velvet, Mint Cookie, Brownie Batter, Cake Batter, Cookie Butter, and Confetti.
Get it from Baked By Melissa for $37 (also available in vegan packs!).
2. A Baby Yoda puzzle, because birthdays are a time for reflecting on the important things in life, like the fictional alien child they've pseudo-adopted with the rest of humanity.
Get it from Barnes & Noble for $10.99.
3. A "because quarantine birthday" wineglass they can use to toast to everyone in the Zoom birthday chat after y'all sing "Happy Birthday" in nine different (but no less enthusiastic!!) keys.
Promising review: "This wine glass turned out so AMAZING!! I bought 3 for family birthdays this week... Shipping was super fast and price was great!! Such a fun gift idea!! Everyone loved it!!" —Maria Galdamez
Get it from Red Line Designs on Etsy for $7.99+ (available in 35 colors, including *glitter* options!).
4. Plus a personalized delivery of Winc wines your friend can choose for themselves, because honestly, our collective new favorite varietal of wine is the "pick it up from the doorstep" kind.
Your friend will receive a personalized gift voucher with a custom message from you, which they can then use at Winc's website to choose from 46 curated wines to have delivered straight to their door.
Get it from Winc for $60+.
5. A copy of 52 Lists For Happiness perfect for setting the birthday ~mood~ for everything they want to appreciate in their life now, and accomplish in the future.
Promising review: "My friend purchased the first journal for me (The 52 List Project). I bought this one on a whim and enjoy it just as much! If you like making lists, this is for you. Provides prompts for introspection and action towards more happiness. A very mindful approach to your own emotional well-being." —runninglegs12
Get it from Target for $10.22 or from Bookshop (to support local bookstores) for $15.59.
6. An assortment of Milk Bar cookies from the iconic New York-based bakery, aka the ultimate birthday bragging right — ordinarily you have to stand in line for a bajillion years for one of these!
This set comes complete with *takes a deep breath* one Compost Cookie, one Cornflake-Marshmallow-Chocolate-Chip Cookie, one Corn Cookie, one Blueberry & Cream Cookie, one Chocolate-Chocolate Cookie, and one Confetti Cookie. I would fight you for any one of them.
Get a set of six cookies from Milk Bar for $20.
7. A personalizable non-medical birthday-themed face mask they'll still get use out of after the big day when they're inevitably celebrating other people's birthdays over Zoom (or if social distancing is relaxed enough for small gatherings in the future).
This non-medical mask is reusable, machine-washable, has elastic ear loops, and has a pocket for a filter included.
Get it from Zazzle for $12.95.
Psst — you can check out the rest of Zazzle's mask designs for more personalizable options for your friend!
8. A socially distanced birthday card they can keep to look back on that one weird birthday we were all quarantined as heck.
Psst — you can ask the seller to personalize a message on the inside and send it directly to your friend!
Get it from Studio Yelle on Etsy for $3.81.
9. A garden-themed monogram mug you can get personalized with the first letter of their name, so they can immediately set to putting it in all their cozy #StayHome Instagrams.
Promising review: "These cups are lovely and perfect for drinking tea. The size of the cup is generous and is really more mug-sized, which I like. The monogram adds that perfect personalized touch. Would definitely recommend!" —Olivia D.
Get it from Anthropologie for $10.50 (originally $14; available in letters A-Z).
10. Plus one of these birthday celebration-themed teas — one full of rainbow sprinkles, and the other full of POPPING CANDY. The ideal quaran-tea to sip on your day of birth.
11. A make-your-own-wine kit so they can celebrate the next year of their human existence by toasting with five bottles of home-brewed red from the comfort of their own couch.
This kit comes equipped with fermentable juice, high quality yeast, oak, and additives, plus everything you need to make a full gallon of either Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, or Pinot Grigio.
Get it from The Grommet for $60 (available in four wine varieties).
12. A personalized apron for the Disney foodie in your life, complete with little cartoons of everyone's favorite flavor of ice cream: MICKEY-SHAPED.
Promising review: "Oh this is gorgeous. The colors are perfect. The apron is constructed with reinforced stitching where appropriate. The trim is even and compliments the main body colors. I got this personalized, thank goodness. Everyone who has seen it, wants it!" —mstowers83
Get it from shopDisney for $22.99.
