25 Thoughtful Gifts to Send in the Mail This Holiday Season (2024)

25 Thoughtful Gifts to Send in the Mail This Holiday Season (1)

Whether it's a family member, a best friend, a significant other, or a coworker, there's likely someone in your life who is on your gifting list that also lives far away. And even if they do live nearby, most of us plan to stay home this holiday season, per social distancing recommendations; luckily, the postal service will dutifully send a gift in your stead.

A gift sent through the mail is more than a box of premium items—it's an experience. Visiting the Garden Café at the home garden store Terrain might not be doable together, for instance, but you can send a bundle that includes everything they need to bake their famous fresh-from-the-oven terra-cotta pot bread. The Floral Society's floral-arranging kit—virtual tutorial, included—is almost as fun as doing it side by side in person. And anyone can appreciate a relaxing evening at home with Modern Sprout's "Unwind" set of home-grown lavender and aromatherapy tools.

What's more, a gift sent anywhere can be ordered anywhere, too. Taste gourmet treats from American makers across the country—think artisanal cheese from the Midwest, maple syrup tapped from rural Vermont, and vials of honey in rooftop hives everywhere from New York to California. We've even sourced the best of what's found worldwide—think truffle chocolates from London, England, or a variety of spices around the globe. This is a great solution if you're short on time; of course, if you're mailing during the holiday season, be mindful of deadlines so that your package will arrive in time.

We've taken care bringing together a curated selection of giftable boxes and kits, each thoughtfully packaged. Browse some of these bundles—it's the next best thing to being there to see them open it.

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Family Breakfast

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Everyone in the family can start their morning with this boxed bundle that includes everything you need for a home-cooked pancake breakfast—lemon blueberry pancake mix, a spatula for flipping those flapjacks, a stainless steel shaker to dust them with powdered sugar, a dishtowel, and Fern Green's cookbook Breakfasts: Morning, Noon and Night.

Shop Now: Crate and Barrel Family Breakfast Gift Set, $95, crateandbarrel.com.

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Bake-Your-Own Bread

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The charming home and garden shop Terrain is known for their flower-pot bread. Recreate the Garden Café's bestseller at home with this clever kit, which includes four terra-cotta baking pots plus the dry ingredients to make their bread and lavender butter.

Shop Now: Terrain Flower Pot Bread-Making Kit, $38, shopterrain.com.

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Tasty Drink

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With aromas of roasted agave, vanilla, and lemon zest paired with flavors of dried fruits, cinnamon, and eucalyptus, this Avión Reserva 44 Extra Añejo Tequila is a delicious gift that will keep on giving for the holidays. To make it even more personal, you can add a custom engraved message for your loved ones.

Shop Now: Avión Reserva 44 Extra Añejo Tequila, $169, reservebar.com.

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Gourmet Snacks

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Courtesy of Martha, enjoy the best of American cuisine with this hand-picked selection of artisan foods. It's filled with award-winning cheeses, fruity olive oil, dry-cured charcuterie, rich honey, nuts and crackers, and even a recipe card for Martha's favorite turkey burger using the delicious red pepper relish.

Shop Now: Martha Stewart American-Made Makers Gourmet Gift Basket, $140, amazon.com.

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Country-Style Popcorn

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Snack on this all-natural popcorn grown in Indiana's Amish country. The set includes ballpark-style salt and canola oil, plus three varieties of kernel—white, yellow, and blue.

Shop Now: Williams Sonoma Amish Popcorn Gift Set, $30, williams-sonoma.com.

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Made-for-You Box

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Bespoke Post prides itself on curating quality finds tailored to your interests; every month, they release a batch of new themed boxes—think: shaving sets, shoe shine kits, home bar essentials, and more like this heirloom-level carryall to fill with his or her favorite things.

Shop Now: Bespoke Post Weekender, $55, bespokepost.com.

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Hands-On Help

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To nourish and protect hands, opt for this luxury set. It's hand-illustrated by celebrated British artist Helen Beard and infused with the brand's most-loved scents: "Tantalizing Lime Basil and Mandarin," "Mellow English Pear and Freesia," and "Opulent Peony and Blush Suede."

Shop Now: Jo Malone Hand Cream Collection, $60, jomalone.com.

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Indulgent Sweets

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Treat them to a box of flavored truffles handcrafted by the chocolatiers at Charbonnel et Walker of London, England, established in 1875. They come in decadent flavors like afternoon tea, pink Champagne, and sea salt and dark caramel.

Shop Now: Charbonnel et Walker Flavored Chocolate Truffles in Gift Box, $30, nordstrom.com.

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Overnight Regimen

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This brand's evening skincare set includes some of their bestselling products that add up to glowing skin: a glycolic serum, micellar water, cleanser, cream, and—bonus—a compact mirror.

Shop Now: Drunk Elephant "Glowy the Night" Kit, $98, sephora.com.

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Floral Arranging

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Rather than send a bouquet of flowers, equip someone with everything they need to play florist in their own garden—floral clippers, netting, tape, a packet of sustenance for your freshly cut stems, plus an exclusive tutorial.

