People might not be chanting "just stay home" anymore, but it's exactly what we're doing for the holidays this year. Are you and your loved ones planning to scale down and stay in, too? If so, you might be searching for gifts that feel suited to newfound hobbies, interests, and needs that have developed over the months of quarantining and social distancing due to coronavirus. We've got quarantine gift ideas right here, including suggestions for the new cooks, the home learners, those keeping in touch through the mail, those sipping their way through the days, and more.
We're also really pumped about Advent Calendars and think this is a fantastic year to start a new holiday tradition! Don't forget to check out our full subscription box gift guide, too.
Gift Ideas for Christmas During a Pandemic
1. KiwiCo
Image via KiwiCo.
Cost: Starts at $19.94 per month + free U.S. shipping. Sign up here.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 50% off your first box. No coupon needed - just use this link.
What They'll Get: Parents will probably tell you that the best gifts during covid times are the ones that keep their kids busy. When it comes to educational play and project-based learning, no one does it better than KiwiCo! This STEAM-focused subscription box has something for kids of literally every age, from birth to 16 and beyond. Monthly shipments arrive with everything your child needs to complete one or more projects, easy-to-follow instructions, and for some tiers, supplemental learning info and activities. Here are all the boxes KiwiCo offers:
- Panda Crate sends boxes for exploration and discovery meant for 0-24-month-olds,
- Koala Crate boxes are filled with creative play projects for 2-4-year-olds,
- Kiwi Crate boxes cover science, art, and more for 5-8-year-olds,
- Atlas Crate explore world geography and culture for 6-11-year-olds,
- Doodle Crate is a DIY crafting box, and Tinker Crate is a science & engineering box, both meant for 9-16+-year-olds,
- Eureka Crate teaches engineering and design, and Maker Crate offers art and design projects, both for ages 14 and up.
Check out all of our KiwiCo reviews for more info.
Gift It: KiwiCo boxes make seriously awesome gifts for families in quarantine. Buy a KiwiCo gift card or gift subscription here!
Ships to the for free, Canada for $3.95 per month, and worldwide from $4.95-$6.95.
2. Advent Calendars
Cost: Advent Calendars featured on MSA start at $9.99, but most are in the $50-$200 range. Explore Advent Calendars here.
What They'll Get: Every Advent Calendar offers something a little different! These boxes provide a fun way to countdown to the holidays with 12- or 24-door options that each hide a surprise. There's truly something for everyone, kids and adults alike, from candy and Christmas ornaments to beauty products and jewelry, to jerky and alcohol! Visit our lists featuring the best beauty, alcohol, kids, and Harry Potter Advent Calendars of 2020. Or bookmark our Advent Calendar feed and keep checking back to see as new Advent Calendars launch.
Gift It: You'll want to narrow down which Advent Calendar is for you and order it ASAP! Not only do some brands' Advent Calendars sell out quickly, but they also kick off the countdown to Christmas (or Hannukah, see here and here) in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
Shipping varies per brand.
3. Universal Yums
Image from our review.
Cost: Starts at $15 per month + free U.S. shipping. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: At a time when folks may be missing new sights, Universal Yums subscribers get to enjoy the next best thing about travel: new tastes. Taking you around the world with authentic snacks and candies from a different country each month, paired with info so snackers can learn as they munch, this food subscription box is a great way to mix up the routine. We love that this subscription comes with a scorecard to help you remember which snacks you loved most. Check out our Universal Yums reviews for more info.
Gift It: Send the people you love on a trip around the globe with a Universal Yums gift subscription! (It's basically the best gift basket ever.)
Ships to the U.S. for free, and Canada, the U.K., Australia, and Israel at varying costs.
4. Birchbox Beauty & Birchbox Grooming
Cost: Birchbox Beauty costs $15 per month + free shipping. Birchbox Grooming costs $10 per month + free shipping.
What They'll Get: We love a weekend afternoon spent sampling self-care goodies! For anyone who agrees, Birchbox makes the perfect gift. Here's the deal with each edition of this box:
- The Birchbox Beauty box sends a monthly box customized with makeup and skincare samples based on your user profile. Starting with your second month you'll have the chance to pick one of the items in every delivery! Subscribers love that they can sample both new and familiar brands' products before buying full-size—something that can be done on Birchbox's website using your subscriber points.
- Birchbox Grooming focuses on men's personal care, sending samples of items like shaving products, soaps, face wash, and even colognes. Members have access to full-size add-ons to their boxes, and if you want to upgrade to the Plus subscription ($20/month), you'll be able to look forward to a lifestyle gift each month, too.
Check out our Birchbox Beauty reviews and Birchbox Grooming reviews for more info.
Gift It: Head here to purchase a monthly Birchbox gift, or check out Limited Edition Birchbox Beauty Boxes, great for one-time gifting. If you're looking for a covid-relevant gift fit for remedying face mask woes, we tried and love The Maskne Kit!