13. A Soap & Glory birthday box set complete with a hydrating shower gel, a velvety body butter, and a loofah for their coziest birthday yet.
14. A six-layer cake with a surprise rainbow inside from Carlo's Bakery (aka the Cake Boss), because everyone knows that cake tastes best in as many colors as possible.
Promising review: "The cake was delivered on time and the cake was fresh and delicious! I highly recommend this company! I’ve have several cakes from them and every single time it was excellent and beautifully designed!" —Ranya L.
Get it from Goldbelly for $69.95 (plus free shipping!).
Psst — if your friend is more of a chocolate fan, you can get this rainbow cake with chocolate frosting, too!
15. A Birthday Party candle with notes of butter, cream, vanilla, and spice that will entirely banish whatever lingering smells of FOMO may be in your friend's room.
Get it from Urban Outfitters for $30.
16. A set of Disney princess face masks so they can spend their birthday channeling their inner Belle, Ariel, Aurora, and Jasmine (read: singing endlessly and unrepentantly, as all birthday celebrators should).
Each set includes Princess Aurora’s True Love’s Kiss with soothing lavender, Princess Ariel’s Jewel of the Sea with cooling cucumber, Princess Jasmine’s A Whole New World with refreshing green tea, and Princess Belle’s Enchanted Rose with glowy rosewater.
Get it from Firebox for $11.99 (originally $17.99).
Psst — you can also get Disney villain face masks and Star Wars face masks!
17. A set of blooming lollipops that they can eat, then use the leftover stick to PLANT in a little pot right in the comfort of their own home, starting a lil' birthday garden at the perfect time of year for it.
Each set comes with eight lollipops: Sage & Marshmallow (which grows sage), Lavender & Lemongrass (which grows lavender), Peach & Marigold (which grows marigold), Strawberry & Basil (which grows basil), Champagne & Roses (which grows rosetta cosmo), Rosemary & Mint (which grows mint), Lemon & Thyme (which grows thyme), and Vanilla & Hibiscus (which grows baby blue eyes).
Promising review: "Delightfully different treat with the potential for lovely plants. Great gift for someone who might be difficult to find something interesting for." —UncommonGoods Customer
Get it from UncommonGoods for $20.
18. A customizable Glossier Balm Dotcom trio gift set full of ultra-hydrating, gorgeously subtle colors you can hand-pick for your friend — including a sparkly *birthday* balm.
Promising review: "Buy this! Buy them all! I got the original to begin with and ended up buying the trio set days later because of how amazing it is. Now I have fourt tubes in different scents and I regret nothing. Even my husband is in love with the original and the mint! The birthday is super subtly shimmery and the rose is a barely there tint (honestly BARELY THERE). A little does go a long way so don't worry about the price tag. You will be using these tubes for a while and loving every second of it." —Devon
Get it from Glossier for $30 (originally $36; available in eight shades).
19. A set of three Jars By Dani cake jars s t a c k e d with layers of cake, frosting, and other goodies — plus, you can handpick the flavors based on what kind of cake vibe your friend is feeling.
The flavors include fudge brownie, cookies and cream, cake batter, and cookie dough, white chocolate, peanut butter, lemon bar, and strawberry shortcake.
Promising review: "My order shipped super quickly and arrived in great shape. The Jars by Dani are so good. I have ordered them several times and will order again." —Barbara K.
Get a set of three from Goldbelly for $30.
20. A game of The Office-themed Clue, so they can spend their birthday hunting through the break room, the conference room, and Michael's office to figure out who killed Toby and how (my money's on "with a ream of paper," personally).
They'll need three to six players for this game, in which y'all have to use clues to figure out which of six iconic Office characters killed Toby, which room in the office they did it, and the weapon they used, all while dealing with curveballs from your meddling boss.
Promising review: "Best game ever! I loved this game! Anyone that truly loves the office will love this it ... the weapons are hilarious." —Shannon Brown
Get it from BoxLunch for $48.90.
21. A mini waffle maker that will truly become a lockdown mainstay in their kitchen — this lil' bb can make waffles, paninis, hash browns, pizza, and even warm up cookie dough.
Promising review: "The mini waffle maker makes fast little waffles for breakfast, sandwiches, any waffle related meal. Very easy to use, fast and nice for older parents and single people who just want a smaller waffle portion. Easy to clean as well which is probably one of the best features." —Annette M.
