From the coworker that always lends an ear to a venting session to the neighbor that cares for your plants when you’re on vacation, your life has a lot of great people in it. While a genuine “thanks” always goes a long way, thoughtful gifts go even farther. These “just because” gifts are perfect for relationships both platonic and romantic to show how you really feel: warm and caring.
Snacking From the Heart
A Blooming Cup of Tea
Flowers are a classic gift, but they just don’t last long enough — and, well, you usually can’t drink them. The Flower Pot Tea Company Floral Lotus Tisanes are more than meets the eye: each dried lotus blossom can transform a cup of steaming water — or two — into a fantastic floral tea. Sourced from a monastery tucked in the holy mountains of China, they also come with a considerably more interesting backstory than a grocery store bouquet.
Perfectly Edible Cookie Dough
Cookie dough is the forbidden fruit of the baked goods world: absolutely delicious but not safe to eat—until now. The Edoughble Cookie Dough Sampler set of safe-to-eat cookie dough swaps out the normally problematic eggs for far tastier ingredients like luscious Belgian dark chocolate, vanilla bean paste, rainbow sprinkles, sea salt, and organic cinnamon. Each of the five varieties offers different flavors and textures to tempt your recipient from the edges of the included plastic tasting spoons.
A Sweet Tooth’s Delight
A virtual ready-made candy dish in a box, the McCrea’s Candies Handcrafted Caramel Party Box packs not one, not two, not three, but four varieties of melt-in-your-mouth caramels beneath one lid. Each individually-wrapped caramel will not only give your lucky recipient a little indulgent treat anytime they want, but it will also remind them of your gratitude each time they give in to their sweet tooth. Don’t think of it as one gift, think of it as generous handfuls of small gifts they’ll enjoy for months to come.
It’s All Fun and Games – No, Really
A Playful Deck of Playing Cards
Most novelty playing card packs merely swap out the card backs for photos or drawings – the Artiphany Illustrated Playing Card Deck goes further with sweet, fuzzy pups. Each suit shows the same illustrated canine companion, telling a story as the card faces elevate. The clubs suit, for example, uses the iconic symbol in place of a terrier’s pawprints as he treads across the cards. Lighthearted and a perfect present for a dog lover – or your dog walker.
A Cribbage Board with Meaning
From summer rentals to memorable vacations to childhood homes, lakes hold a special place in the hearts of many. The Lake Art Custom Made Cribbage Board blends cribbage with a topographical work of art in raw cherry wood. Your lake of choice is displayed in the center, along with optional features like depth effects, facts about the lake and more. It’s ideal as a gift for summer cottage caretakers and lakeside neighbors as just because gifts.
Handmade Art Made by You
Art is a very personal hobby, and so crafting gifts can be a tricky subject—though very rewarding. Quilling Card Paper Quilling Kit offers a new and unusual art form to experiment with: quilling. Using intricately rolled strips of paper, your recipient will be able to create beautiful, personalized greeting cards with three-dimensional artwork. Easy for beginners to master, this present is suitable for all ages, and a true delight for anyone lucky enough to open it.
Gratitude On Display
A Ring of Good Luck
A bell ringing grants an angel their wings if classic movies are to be believed, but what if your recipient is already a practical angel? They’ll still appreciate the Guardian® Bells Pewter Bells, which legend says grants the ringer an extra dose of good luck. Available in several designs for a truly customized gift, your recipient may wish to hang theirs from a door frame with a little ribbon to announce visitors, or on a pet’s collar for soft chiming throughout the day.
A Ornamental Token of Friendship
Strands of colorful glass stretch inside these glass globe ornaments, making the timeless “tree of life” shape inside in kaleidoscope hues. Whether it’s hung on a holiday tree or placed in a sunny window to catch the sunlight, each Kitras Art Glass Tree of Enchantment Ornament instantly brings cheer to any room. These lovely works are an excellent way to tell a special someone that they, too, seem to light up the room with their very presence.
Practical Decor Close to Home
The next time you give “just because” gifts, why not give your recipient a little trinket of home-sweet-home to cherish? Outside of school book reports, neat facts like state birds and state flowers tend to be largely overlooked, but Coast & Cotton Love My State Hand Towels close the gap. With a wealth of beautiful imagery connected to your state of choice, it’s a personalized kitchen must-have that they’ll love to have hanging off the oven door handle.
A Dash of Sophistication
The most thoughtful gifts are sometimes the most simple: a sentiment embodied by the John Wind Oversized Tortoise Initial Keychain. Rendered in upscale tortoiseshell-pattern resin with a gold backing, it allows your recipient to hang their initial off of a purse, weekend bag, or backpack to add sophisticated definition wherever they go. A personalized option that’s both timeless and easy on the wallet, they’re sure to appreciate your customized gift.
Relax to the Max
The Coziest Candle
Scented candles are always a big hit as just because gifts, but even the biggest candles eventually become an empty jar. Instead, give your recipient a multi-layered present that keeps on giving. First, the Hyggelight Growing Candle embodies the “cozy” Danish tradition of Hygge (hue-gah) and encourages them to cuddle up with a soft blanket and great book. Then, once the candle has been consumed, the wildflower seed-embedded label can be removed and planted with some soil in the now-empty jar: voila, your gift becomes an instant garden too.
Stress Relief in a Pinch
Lush imagery and peaceful narratives await on each page of the Pinch Me Stress Relief In A Pinch Book, a must-have for that indispensable person at work that juggles a million projects but always has time to help. Even the most efficient friends get overwhelmed, and this handy little book may be just what they need to get back on track. Bundle it with the matching “therapy dough” for a stimulating sensory treat for all ages: their lowered blood pressure will be all the thanks you’ll need.
A Half-Dozen of Relaxation
It may look like a carton of farm-fresh eggs, but the Level Naturals Mini Bath Bombs Egg Carton Gift Set is even more delightful: six fizzy, scented bath bombs. Each little “bomblet” is vegan, so they can be given as gifts to virtually anyone that enjoys a good soak. With six different nature-inspired scent combinations, they could enjoy a bath every night for almost a week and never have the same spa-like experience twice.
Aromatherapy in a Jar
Jarred alpaca is definitely not a run-of-the-mill gift, but Great Lakes Fibers’ Alpaca Fleece Aromatherapy Jar might just make it mainstream. Hand-dyed alpaca wool—a lusciously soft natural fiber long coveted by knitting enthusiasts—is infused with essential oils and tucked in a beautiful screw-top jar for aromatherapy anytime, anywhere. Whether they keep it in their car to make commuting a bit more bearable or cherish it at home, breathing easy just got a lot easier with these small gifts.
However you celebrate your friend, coworker, neighbor, or family member with small gifts, remember that giving from the heart makes the best wrapping paper of all.
When unique presents meet unique needs, the sights, sounds, tastes, or feelings your “just because” gift evokes will bring a smile to their face for many years to come.