Ships to the U.S., France, Spain, and the UK.
5. Bespoke Post
Image from our review.
Cost: $45 per month for members, $55 if purchased without a membership. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: Bespoke Post is known for their elevated, quality items that run the gamut of lifestyle categories. These boxes are a fantastic option for gifting, because you have the option to pick the themed curation of your choice. There's always something for folks like the campfire chef, the whiskey taster, the weekend traveler, the outdoors-lover, and while some may think of these curations as meant for men, our team finds them to be perfectly unisex! Check out our Bespoke Post reviews for more info.
Gift It: Pick up a digital or physical Bespoke Post gift certificate here!
Ships to the lower 48 U.S. states for $3.95, Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada for $10. All orders over $75 qualify for free shipping.
6. HelloFresh
Image from our review.
Cost: Subscriptions cost between $8.74-$9.99 per serving depending on the plan you choose, plus shipping. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: HelloFresh is perhaps the most well-known meal kit subscription! They offer subscribers the opportunity to choose their meals from a weekly rotating menu and then send quality pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes. Their plans include Veggie, Meat & Veggie, Low-Calorie, and Family-Friendly options. HelloFresh offers options for 3, 4, or 5 recipes per week—perfect for interspersing home-cooked meals with takeout from their favorite restaurant! Check out our HelloFresh reviews for more info.
Gift It: HelloFresh offers gift cards starting at $65 (about the cost of 1 box). Buy one here!
Ships to the U.S. only.
7. The Paper Source Lifestyle Box
Image from our review of the Lifestyle Box.
Cost: $49.95 per quarter + free shipping. (A minimum one-year commitment required, paid in quarterly installments.) Sign up here.
What They'll Get: We've never met a stationery-lover who doesn't also enjoy setting the tone with a cup of tea, a candle, and other useful lifestyle goodies, and the quarterly Paper Source Lifestyle Box provides. It's not uncommon to encounter items from popular brands like Rifle Paper Co., ban.do, Paddywax, and Lilly Pulitzer in this subscription, and every product is as perfect for keeping as it is for gifting. It's basically a beautiful care package sent to your door every season!
Paper Source also has two newer subscriptions on offer: the Creativity Box, sending supplies for easy-to-learn creative projects with instructional videos 6 times per year, and the Kids Club, which includes 3 projects per box, 6 times per year, for kids ages 6 and up.
Check out our Paper Source Lifestyle Box reviews for more info.
Gift It: Send a year-long Paper Source subscription to someone you love, or explore limited edition one-time kits as an alternative!
Ships to the contiguous U.S. for free.
8. Public Goods
Cost: Membership is $59/year for access to low-cost groceries, household, and personal care items. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: Public Goods is a membership service for household, personal care, vitamins and supplements, and shelf-stable grocery items. You can even get toilet paper (and it's the eco-friendly tree-free kind)! They eliminate the retail markup on quality goods by cutting out the middle man and selling directly to consumers. Their products contain “healthy ingredients with nothing to hide” and are sent straight to the subscriber's door so they can avoid the grocery store. Many of their products are organic, sustainably sourced, and are always made without toxins. Check out our Public Goods reviews for more info.
Gift It: Buying for someone who's avoiding clutter? Shop Public Goods' gift sets and individual giftable items here.
Ships to the U.S. (free over $45 to the continental U.S.) and Canada (free over $100).
9. Margot Elena
Image from our review.
Cost: $59.99 per quarter + $6.95 shipping. Sign up here.
ACTIVE DEAL: Limited Time Only! Get 10% off a minimum $45 purchase for new subscriptions!
CODE: MSA10
What They'll Get: Gifting Margot Elena items is a no-brainer: every single lotion, soap, perfume, and spray not only smells mind-blowingly good, they also arrive in the most gorgeous packaging. Heck, you won't even have to wrap these beautiful items, they'll like the perfectly curated gift box on its own. Margot Elena is the brains behind popular brands Lollia, TokyoMilk, Library of Flowers, and more, which, if you're unfamiliar, are often carried at stores like Anthropologie. If you're like us, you'll just subscribe and divide the spoils up among yourself and others! Check out our Margot Elena reviews for more info.
Gift It: Delight someone's senses on an ongoing basis with a Margot Elena subscription, or shop Margot Elena Gift Sets here!
Ships to the contiguous U.S.
10. Atlas Coffee Club
Image via Atlas Coffee Club.
Cost: Plans start at $9. Sign up here.