Get it from Sur La Table for $11.96 (originally $14.95; available in two colors).
22. A beginner's ukulele complete with a guide with 75 songs, online audio instructions, *and* an instructional DVD, so they can use quarantine to pick up a new skill and serenade you the next time y'all meet.
Get it from Target for $39.99.
23. An Atlas Coffee Club subscription for that friend who is missing their coffee runs the most right now — this will send them a different gourmet coffee from around the world every month, along with tasting notes, brewing instructions, and a postcard from the country it's from.
Promising review: "My order was promptly filled and delivered and the recipient could not have been happier! He received the first bag of coffee and is really enjoying it! This made a great birthday gift and I would definitely use this company again." —Donna F.
Get a three-month gift subscription from Atlas Coffee Club for $53 (originally $60).
24. Plus a pastel blue French press so they can watch the ~process~, and get their perfectly brewed cup of joe without wasting money on paper filters or a fancy coffee machine.
Promising review: "This makes it so easy to make a quick cup of coffee on the run. I can easily measure the coffee to the strength that I like." —Wayfair Customer
Get it from Wayfair for $11.99.
25. A veritable vat of Magnolia Bakery's red velvet banana pudding, a *chef's kiss* ridiculously delicious twist on a classic stuffed with cream cheese frosting and red velvet cake.
I have a little too much experience with eating this, so I can tell you firsthand that it will make your friend's day.
Get a party size that serves eight from Goldbelly for $60.
26. A statement-making cat paw AirPods case purrrfect for the friend who keeps losing theirs right before they're supposed to take a Skype call.
Get it from the Apollo Box for $14.96 (available in two colors).
27. An illustrated mini box of 100 essential cocktail recipes divided by types of liquor for all the birthday inspo they need and beyond.
28. Plus an intricate floral ice mold to seriously elevate their birthday cocktails, whether it's something fancy they whipped up from from a recipe, or everyone's new favorite quarantine drink: Whatever Alcohol Y'all Have Left.
Get it from The Apollo Box for $22.98.
29. A "Hot People Like Hot Sauce" tea towel that also serves as an important lockdown cooking PSA: when in doubt, just add hot sauce.
30. A cookie dough four-pack from Cookie DŌ bakery full of mouth-watering flavors they can take straight to the face without bothering to bake them.
Each pack comes with Signature Chocolate Chip, Brookie Dough (chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter swirled together), Heavenly (sugar cookie dough, nutella, chocolate chips, caramel bits, and sea salt), and Cake Batter (cake batter, white chips, chocolate chips, and sprinkles).
Get it from Goldbelly for $53.
31. Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint that'll give them an all-day, long-lasting pop of color for all their birthday FaceTime calls without any of the hassle of reapplying a bajillion times.
Promising review: "I was so excited to try this because I've heard nothing but good things and I agree with all of them completely. The wand and formula are so soft and you only need one swipe to get amazing color that stays all day with no fade. Amazing." —DeenyQueeny
Get it from Fenty Beauty for $25 (available in seven shades).
32. A box of custom shortbread cookies that will shout your birthday joy at them every time they peel one open and take a bite.
33. A very huggable, quite fluffy corgi butt plush they can either store in a fridge as a cooling pad or heat up in the microwave for a cozy (lavender-scented!) heating pad at the end of their at-home birthday dance party.
Get it from Urban Outfitters for $32.
34. A pair of rosebud drop earrings so they can channel spring in all their birthday selfies, no ifs, ands, or ~buds~ about it.
Get it from New York & Company for $16.95.
35. An embroidered "Ew, David" hat for anyone whose birthday theme is a little bit Alexis ✨.
Promising review: "The cutest hat ever! Such great quality and super fast shipping! Thank you!! ♥️" —Katy LaSalva
Get it from R&D Designs on Etsy for $15.
36. A set of cat-themed tarot cards complete with a guide on how to pull the cards and how to interpret them so they can be everyone's go-to Zoom tarot reader meow.
37. Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake Shampoo, Shower Gel, and Bubble Bath that's basically one-size-fits-all for however they're getting their b-day suds on during lockdown.
Promising review: "The scent is divine and not at all like those synthetic food-inspires fragrances. It’s gourmand and the texture is so creamy and the look is pearly in the shower. Love it." —nyfashionista
Get it from Sephora for $18.
Your friend when a lovely lil' birthday surprise comes in the mail:
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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