Happy Box Blog — Holiday Gifts

Get ready for the wonderful February 13th—the day you and your girlfriends get to forget about all the cringey romantic fluff and focus on what truly matters: your friendships! You guessed it first; it's your favorite unofficial holiday, Galentine's Day!

Now we all know that Galentine's Day is all about the girls, but how did it come to be? And where did it all begin, you ask? The answer lies in a trip down memory lane to the second season of "Parks and Recreation." Yup! Galentine's Day came straight out of our absolute favorite TV show—on the 16th episode, to be exact—where the idea leaped from our screens and into our hearts... and now onto the world's calendars!

In this iconic episode, Leslie hosts her annual "Galentine's Day" party for her girlfriends on February 13th—aka the day before Valentine's Day. They exchange stories of crushes and unrequited love which then (of course) manifest into antics of tracking down old flames, senior dances, jealousy, and even heartbreak. It's a doozy.

Why does Happy Box hold Galentine's Day so close to our hearts? If you want the short answer, we would tell you that we are completely run by a group of talented and exceptional women. So, like, duh! If you want the long answer, well, grab a seat and get yourself some popcorn. It's actually a core part of our business' founding story: our co-founder Ariel was dumped by her boyfriend right around Valentine's Day. So, her sister, who is also our co-founder, Hannah, decided to create the perfect Galentine's care package for her long-distance sister! That was more than 15 years ago and sparked the idea for Happy Box - they started the company in 2017 and the rest was history...

Now… enough of the blabbing. Here are some fun ideas to celebrate our FAVE holiday.

Host a Galentine's Slumber Party
What better way to heal your inner child than with heart-shaped sleep masks, sweet-scented candles, matching adorable pink fuzzy socks, all while surrounded by Galentine's decorations and your favorite girls? So freaking girl-core, we know. Galentine's Day is the perfect excuse to host your very own grown-up slumber party. Don't cut your night short with a boring dinner reservation that would make you and your girls feel as if it was just any other day. Plus, it's a great way to escape reality and take cute pictures, practice that TikTok dance, and indulge together while celebrating each other! Just... don't think about the work you have the next day...
> Need favors for your party? Build each guest a custom Galentine's Happy Box!

Gal Day Treats
Whip up a batch of your favorite sweets and chef things up with your very own romantic twists. Make heart-shaped cookies, drown your sweets with all things pink and red and white (like...sprinkles and whipped cream!), make fun Galentine cocktails and mocktails, go wild!  It counts as a fun activity and plus, indulge in some cravings. Or, if you're lazy, you can always order your favorite local take-out! You're the boss and this nights for you and the girls!
> Shop our FAVE cookies are here: they're HUGE, gooey, organic, and delicious. Pro-tip, pop 'em in the microwave for 10 sec...heavenly. 

Slideshows as a tribute to your shitty exes
Got a whole roster of ex-lovers? We totally get it. Being that one friend who carries the weight of constantly doing it for the plot isn’t easy. But hey, our terrible love lives make a fun story to tell the girls. Always. So, how about making a slideshow as a tribute to all your shitty exes? Whether it may be your ex-boyfriend, that one guy you found on Hinge, or that one situationship you can’t seem to get over, this activity is an awesome way to find humor amidst your neverending chaos. It's like a  much-needed therapy sesh just better, its with your besties backing you up! Plus its the most fun powerpoint/Google slides deck you'll ever make.

Spoil Each Other
Last, but certainly not least—show your love with fun gifts! Give thanks to your girls by getting them a box of goodies that screams "THIS IS SO HER!" Let Happy Box help you create a custom care package for Galentine's Day, complete with a handwritten, personalized note shipped right to their door. Now, imagine your girlfriends' faces lighting up with joy as they walk in to see a beautiful arrangement of gift boxes waiting to be opened. It's the perfect way to kickstart your slumber party! And what better way to end the night than with the long-awaited unboxing? Plus, if that one girlfriend can't make it, we can always ship it right to her doorstep! That way, no one misses out on anything!

Here are even more ways to gift with Happy Box - and the best part? Gifts are sourced from many women and diverse-owned businesses so you can feel GOOD about gifting! 

Curated Gifts: The Happy Box expert gifting team has hand-picked an assortment of cute gifts that are sectioned out by occassion. Your girlfriend got dumped? Check out our ‘Sympathy & Get Well’. Your girlfriend just got a new job? Check out our ‘Celebration & Milestone’ Gifts! You get the idea, and we handle the rest!

The Galentine's Day Box (THAT SELLS OUT EVERY YEAR!): This fun, curated Gal’s Day Kit is the perfect box of treats for the friends in your life. You can also add or remove items as you like and include a handwritten note. Perfect, rightt??

MOST POPULAR: Build a Gift Box: Let your imaginations run free with our Build a Box. Everything in the box is customizable to your liking! (Fun Idea: Get this—every box is unique to each and every one of your girls. Pick out the goodies that remind you of them!)

Regardless of how you decide to spend your Galentine’s Day, we wish you a day filled with laughter, love, and all the Happy—ness. 

Written by Janice Budiman, Social Media Intern

Our gift to all employers this holiday season is not gate-keeping this critical gift-giving truth nugget. So here it is: the one thing that takes a team gift from lame to LOVE IT is personalization. Here’s why:

1. By customizing a gift to their preferences, you’re making your team feel like you really see and appreciate them (which is so critical in a remote-work world). Plus, it means avoiding the dreaded, “I’m allergic” and “oh…I don’t drink,” convos. So you’re welcome.
   
