one hit wonder gifts — all aflutter

WHEN friends ask for gifting advice, I start with a few questions to try to get to know their lucky gift recipient. Of course I want all the details about what kinds of things they love, but almost more importantly, I want the dirt on what they don’t. It’s such good insight and helps ensure we don’t fail before we even start. One of the things I’ve heard over and over again is that their people don’t like CLUTTER. Chotchkes. Trinkets. Stuff. Call it what you will, but basically people just don’t want a bunch of extra junk in their house. Which is where The One Hit Wonder Gift comes in so beautifully.

JUST LIKE Milli Vanilli, The One Hit Wonder Gift is meant to be THOROUGHLY enjoyed and then simply fade away. It’s something just as thoughtful and meaningful and beautiful and heartfelt as any other gift, except it’s designed to disappear so that your special person doesn’t have to find a place to put it. This is not to be confused with a useful or utilitarian gift, but something really awesome that just happens to have a single or limited use. Cool experiences def fall into this category and can be a really special gift, especially if you can share in it together. That could mean a Moroccan cooking class, tickets to a livestream symphony or concert, a luxurious spa treatment, skydiving OR a beautiful hike or meal together, depending on your budget and your special person. Making their favorite homemade treat can also be an excellent One Hit Wonder if you know it’ll bring a big smile.

ONE HIT Wonder Gifts are a great choice for that someone who ‘has everything’ or new moms who don’t need more stuff to keep track of or kids who already have WAY too many toys. And the fact that you know and respect that your special person doesn’t want a bunch more ‘stuff’ is a gift in itself.

THERE’S absolutely nothing wrong with flowers or a bottle of their favorite spirit, but there are SO many other great things out there that could also add a little element of thoughtful surprise for an extra wide smile. How about having a Milk Bar Pie sent from the famous bakery in NYC? They call it ‘Crack Pie’ because you’ll eat the whole thing in one sitting and then want another. Or a bundle of Lush Bath Bombs, which are, well, the bomb. Each one is like a little party for the bath, spiraling in a crazy-fun frenzy of glitter and color and wonder. They’re one of my favorite gifts for kids that either have a lot of stuff or whom I don’t know *that* well (and my own boys who still totally love them). You could gift the crafty ones a Creativebug Subscription so they can learn to knit or paint or make jewelry in their own time. Then maybe they’ll make you something amazing for your birthday, so win-win there I’d say.

SO, NEXT time you have a minimalist special person to shop for, think about mixing it up a bit and surprise them with something different. Like a “Girl You Know It’s True” serenade at their kitchen window. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

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1. Lush makes hands-down the MOST amazing bath bombs // 2. Knot & Bow’s Birthday in a Bag will fun up the day, especially if you can’t be there IRL // 3. Food Lab Boulder offers awesome cooking classes // 4. Le Patch Incense Paper literally just goes up in smoke // 5. Lovely Butter & Me self-care treasures melt into your skin // 6. Any home chef would love Brightland’s gorgeous CA-grown oils and vinegars // 7. Send a unique craft cocktail recipe kit once or monthly from American Cocktail Club // 8. Wish Paper from Tops Malibu is sweet and fun and literally burns up // xo