Shop Now: The Floral Society Arrangement Workshop Kit, $86, thefloralsociety.com.

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Home Ambiance

Keep their home fragrances on a rotation: Every month, they will receive a full-sized seasonal candle, a travel candle, plus a matchbox to light their new flames. The subscription will cycle through an assortment of scents based on the season.

Shop Now: Brooklyn Candle Deluxe Candle of the Month Subscription, $30, brooklyncandlestudio.com.

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Writing Set

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This brand has a cult following among artists, writers, and creatives of all professions. Their introductory set is complete with four pencils in a range of sharpness, two point guards and two erasers, and a sharpener—all for that next "big idea."

Tea Time

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Vahdam indisputably steeps the perfect cup. This luxury gift box is packed with three award-winning blends—sweet Himalayan detox green, saffron masala chai, and early grey masala chai—in gold tin caddies.

Shop Now: Vahdam "Blush" Assorted Teas in a Box, $25, vahdamteas.com.

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Jam and Jelly

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This beautifully illustrated "Ten Ways to Say I Love You" themed gift box contains 10 miniature jars of preserves with a special love note behind each door and classic flavors including apricot, cherry, fig, orange marmalade, and wild blueberry.

Shop Now: Bonne Maman "Ten Ways to Say I Love You" Gift Set, $18, shop.bonnemaman.us.

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Housewarming Set

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All of the goods in this bundle are from the some of the Pacific Northwest's finest women-owned small businesses: a hand-poured soy candle by Marigold & Mint Botanicals (choose from three scents), handmade Lavender-Rosemary soap wrapped in Plover fabric, and a set of two Plover tea towels in their best-selling "Circle Round" print.

Shop Now: Plover "Eco Hostess" Gift Box, $45, ploverorganic.com.

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Sweet Nectar

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Bee Raw is on a mission to champion American family-run farms and apiaries to forward sustainable agriculture. So instead of sending flowers, this set brilliantly includes a packet of seeds to plant your own, attracting those buzzing pollinators to your home garden.

Shop Now: Bee Raw Bouquet of Honey, $64, beeraw.com.

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Houseplant

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For a plant that arrives without wilting, opt for a desert-sourced garden that arrives in a beautifully crafted planter gift box, ready to grow at home. Each one is hand-planted in Los Angeles using locally grown succulents. Plus, you can add initials to their garden for a personal touch.

Shop Now: Lula's Garden Personalized Garden, $33, lulasgarden.com.

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Spices Around the World

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Any home cook will enjoy this set—with six globally-inspired rubs and blends, it's the perfect way to experiment with flavor.

Shop Now: Spiceology Global Flavors Variety Pack, $36, spiceology.com.

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Syrupy Goodness

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From rural Vermont, this is the very best organic maple syrup of the season. Each set represents a sampling of some of our favorite top-selling flavors, hand-picked for recipes both sweet and savory.

Shop Now: Runamok Maple "Pantry Favorites" Pairing Collection, $20, runamokmaple.com.

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The Great Outdoors

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If a getaway to the mountains isn't attainable, this boxed set might be the next best thing: It includes American-made goods like a hand-thrown W/R/F Ceramics mug; small-batch granola, honey, and shortbread cookies; and earthy scents from a room spray and candle. Plus, the entire assortment is packed in an embossed black box hand-stamped with gold foil.

Shop Now: A Rare Adventure, $130, rareassembly.com.

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Aromatherapy

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Help set a serene and soothing resting place with these sleep essentials. It's a curated collection of garden-inspired aromatherapy tools, paired with a soft sleep mask, will have you catching zzz's in no time.

Shop Now: Modern Sprout "Unwind" Live Well Gift Set, $50, store.modsprout.com.

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Homemade Cookies

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What's better than cookies with your family? This gift bundle includes all the ingredients you need in a classic keeper tin to decorate cookies, plus a copy of Martha's book Cookie Perfection to bake them in your kitchen.

Shop Now: Martha Stewart Cookie Decorating Gift Set with Book, $75, amazon.com.

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Earthy Scents

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For over 20 years, Thistle Farms has lit a pathway of healing and hope for women survivors of trafficking and addiction. This set, which supports their initiatives, includes a tobacco-scented cedar soy candle, a honey oatmeal bar of soap, and a leather card holder.

Shop Now: Thistle Farms "Leather & Tobacco" Gift Set, $45, thistlefarms.org.

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Work Essentials

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For someone with an entrepreneurial drive, this set includes the desktop necessities to start their business: a monogrammed "Write with Purpose" signature notebook, a to-do list notepad, a hand-stitched key ring, and a hand-carved pen from Rwanda in upcycled wood and bone. And it has a larger social impact—each gift provides for an hour of business training to someone from around the world.

Shop Now: Marie Mae Company "The Mover and Shaker" Gift Set, $100, mariemae.com.

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Caviar

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Indulge in White Sturgeon caviar, sustainably farmed by aquaculture in California. This gift includes a custom presentation box, Mother of Pearl caviar spoon, and a key to open it.

Shop Now: Roe Caviar Personalized Gift Set, $135, roecaviar.com.