Pandemic-Worthy Gift Ideas

My 47th birthday was yesterday (47 good, bad, and ugly facts here!) and when my family asked me what I wanted a few weeks ago, I had exactly zero ideas. Part of it was that I didn’t want more stuff for stuff’s sake, part of it was because I basically have what I want and need (a blessing, for sure), and part of it was that because of the pandemic, I just really haven’t been particularly retail or trend focused.

That said, gifts are fun and I know it brings a lot of joy to my family to celebrate. So I decided to put a call out on Facebook and Instagram stories for things that people have really been loving and finding joy in lately. And it was so fun and interesting to see what people shared and many people asked me if I would share a list of recommendations because they had birthdays coming up and didn’t know what to ask for. Clearly, the pandemic has broken all of our brains! So here we are with a list of awesome pandemic-worthy gift ideas.

First, I’ll start by sharing what I ended up putting on my list. The first three things were all I could come up with initially, and then I was further badgered to add a few things. And then following is a big, crowdsourced list, broken into categories.

Note: in some cases I use affiliate links, which means if you shop through my link I will earn a tiny referral earning (which I really do appreciate), but at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Christine’s Pandemic Birthday Wishlist

Ethiopian coffee (on this day 8 years ago I was in Ethiopia and my mind has been there a lot lately)
Gouache paint set + watercolor pad
UnHide Art Marsh blanket (only on the condition that people chip-in for it...OMG I am so bossy)
A birthday video made by Laurel and Violet
Wasabi peas (yes, I asked for snacks but I really love wasabi peas and haven’t seen them on the market)
Gift certificate to West Elm so I can buy white vessels for the plant babies I have been growing
1-2 small plant stands for said white vessels, custom made by Jon
These crazy J. Crew pants (so I may continue my ascent to Korean old lady status...elderly Korean ladies love their flowy prints!)
J. Crew PJs (proper PJs seem like a luxury to me; for some reason I would never buy them myself!)