ACTIVE DEAL: Use code MSA50 to Save 50% off your first subscription purchase
CODE: MSA50
What They'll Get: Atlas Coffee Club is the coffee drinker's way of traveling the world from the comfort of their kitchen nook. Cabin fever be gone! Subscribers get to select their coffee bag size, delivery cadence, roast preference, and grind type, then get to sit back and enjoy adventurous flavors from micro-lot coffees hailing from Tanzania, Kenya, Colombia, and beyond. Check out our Atlas Coffee Club reviews for more info.
Gift It: You might not be able to book your loved one a flight abroad, but you can send the flavors of the world straight to them with an Atlas Coffee Club gift subscription! Great when paired with a new coffee mug.
Ships to the U.S. for $4.95 and Canada (add $6).
11. Fabletics
Image from our review.
Cost: $49.95 per month + free shipping to the contiguous U.S. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: Is this our way of encouraging continued yoga-pants-wearing? Why yes, yes it is. Not only that, Fabletics subscribers get to choose what they want each month from a changing selection of new launches. The membership-based model of this subscription means the monthly fee counts as shopping credit for clothing you get to keep! Check out our Fabletics reviews for more info.
Gift It: Fabletics is always a great gift, but especially now. Get a Fabletics gift card here!
Ships to the contiguous U.S. for $4.95 flat rate shipping if you spend less than $49.95 per month. $9 to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and APO addresses. $5.95 VIP rate to Australia, or $9.95 otherwise.
12. Little Passports
Image via Little Passports.
Cost: Starts at $18.95 per month + free U.S. shipping. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: Families in quarantine will have a fun, learning-filled travel experience from home! Little Passports boxes include activities, reading material, and goodies like stickers and souvenirs themed around a different culture or destination. There are age-appropriate boxes for various age ranges, from 3-9 and up. Check out our Little Passports reviews for more info.
Gift It: Get an explorer started with a Little Passports gift right here!
Ships to the U.S. for free, and several other countries.
13. MasterClass
Image via Masterclass.
Cost: $90 for an individual class or $180 for an annual subscription. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: This one is for the student of life who is sorely missing attending lectures and readings. A MasterClass membership gives access to an online library of classes offered by experts and celebrities. Most classes are made up of twenty 10-minute lessons and are offered on topics like interior design, acting, writing, effective negotiation, self-expression, business, science, and much more. Some instructors you may be familiar with include Tan France, Dr. Jane Goodall, Carlos Santana, Spike Lee, Jodie Foster, and more. See the full list of instructors here! Check out our MasterClass review for more info.
Gift It: Now through November 30, MasterClass is offering a Black Friday deal: Gift one membership, get one free. No code needed, just click here!
14. Sips by
Image from our review.
Cost: $15 per month + free U.S. shipping. Sign up here.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 50% off your first box!
CODE: SUBSCRIPTIONADDICTION
What They'll Get: Maybe it's the time of year, or maybe it's that tea is a tried-and-true comfort, but we're finding ourselves turning to it more and more for our own wellness. This awesome tea subscription sends 15+ servings of tea, distributed among four different categories. The flavors are selected for the subscriber according to their profile, so while the contents are a surprise, they can count on being sent something they'll like. Check out our Sips By reviews for more info.
Gift It: Get a 3, 6, or 12-month Sips by gift card here then print out to give to your loved one to redeem online.
Ships to the U.S. for free, Canada for $9.50, and Western Europe for $13.50-$17.
15. Escape the Crate
Image from our review.
Cost: $29.99 every other month + shipping. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: Game nights have long been a classic way of enjoying time at home, but the Escape the Crate box heightens the stakes! Think "escape room" in bi-monthly subscription box form. Each delivery sends a new experience, stuff that might involve murder mysteries, time travel stories, tasks like deciphering alien languages, defusing bombs, and more. The mysteries are designed for 2-4 people to solve, using the included letters, ciphers, puzzles, tools, and other objects. Check out our Escape the Crate reviews for more info.
Gift It: This subscription would be a welcome gift for game-lovers, but if you're looking for a one-time option you can find "retired games” (boxes that are no longer part of the subscription) for $39.99 on the Escape the Crate site.
Ships to the U.S. for $5. Shipping cost varies internationally.
16. Cheryl’s Cookie of the Month Club
Image from our review.
Cost: Starting at $16.99/month + $6.99 shipping for the 6-month plan. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: Our comfort food intake is at an all-time high right now, and for some of us that means a regular shipment of 12 buttercream cookies, made with love and decorated to suit the season. (For others it's coffee, chocolate, or gourmet cheese—also great picks.) Gifting these goodies is a can't-go-wrong idea for those who love a good reward to a day of doing our best! Check out our Cheryl's Cookie of the Month Club reviews for more info.
Gift It: Send a delicious Cheryl's gift here, or find the monthly club that's best suited to your gift recipient by visiting our Best Of the Month Clubs list! For long-distance loved ones, these types of subscriptions are the next best thing to baking for them.
Ships to the U.S. for $6.99.
