Author: Tiffany Champion
Every year, after Halloween, the holidays have a way of sneaking up on us, even though we know they’re coming. As the year comes to a close, there are a flurry of last-minute work deadlines to meet, social obligations to fulfill, and travel plans to be made before slamming our laptops shut on 2024 officially and reconvening in 2025. With all of the non-negotiable “musts” on our lists, the “shoulds” have a tendency to slip through our grasps.
Lucky for us, the adults of today, most non-tangible gifts are completely electronic. Gift cards and prepaid subscriptions allow flexibility on timing and delivery year-round, but especially at the holidays, when planning and preparation expectations vs. reality tend to clash. This non-tangibles gift guide has a little something for anyone and everyone on your nice list, and the best part is that you won’t have to worry about shipping: just schedule virtual delivery, kick back, and relax.
Mubi Membership
Film doesn’t have to be pretentious, and it shouldn’t be, because film is for everyone. Mubi is the people’s independent cinema champion, from streaming, distribution, curation, publishing, and everything in-between. Each title available on the platform is hand-picked, accompanied by a plot synopsis and a note from the team explaining their selection. To name just one: if you saw and enjoyed director Coralie Fargeat’s body horror The Substance this year, there’s plenty more where that came from. The platform is completely ad-free, and as an added perk, all films are downloadable with iOS or Android for on-the-go convenience. A standard membership is $14.99 billed monthly, or $120 yearly. If your intended recipient lives in one of the 12 currently eligible cities, a Mubi GO premium membership offers everything included in the standard membership plus a curated complimentary cinema ticket every single week.
Purchase in one tidy go as a gift card ($125), or via a subscription that you can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time.
The Tea on Tea
It might be trending, but it’s certainly not just a trend. Matcha, a form of green tea, has been enjoyed in China and Japan for hundreds of years – but in the last decade, the rest of the world has more than caught on, leading to an explosion in its popularity. Globally, the industry is booming. It’s not hard to see why: as a caffeine source, matcha provides a gentler, focus-inducing, non-jittery energy boost that sustains the release of caffeine into the body over the course of several hours, eliminating the typical yucky post-caffeine crash sensation. Notably, matcha helps regulate cortisol production, rather than trigger it, as coffee does. Even the most devout coffee devotees are switching teams and seeing the differences in their metabolic and energy levels. And who doesn’t love green?
For beginners, Sorate Teahouse offers a handy matcha starter kit for $90 (does not include a bowl, so your recipient can choose their own), or a prepaid 6-month subscription for $180.
What Goes Up, Must Come Down
Wynk is light and balanced, making it the perfect transitional sip from day-to-night, even though they can (and should be!) enjoyed whenever. Gift cards are available so you can gift on your terms, and they can order on theirs.
Sh-sh-ake It
Do: gift instant, timeless, iconic memories (and save 10%!) with a Polaroid subscription. To compare, a regular individual pack of Color i-Type film contains 8 photos at a regular price of $16.99, and a 5-pack of those (so 40 photos total) is $65 after discount, or $40.50 for a 3-pack. Choose from 4, 8, or 12 weeks for delivery cadence.
Do not: actually shake your Polaroids. Seriously, don’t do it! This can lead to streaky and uneven images. The fastest way to develop your photo is to lay it somewhere safe and forget about it for 10-15 minutes as the magic happens, because you’ll have the rest of forever to admire it.
NB: A Polaroid camera is not included in the subscription, and must be purchased separately if they don’t already have one.
Design’s the Limit
Remember that cute Newton’s Cradle from the White Elephant gift guide? The MoMA Design shop has so many fantastic gift options for anyone you could think of, which makes picking just one exceedingly difficult. With a gift card, your design-inclined recipient can choose their own. There are plenty of items priced <$100, or a gift card can be applied towards a bigger, splurge-worthy purchase.
Love the Skin You’re In
The skin is the human body’s largest organ with many important functions: temperature regulation, immune defense, and protection from trauma, to name a few. No pressure, right? In all seriousness, we only get one body, and just as we take care of our insides, we have to take care of the outside, too. Not everyone can, should, or needs to have an elaborate 10-step routine – at minimum, a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen are all you need. Emphasis on sunscreen, which everyone with skin that they want to keep healthy needs – year-round, daily, regardless of type, tone, or texture.
Enter: Korean skincare, known for its affordability, holistic approach to treatments, and ingredient innovation. Whether their needs are more basic, or if they have specific concerns like rosacea or hyperpigmentation, retailer Senti Senti (formerly known as oo35mm) offers an easy-but-comprehensive self-guided skin assessment, or for more support, their team of passionate skincare experts will follow up with a complimentary tailored routine in 1-3 days if you submit a photo. Bye-bye, blackheads
If physical gifts are out of the question this year, fear not – non-tangibles are always there, because they’re not there. With so many options to choose from for last-minute gifting, non-tangibles are a great way to show your recipient how much you care, because last-minute shopping means that you ran out of time, not that you didn’t care enough. At the end of the day, the clichés are always true: it’s the thought that counts the most.
