Happy Box Blog — Gift Tips

It's no surprise that summer results in employees being a little less engaged. The sun is shining, and people are thinking about being outside, at the beach or pool, or are excited about an upcoming vacation (that - let's be real - they're probably partially planning during work hours).

Here are three ways you can lean into the summer fun and engage the team: 

1. Have a surprise ice cream day at the office - this doesn't have to be fancy - think ice pops from the 3rd grade. It just gives everyone a reason to stop and be social for 20-30 minutes and take a little break. Send an email or all-office slack saying "Let's celebrate summer - ice cream and ice pops at 3:00 today in the kitchen!" and order via Instacart or Uber Eats variety of ice pops and single serve ice creams (the more nostalgic the better) and enjoy the time as a team.

2. Send everyone a small, themed gift with a note from leadership wishing everyone a happy, safe, and fun summer - lean into the fact that they are going to spend time outside and tell them to enjoy it!

We hear it again & again from our clients: "Can you suggest a quick and affordable way to drive employee engagement for my team this summer?"  We've shipped 500,000+ custom gifts, so we know a thing or two....

 Some gifts we've done in the past for our clients: summer lemonade kits, s'mores making kits, branded beach balls, & the CEO's favorite "beach read" book about leadership. Want us to brainstorm for your needs and budget? Submit an inquiry or book a call today.

3. This is definitely easier if you have a small team, but you can always do a "walking meeting" - or do an outdoor activity. It could be as simple as taking lunch outside together at a nearby park, or do a full-on outdoor picnic or a team lunch at an outdoor restaurant. Even better - schedule an afternoon to volunteer together at a local community event or charity like painting park benches or painting a school. 

Happy summer! 

by: Hannah Redmond, Co-Founder, Happy Box 

Though things are certainly different from how they were a year ago (hopefully you have been able to see AND hug those you love the most), some pandemic behaviors will probably stick around for a while. Thankfully, one of those behavioral changes is the way we communicate with the people in our lives near and far. If COVID has made us realize one thing it’s that it is important to reach out to people during very isolating and “unprecedented” times (if I hear that word one more time... ). That need for human interaction led us to come up with extremely creative ways to connect with people from inside the four walls of our homes. We wanted to share the ways in which our Happy Box team stays in touch with their long distance friends and the people they cannot connect with as often as they’d like.

“Me and my long distance BFFs have virtual happy hours, schedule phone call dates, and ship each other care packages!” - Callie, Strategic Projects & Operations Manager, Happy Box Store

“We are constantly texting in a group chat, and we always send secret Santa gifts around the holidays.” - Rita, Director, Marketing, Growth & Operations

“Have a group chat going, schedule FaceTime dates, have spur of the moment phone calls when driving or in transit somewhere, and always send each other some kind of sweet treat on our birthdays!” - Sarah, B2B Partner Success Sr. Manager

“My best friend and I have reminders in our calendars once a month to schedule a phone call or send each other a text to check in.” - Corinne, Fulfillment Team Member 

“At the beginning of the pandemic, I created a cocktail book (on Shutterfly) with a recipe that reminded me of each one of my friends (included pictures, funny notes, inside jokes, etc.). Then we made a chain and mailed it to each other after each person had it for a few weeks and everyone added pics/memories/notes of them attempting to make the cocktails. Once we were able to get together in person, we had a contest where we made all the drinks and rated them.” - Nicole, Experience Operations Manager

“My best friend moved to Texas. He and I FaceTime multiple times a week and never text. We also have been traveling back and forth for each other’s birthdays. I also stay in contact with his girlfriend very often so that I can stay involved with his life!” - John, Inventory Operations Manager, Happy Box Store

Hopefully you can take some of these tips and use them the next time you’re trying to get your long distance friends together (whether it be virtually or in person). And don’t forget that Happy Box allows you to create the perfect care package for any occasion that can be sent to any of your besties!

1. Make a photo album of your best and most memorable photos
   Guys – no one prints photos and makes albums anymore, which makes them super special. Add in handwritten notes about your favorite parts about those moments and photos to make this gift extra personal and special. Go grab a cute printed photos as CVS and done Google Photo books, both are so simple and easy and fun to make!

2. Get them a Cameo of their fave celebrity
   This is such a great birthday gift for the friend who doesn’t want more “stuff.” It is SO simple and so, so much fun. I did this for my sister’s engagement, and she freaked out! Cameo is a service where you can have a celebrity shout out to your friend, for a fee of course. Some celebs cost more than other but it is well worth it!
   
   
3. Make a gift bag full of themed items based on a hobby, interest, or where they are in their life, along with a sweet note.
   I have been known among my friends for making “kits” for gifts: I would make “30^th Birthday Survival” kits, “New Job” kits, “Med School Survival” kits, and even “Breakup Survival” kits – these were the OG Happy Boxes and are what inspired me to start the company! They are super simple to make, and if your friend has an obscure passion or hobby, even better! Find 3-5 things that will help them do their fave hobby or their new life moment better, throw them in a cute gift bag with some tissue paper and a thoughtful note and POOF: a unique, super personal gift that they will LOVE!
   
   
4. No time for #3? Not creative? Your BFF live far away? Welp, ladies, THAT’S why we created Happy Box: So you can build a custom care package full of unique items and ship it right to her door.
   It’s super simple: pick a box design (my favorite is our pastel gradient called “sunset”), fill her up with various gifts (I suggest adding the “Brunch” candle and some Raaka chocolate – these are best sellers!), pick a card, type in your note, and our team hand-packs and ships the box out to your friend’s doorstep or office. Start building a custom care package now, or take a look at our curated Happy Birthday Box full of some best- selling birthday gifts and goodies.