17. PostBox by Postmark'd Studio
Image from our review.
Cost: $25 per month + shipping. Sign up here.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get free shipping on your first box (MSAFS) or save $10 off your first box with a 3-month subscription (MSA404ME)
CODE: MSAFS or MSA404ME
What They'll Get: Let's be real: the stationery-lover in your life would be content writing love notes at their desk all day, if only they had the cards and letterheads to support their habits (it's a great passion to have in times of social distancing). For that person, Postmark'd Studio's PostBox will make their whole month. This subscription hooks it up with greeting cards, postcards, postage, and a fun artsy supply such as a pen, pencil, or knick-knack gadget based on a theme. Check out our PostBox by Postmark'd reviews for more info.
Gift It: Is it karma or is it strategic planning? Send your loved one a PostBox gift and maybe you'll receive some snail mail in return!
Ships to the U.S. ($5.00), Canada ($11.00), and 41 international countries ($17.00).
18. Disney+
Cost: $6.99 per month. Sign up here. Or go for the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ bundle for $12.99 per month. Sign up for the bundle here.
What They'll Get: Yes, a Disney+ subscription is filled with all the classic animated shows, shorts, and original films you're expecting from Disney studios, but also lots of selections from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Can't go unmentioned: the first 30 seasons of The Simpson's. So, this isn't just a kid-focused gift, it's a game-changer for everyone and anyone, and it's an especially welcome gift during a pandemic. Check out our Disney+ team picks and our Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ bundle favorites for ideas on what to watch!
Gift It: Send a Disney+ gift here or go big with the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ bundle!
19. Bake Eat Love
Image via Eat Bake Love Cratejoy.
Cost: $37.99 per month + free U.S. shipping. Sign up here.
ACTIVE DEAL: Use code BF25OFF to get 25% off your first box of a 3+ month subscription
CODE: BF25OFF
What They'll Get: If someone in your life is avoiding restaurants and instead making waves in the kitchen with their favorite meal subscription box, then Eat Bake Love is the obvious next step! Each month, this baking subscription arrives with a delicious dessert recipe and all the pre-measured ingredients needed to bake 12-20 servings of it. Plus, each shipment arrives with a different kitchen tool to add to their collection. Subscribers will find themselves making cupcakes, icing-filled cookies, homemade ice cream, and more—anyone else's sweet tooth whispering "just do it"?
Gift It: Eat Bake Love is the gift of a fun pastime and deliciousness combined. Send a subscription here, or check out our list of Cooking + Baking Boxes for Foodies for more ideas!
Ships to the U.S. for free.
20. Bath Bevy
Image from our review of the Bath Bevy Tubless Box.
Cost: $38.95 per month or quarter (your choice) + $6.95 shipping for the classic box. The Tubless box costs $42.95 per month + $6.95 shipping. Sign up here.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your subscription
CODE: MSA10
What They'll Get: During these times, spa days are self-made—that is, unless your closest pal or family member has the help of the handmade bath and body items in Bath Bevy. All the body washes, whipped soaps, sugar scrubs, lotions, shower steamers, and bath bombs are high quality and filled with personality (the type of stuff you might find on Etsy). No tub? No problem—Bath Bevy offers a TUBLESS edition for wellness without the bathtub. Check out our Bath Bevy reviews for more info.
Gift It: Bath Bevy has long been a team favorite here at MSA. Go ahead, gift it, you'll make someone's day!
Ships to the U.S.; international shipping is available for an additional cost.
21. Haus
Image from our review.*
Cost: Membership starts at $35 per month for 1 bottle + free shipping. Sign up here.
What They'll Get: Are you in on apéritifs? They're low-alcohol but delightfully flavorful and can be enjoyed alone or as part of a cocktail (think Aperol, Campari, or Vermouth). Haus apéritifs come in complex flavors including citrus flower, rose rosé, bitter clove, and lemon lavender, and more, and their 18%-20% ABV means they can be enjoyed by adults after a long day (or year) without the serious buzz or worry of a hangover. Great for Zoom happy hours, too! Check out our Haus review for more info.
*Note that the Starter Kit bundle is no longer offered by Haus, but the flavors our reviewer tried are still for sale. The closest thing to it is the Haus Essentials, which sends 2-6 750mL bottles of the two flavors in our review.
Gift It: A gift membership means your people can taste their way through Haus' incredible flavors with 1, 2, or 6 bottles per month. Or, you could send them a single bottle for $35, or a Sampler Kit (four 200mL bottles) for $40 + $5 shipping. Explore Haus here.
Ships to all 50 U.S. states except Alabama, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Utah, South Carolina, and South Dakota.
Looking for more ideas? Check out our 2020 Holiday Gift Guides here to find something for everyone! Also, check out our lists of Advent Calendars that serve as a countdown to the big day.
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