   
2. Personalizing shows you’ve spent time and were thoughtful. Unlike, say, a digital gift card which screams, “I spent 2 minutes thinking about this.”
   
   
3. It may be the thing that keeps them from job hunting in the new year. 80% of employees who quit their jobs say lack of appreciation was a core reason, even above salary and bonus (Source: OC Tanner). In remote environments the feeling of appreciation and being “a part of the team” is hard to accomplish, which is why moments like these are the perfect opportunity to make a real difference.

It’s the holiday season - show your team you love them and appreciate them in the most professional and seasonally appropriate way with something unique this year. Happy Box is a great place to start. We’ll help you curate the PERFECT personalized gift, and we’ll handle all the details (like handwriting your cards for you and shipping to each doorstep). Think of us as your personal gifting assistant. What’s more, we’re certified women and minority owned and we source many of our gifts from other diverse-owned businesses, so you can feel great about gifting with us.

Ready to get gifting? Shop all holiday gift offerings here. You can build an individual care package in a few clicks or let them pick their own gift with Gift Instantly. Want bulk orders and robust branding on items and packaging? We do that too: reach out to our team about custom corporate gift offerings for the whole team. 

Amanda Green, Content Writer

With holiday shopping close to reaching its peak, it’s important to remember to shop small this holiday season--and every season! As a small, women-owned business that invests in other small businesses, Small Business Saturday is very important to companies like Happy Box as it gives local businesses increased exposure to help consumers find new, great brands and companies.

For this year’s Small Business Saturday we wanted to highlight just a few of the amazing small business vendors we source some of our products from, and we wanted to hear from them why it’s important to shop small this holiday season!

Wax Cabin Candle Co.
Founded in 2016, Wax Cabin Candle Co. seeks to light up the room – your room – with your favorite scents. Scents that make you feel lovely, cozy…and even boozy! 

Jennifer Gunn, founder and chandler of Wax Cabin Candle Co. says it’s important to shop small because “Small businesses build products with sweat and yes… sometimes tears! They have heart and hope in each product and a sale contributes directly to the strength of my business and family.” You can shop her candles on our Build a Box option and on her website here! Fun fact: we started a podcast about business and beyond with Jen called the Totally Happy Podcast. We’d love it if you had a listen!

Gumball Poodle
Just in time for the winter season, Gumball Poodle creates fun and creative socks that “lets you tell the world what you think without saying a word.” Their snarky sayings on their socks are what differentiates them from other brands and makes them so popular. 

According to Gumball Poodle’s founder Erica Easley, “Independent brands are led by artists, hustlers, and dreamers. They are the vibrant connection between humanity and industry. There is no better way to support creativity and community than shopping small!” Shop Gumball Poodle on our Build a Box option or on their website here!

Copper Cow
Copper Cow is on a mission to bring you barista-free lattes that are made with carefully vetted Vietnamese coffee beans and whole, natural ingredients.

Debbie Wei Mullin, Founder, says “Small-business founders are passionate about what they do and how their work makes a positive impact. When you support Copper Cow Coffee, you’re supporting a woman-owned business and sustainable coffee farms in Vietnam.” 

Shop Copper Cow on our Build a Box option AND Curated Gift Boxes or on their website here!

Faithwaites
Faithwaites is a York, UK-based design shop making fun stuff for you, your home or the people you love. They have the cutest products that are perfect for anyone on your list this year from totes, to tee-shirts, and children’s clothing! 

Cat Spilman, founder of Faithwaites says, “Supporting a small business isn't only about financially supporting someone's hard work, it's about making interpersonal connections that are too often overlooked today. You're connecting with a maker, and helping to build a chain of thoughtful interaction which is rewarding on so many levels.” Make sure to include some of the onesies we offer in your next gift box when you build your own or shop them on their website here!

Astor Chocolate 
Astor Chocolate is a family owned business that began in 1927 in Czechoslovakia and moved to the US in 1950. Four generations of chocolate making! What makes them so successful is that their chocolate is a combination of European quality and American innovation!

Tori Halfon, Director of Sales and Operations believes supporting a small business is important because “small businesses are the lifeblood of our nation. Small businesses employ over half of the total workforce in the US and supply half the GDP for our nation; yet they are more fragile and reliant on support than mega-companies. Small businesses can’t survive long in the face of disaster, and the past 2 years have been disastrous for most small businesses in multiple complex ways. It’s more important than ever to shop small”. Make sure to include one of their many Moodibars when you Build a Box with us or you can shop their products on their website here!

Binnie & Clode
Binnie & Clode is a small startup with both a passion for creating candles and home products with a minimalist design and for giving back to the earth and its inhabitants. They create beautifully designed and scented candles. Did we mention that a portion of proceeds from every product is donated to animal rescue and environmental organizations? 

Federico Schauvinhold, owner, says he loves running a small business because “it allows me to give back to my community. I enjoy connecting with my customers and hearing their thoughts on my products. As a small business, I'm able to pivot much more easily based on customer feedback.”  Shop their products with our Build a Box option or view them on their website here!

We hope this list has given you some gifting suggestions if you are trying to shop small this year! 

Read more:

• A Letter from the Founders: Why it's so Important to Shop Small this Holiday Season

Client gifting for the holidays is easy, if you know the right “formula.” Luckily, at Happy Box, we’ve curated and shipped tens of thousands of corporate gifts, so we have seen what gift thematics and what types of gift combinations work best.