"I’m going to begin with a personal anecdote:
My birthday is July 2. This means that it falls on one of the most popular weekends of the year to flee town: The 4th of July. Every single year, I receive strings of texts from my friends about how they won’t be able to do anything on my birthday, but would love to do something before or after. It’s brought me a ridiculous amount of baggage. It is a part of my identity, and I resent all of my friends with an easily celebrated birthday where all of their friends are present and in town and able to go to their favorite bar and eat at their favorite restaurant. I dread trying to make birthday plans every year.
Your friends with birthdays that fall within the upcoming weeks are about to experience the same thing: their birthday will come and go, and nobody will be able to celebrate. Don’t allow them to get baggage about it—hell, if I’m a Cancer and feel this way, imagine how much an Aries or Taurus will make you suffer—and don’t rely on an Instagram Story post to bail you out of not being able to do anything. Instead, get ahead of the game and send one of these thoughtful gifts to their doorstep to show them that you’re still celebrating them turning a year older. Follow up with a Zoom celebration, and they’ll hardly remember that they’re in isolation.
Happy birthday, you Aries and Tauruses. We haven’t forgotten about you.
In my opinion, these are the best cookies on the face of the earth. If you think "a cookie couldn't be that good," you're wrong—these babies are. They're definitely a special-occasion treat since they're shipped from New York City, and what better occasion than for a friend who's being forced to spend their birthday in isolation?
For a gift that keeps on giving, you can't go wrong with a potted plant. The Sill allows you to totally customize the plant you send, from its size to the the type of plan to the pot that it goes in—all of which will brighten your friend's day until isolation is over.
Sported by our own Beth Gillette, these earrings are chic and minimal and are a perfect, personalized gift for under $20. It also doesn't hurt that buying them would support an Etsy artist!
No matter what your friend's drink of choice is, Saucey can deliver it right to their doorstep (along with snacks) in under 30 minutes. It's the perfect surprise to send before your Zoom celebration.
East Olivia has a variety of dried flower arrangements that will make a beautiful addition to any room—especially in their beautiful vases. Bonus? Not only will these obviously be around longer than standard flowers, but their prices are comparable too, as their preserved arrangement run around $45.
Since we're going to be hanging around indoors for the foreseeable future, treat your friend to the ultimate loungewear: Lou & Grey's insanely soft matching sweat sets. She'll think of you every time she throws it on—which will be every day. (8 colors available).
A predictable option, but a necessary one too—who doesn't want birthday cupcakes delivered to their door?
The perfect gold hoops to look forward to wearing when things go back to normal (or to throw on to feel normal now!).
Since they aren't getting their Starbucks fix, this variety pack is the perfect morning pick-me-up.
These gorgeous diffusers are loved by our editors for two damn good reasons: they're pretty, and they smell amazing. But it isn't exactly something that's exciting to buy yourself—so treat your friend to one. (4 colors available).
No better time to lather this miracle mask all over your face than when you're locked inside all day. Anyone would be happy to get either the full-size or mini of this bad boy.
The candle of candles, Capri Blue won't disappoint even your friend with the pickiest nose. It's the perfect "thinking of you" gift that will give them instant gratification.