With the season of festivities coming up, we’re all looking for ways to show our love to family members and friends who are far away. Restrictions on travel and social gatherings make it difficult, but this is the perfect excuse to get extra creative in expressing your affection for those you can’t personally connect with this holiday season. Here are four great ways to get gifts to distant loved ones:

1. Pay For Tools That Empower At-Home Hobbies

During the lockdown period, many people discovered new hobbies and interests. Others rediscovered old pastimes to enjoy while in isolation. This opens up a new gift-giving opportunity for those who want to empower a loved one to pursue their favorite leisure activity. 

With finances being tight for so many people, it’s difficult to purchase the accessories needed to enhance the joy of a hobby. To remedy this, you could buy knitting patterns and needles, paint sets and guidebooks, as well as recipe books and cookware online. Whatever the hobby, you’re bound to be able to find an online retailer that will deliver the needed goods to your loved one’s doorstep. 

2. Pay For An Online Course 

Virtual gifts are a hot trend at the moment because they’re safe and social while also being socially distant. Online courses are rising in popularity and the internet is seeing a wider variety of highly skilled professionals passing on their insights and expertise via online classes. 

Whether your loved one would like to expand on their cooking skills, try their hand at yoga, or dabble in some online gaming, they will love being able to engage with a guided online course.

It also encourages safe socialization, improving mental health without the risk of going outdoors and interacting with others. Memberships are easy to get to your loved one as they can be sent via email or posted creatively with a poetic message on social media. 

3. Support Businesses Local To Your Loved One

Supporting local businesses keeps the economy in the hands of families and away from large corporations. It also means delivery is easy and you can send a real gift if you’re not enthused about virtual gifting. 

Contact a farm that’s local to the area where your gift is to be delivered and enquire about homemade preserves (a variety delivered in a gourmet Christmas hamper is a lovely gift idea). You can also find local florists, chocolatiers, candlemakers, or other handmade crafters. 

4. Purchase A Gift Card And Have It Delivered With Flowers

Unsure of what to give your loved one? Though gift cards are often written off as being too impersonal, they put the power in the hands of the recipient. Gift cards are only impersonal if they arrive in an envelope with nothing special to go with it. 

You can personalize the gift by adding a small keychain, a bouquet of flowers, or another item that has personal meaning to you and your loved one (think of something silly to trigger a happy memory together). This shows that you’ve given it thought. Gift cards are great because they’re easy to deliver to loved ones far away. 

It’s The Thought That Counts

We often hear the phrase “it’s the thought that counts” and it’s often associated with justifying poorly chosen gifts. The phrase really means that the value of the gift lies in the thought that went into its choosing and creation. With this in mind, try to personalize your gifts as much as possible to truly communicate the thought that went into it.