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1. A dip powder kit so you and your cousin can perfect your at-home manicures while catching up over Zoom. The powder dries in just 30 seconds, and reviewers say the color stays chip-free for weeks.
2. A Drinking Animals Coloring Book or a Jason Momoa coloring book to take the edge off — with coloring, a cocktail recipe, and fantasies of Aquaman. You'll each need a copy so you can compare your creations in the family chat. (Something tells me Mom would like a copy of the Jason Momoa coloring book too...)
3. Or a coffee-and-cookie subscription box that'll bring the family together over a pot of coffee and two cookies that were baked to complement that month's roast.
4. A box of 50 postcards for all occasions with artwork drawn by illustrator Mari Andrew, because quarantine shouldn't stop you from celebrating life events. This is a heartfelt way to observe all the milestones you can't be there for IRL and will mean so much more than just a text.
5. Or a fill-in-the-blank book if you're feeling the Zoom fatigue and hate crafting corny texts but want your bestie to know how much you miss them.
6. An Echo Show 5 for keeping you up to date with what's going on in your home as well as with your loved ones who are many miles away. It can control your smart devices (turn lights on and off, adjust the thermostat, show you who's at the door), play videos and music, and connect you with anyone who has the Alexa app, an Echo device, or via Skype.
7. Grandpad, a simple tablet so you can connect with relatives who aren't tech savvy. Grandma and Grandpa can use it to make calls, listen to music, play games, send emails, take photos, browse the internet, see the weather, order transportation, and more.
8. A Disney+ subscription to ensure that the family maintains its monthly movie nights even when everyone's quarantining in different places.
9. Or a Hulu subscription that'll bring your friend group together for at least 11 hours of entertainment thanks to the Lord of the Rings trilogy being available to stream.
10. The Teleparty Chrome extension (it used to be called Netflix Party) because it syncs playback for everyone who's watching *and* has a built-in chat feature. No more having to wait until your BFF watches an episode of Bridgerton to discuss it. Now you can watch it together!
11. A Book of the Month subscription if conversation in the family group chat has gone stale. Revive it with a family book club! Each month BotM selects five and you get to choose one (you can pay extra for more books) or skip that month if nothing catches your eye. It's delivered straight to your door and then all you have to do is kick back, relax, and curl up with your pick.
12. Or a waterproof Kindle Paperwhite for the minimalists who 1. can't visit their libraries 2. don't want to risk a trip to the bookstore 3. hate the idea of cluttering their home with more books 4. and who won't be bothered to wait for their book club reads to be delivered via snail mail.
13. Libby, an app that lets you download and read ebooks and audiobooks from your library so you and the rest of the book club are literally on the same page.
14. Animal Crossing New Horizons to travel to your friends' islands, steal their fruit, and whack them with your net.
15. A virtual escape room that'll require the whole family to put their collective brain power to use to decipher clues, solve puzzles, and make their escape.
16. A set of matching temporary tattoos because you and your bestie will think of each other every time you look down and see your ~dino-mite~ ink.
17. A Florida-scented candle if you're missing your home state and your friends and family who are still there.
18. A ring light for illuminating your face on family video calls so you don't look like a grainy collection of pixels on a screen.
19. A Skylight Frame so Mom and Dad always feel close by — even if they're not there IRL. They can even send photos directly to the frame via Wi-Fi, meaning everyone's always up to date on all the latest goings-on.
20. A bottle of pill capsules to deliver a dose of serotonin straight to your S.O.'s door. Fill the slips with heartfelt messages, inside jokes, romantic quotes, virtual date ideas, and more!
21. One Gotta Go, a card game that'll ask you and your friends to choose which ones stay and which one's gotta go. This'll no doubt spice up your game night and reveal some very wack opinions. 😳
22. An obé fitness subscription because working out releases endorphins...so why not work out together? You can friend people in the obé app and take live or on-demand classes with up to seven people. And friends who don't have an obé subscription can try it out with a free two-week guest pass.
23. A pair of Bond Touch bracelets if you'd prefer a wearable reminder that those nearest and dearest to your heart are only a tap away. When you tap the bracelet, its partner will light up and the wearer will know you're thinking of them.
24. One Question A Day, a five-year journal for your family or friend group to ponder. Chances are you'll learn a lot about the people who you thought you knew best.
25. An adjustable phone stand so you can FaceTime hands-free! There's even a slot for your charge, which is great for all your people who are basically FaceTiming their S.O. every hour of the day.
26. A set of two 1,000-piece murder mystery puzzles to kickstart the sisterhood of the traveling puzzle. Once you put together the puzzle, read the included booklet and try and figure out whodunnit.
27. A Bluetooth-connected instant mini photo printer that'll print pics from your phone in just 12 seconds. This way your parents can print out all the photos you and your siblings send to them and hang them right on the fridge.
28. A quarantine birthday wineglass because a pandemic can't stop socially distanced birthday celebrations. Cheers to a nonsocially distanced birthday in 2022 (we hope)!
29. A Cuban cocktail-making class through Airbnb Experiences if Friday night drinks were an after-work tradition for you and your roomies. Now you can still have happy hour even if you're states away!
30. BuzzFeed Quiz Party for the friend group that loves to take quizzes together. Select the quiz you want to take, send your unique URL to the rest of the group, and then wait for everyone to make their selections. When everyone's finished you'll all arrive at a screen that shows everyone's results. So fun!
31. Tabletop Simulator so game night feels just like you're sitting around a table with your friends putting together a puzzle or showing your best poker face. There are also a ton of mods for new, exciting games that'll become game night traditions.
The state of conversations in the group chat rn:
