Spending the Christmas season with your loved ones is such a blessing, and us girls (and guys) in long distance relationships know never to take it for granted. But sometimes for whatever reason, being together for the holidays is not always possible. That’s why I’ve put together this list of 12 long-distance gifting ideas for your bae! This Christmas will be just as lovely as any other, and they’re sure to feel your warmth from miles away. Just make sure you know where to mail it, of course.
1. Send over decorations to deck out their room with. Yay! Decorations! Who doesn’t love a blinged-out room for Christmas? If they’re spending the break at their dorm or apartment in college, send over cute fairy lights customized with notes attached or tinsel that overflows from the box upon opening it. Nothing spells ‘Happy Holidays’ like tinsel and tack, and they’ll think of you every time they see that big glittery mass of tack.
Throw in an ugly Christmas sweater so they can match their room? Thoughtfulness score: 100.
I don’t know about you, but I would do almost anything to see my boyfriend in this very pose with this very sweater.
2. Make ‘Open When’ envelopes/packages. These are sooo cute for your loved one. When they need you, they know just where to find you—in note form! A series of envelopes for every possible emergency from sleepless nights to Monday morning exams, or for Christmas morning! Now you can keep the feels strong when you’re not there in person.
Instead of envelopes, small thoughtful packages are a great way to show you care too.
3. Order flowers for them from a local florist.
Chances are there is a florist near them that can do deliveries. I do this for my boyfriend and parents: fresh flowers and a personalized message will brighten up anyone’s day and make them feel as special as summery flowers in the midst of winter. Just make sure they’ll be home to accept them.
4. Make them feel at home with baked goods. If they’re spending Christmas at the dorm and without family, chances are they’re in need of some TLC. Whipping up a batch of cookies or brownies is one of the best fixes for homesickness. It’s the way into a boy’s heart (or anyone’s heart, really), if you didn’t get the memo.
Make sure you wrap it up well to ensure freshness. Clingfilm or a Tupperware will suffice—and creative and cute wrapping of course.
Psst! Pringles cans are sublime for packing cookies in.
5. Scrapbook Sent one too many impersonal gifts? Get back in touch with your creative side! I know finals has probably reduced your arts spidey-senses to about a negative ten, so this is a great way to revive them. A scrapbook of your happiest or funniest moments together is bound to make anyone feel like the most special person on the planet, especially if they’re away from home. The interweb overflows with scrapbook tutorials, so get on it.
This folding-out scrapbook cube is adorable. Consult the step-by-step instructions on how to make your own.
And this festive themed one from Miss Fancy Pants is super cute, too.
Nothing spells ‘I miss you’ and ‘You’re special’ like sentimental DIY crafts. I don’t care how stoic or cool you are—when it comes to a long distance relationship or friendship, you’ve got to pull out all the stops. When you aren’t there physically, the next best thing is to send them a physical copy of your memories together. So definitely learn to scrapbook (it never gets old)!
6. Creating a cute Prezi presentation. This is the perfect way to get all the feels into a compact collection, if scrapbooking is a little too Martha Stewart for you. You’ll never run out of paper, you can save the hike to the post office, and you’re not sacrificing any creative points either. It’s a win-win, really.
7. Buy a shadowbox frame and put some small items in it that remind you of him/her.
Ah. Nothing like a piece of wall art to remind them of how much you miss them. Just, maybe don’t include that tiny lock of hair you snipped off their gorgeous head the last time they fell asleep beside you? Ikea sells the perfect shadowboxes for this kind of thing, for just $10.
8. Fun with glass bottles. You can roll up tiny messages to put in tiny glass bottles—or just put tiny things in tiny glass bottles. Moss? White glitter for a snowglobe-y look? Let your creativity run wild.
This is totally something you can DIY.
Vendors like this one over at Etsy sell small glass bottles for $7.
9. Pandora charm bracelet. For those with a bigger budget, this is both an elegant and personalized gift for your girlfriend or mother. You can keep building on the bracelet so that each new charm represents a memory. If you’re a little low on cash, a local charm bracelet store would serve the same sentiment and you can still buy charms for each occasion. You can be sure she’ll wear you everywhere she goes.
10. A cute hand-made invitation to a Skype dinner/movie date. I personally love this one. Set up a date, set up a time and write up an elegant invitation for a cozy night at home. Kick it back with each other in sweats and hoodies if that’s your style, or spice it up with a fancy dinner theme—wear dinner attire, turn off the lights and set up candles in your respective rooms, cook a nice dinner, and voila! An intimate dinner date you can have while miles away.
11. Warm winter gear. I like to think of these as ‘wearable hugs.’ As cheesy as it sounds, sending an assortment of warm, winter-weather accessories is a wonderful idea that can keep them warm and toasty. You can include all kinds of things such as mitts, scarves, a toque or beanie, sweatpants, socks, slippers.
This goes without saying, but probably not the best idea for someone living in the more tropical parts of the world
12. Dedicate a SoundCloud/YouTube playlist
Sometimes songs just say things better. Putting together a playlist for them is a great way to make them feel loved and they can even bring it around with them on their iPod!
The experience of receiving mail and opening up your presents should be as fun and pleasant as the gift itself. Check out these lovely Christmas gift-wrapping ideas from Martha Stewart, or one of our own Her Campus articles on how to make DIY gift-wrapping paper.
If you’re not sure the wrapping will survive the journey from the post-office to their doorstep, putting your wrapped gifts into a cardboard box with some bubble wrap is a safe way to make sure it all arrives in one piece.
Images obtained from:
http://www.wallcoo.net/holiday/Christmas%20Night%20at%20Disneyland/image…
http://www.fusionmedstaff.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/UglyChristmasSw…
http://www.ldrmagazine.com/blog/2014/02/20/35-inspiring-open-letters-made/
http://flowersphotogallery.blogspot.ca/2009/05/amazing-table-flowers-and-fresh-flowers.html
http://www.marilyn.ca/AtHome/segments/Daily/July2014/7_15_2014/DIYsLittl…
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2733/4496650391_464cfc560b.jpg
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/30684294.jsp?cm_vc=SEARCH_RESULTS#/
http://cdn.mademan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/skype-date-over-dinner…
http://www.tprojects.org/content.cfm/NEWSLETTER/Bridges/eBridges,27
http://chamberofrepose.dreamwidth.org/6019.html