Wondermom » Gifts » Best Gifts for Long-Distance Friends and Family

Best Gifts for Long-Distance Friends and Family

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You can’t always live close to your friends and family. As a military wife, I’m well acquainted with this problem. We’ve never lived near our family and because we move every 2-4 years, we have to make new friends each time we relocate.

That means we have to ship most of our gifts for holidays and special occasions. Sometimes the shipping costs exceed the cost of the gift! For those of you who face this same problem, I’ve put together the best gifts for long-distance friends and family.

a collage of 9 gift ideas on a white background with title text reading Best Gifts for Long-Distance Friends and Family

 

Food Gifts

Food gifts are ideal for sending to long-distance friends and family because shipping costs are usually already included in the cost. Also, if your loved ones live far away, you might not know what items they have or need. Food is something everyone can use so you don’t have to worry about whether or not they “already have some.”

You’ll make any child (and many adults) happy with a cookie bouquet. Delicious AND adorable, these bouquets bring a smile wherever they are delivered.

If your favorite long-distance adult friend or relative has a wicked sweet tooth, he or she will enjoy this Decade Candy Gift Box. It comes with over 70 pieces of nostalgic candy from a specific decade (you choose from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s). You can also choose to include “Remember When” booklets to bring back even more memories.

For a healthier alternative, that makes an equally delightful impact, you can opt for a fruit bouquet from Edible Arrangements. Choose one with either chocolate dipped strawberries or bananas to keep the kids on your side.

If you aren’t worried about pleasing kids at all, surprise your favorite meat-loving long-distance friends with premium steaks delivered right to their door. Snake River Farms has a wide selection of quality beef. And right now you can get free shipping with code FREEAFF.

Another popular gift among adults is wine. Even better than wine, is wine every month for three months! You can give a 3-month Premier Series subscription from The California Wine Club as a gift and get free shipping when you reserve a 3-month Premier Series gift now and use promo code AFSHIPFREE15. The $39 shipping cost will be deducted from your order.

Delivery Grams

We’re well past the era of telegrams, but now that we are in this digital age, it’s even more fun to receive mail since it’s so rare! I love these gifts that put extra time and attention into the packaging of the gifts so that opening the mail is just as fun as enjoying the gift itself.

Bear-Grams from the Vermont Teddy Bear company include a teddy bear, gourmet candy, and a personalized gift card all packed inside a decorated box.

Sock Grams come in a variety of styles and are delivered with a personalized card in a gift wrapped package. They make a fun and inexpensive gift for any person who likes to express their personality via their footwear.

My very favorite gift gram that I ever received was a Pajamagram. There are dozens of pajamas to choose from for everyone in the family (including the pets!) and they come packaged in a free fabric gift bag with a personalized card. You can opt for deluxe packaging for an additional fee which includes not only nicer packaging but also a few extra gifts (depending on which packaging you choose).

Photo Gifts

Before my mother moved in with us, we would create a photo book for her each year so she could stay connected with everything that was happening in our lives even though we couldn’t be together. I love the quality of the books from Montage and I really love that they lay flat when they are open so it’s easy for all of us to look at together when we’re crowded around it on the couch or at the table. Right now you can save 25% off all Montage book sizes.

Every year, one of my sister-in-laws has each of us share our digital pictures with her so she can add them to the family calendar that she creates in Snapfish and then we can all order a copy. She includes everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries. It’s a wonderful way to stay connected to our family even though we all live so far away.

 

3 thoughts on “Best Gifts for Long-Distance Friends and Family”

  1. Pingback: Best Gifts for Families
  2. Hello,
    I’m heading into retirement and concerned about gift giving . My niece has 3 Childers . I’ve always giving them individual gifts for their bday and Christmas. As well as my older brother my sister and niece and nephew. The additional concern is, none live close . Everything has to be mailed. I’m now looking into family gifts , that are not expensive , and inexpensive to mail. Last year I bought family candy apples from Qvc for the big family. I bought Meat gifts for my brother and sister. I can’t afford that any more. I’m single . There is only one of me to buy for. And I really don’t need anything .. any suggestions ?? Thk u

    Reply
    • Hi Brenda, I think you’d find an Amazon Prime membership to be a great solution for you. You can get a free 30-day membership to try it out. The biggest benefit for you will be the free 2-day shipping and low Amazon prices. Other benefits you might enjoy for yourself are discounted prices on auto shipments of items you use regularly (you set the frequency of deliveries) and movies and TV shows you can stream for free (some titles are free only to Prime members). Another idea is to give investments. I personally love Stockpile for this since you can choose stocks that represent things the recipient likes and can give gifts as low as $5. I hope these ideas help!

      Reply

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