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37 Cute Little “Thinking Of You” Gifts To Send To Long-Distance Friends
Nothing says “love ya, babe” quite like a random pack of Cadbury chocolates or Swiftie-themed coloring book popping up at their door.
1. A customizable long distance mug with a little heart line between two states that will maybe help you forgive your friends who moved to OKLAHOMA despite their perfectly nice life in NEW YORK CITY!!!!! (I’m fine. thanks for asking!!!!)
Amazon
Cupology is a small business that specializes in personalizable mug gifts. To customize, tap the “Customize & Add To Cart” button, where you’ll find options for the states, cities, and countries, as well as personalizable color schemes *and* the option to put a custom quote.
Promising review: “Just received my custom mug. It’s better than I expected. Love how the cities are perfectly placed for the states to match up in. Thanks so much for creating such a wonderful product!!” —Tiggz
Get it from Amazon for $15.95+ (available in many customizable options and two sizes).
2. A Lego lotus flower building kit so they can build themselves a dainty little bouquet and then sit back and admire it as decor for however long they please, no flower food or pruning required.
Promising review: “I bought this lotus flower set for myself and it only took me a little while to make it. Each stem with flower is bagged separately, making it easy to put together. You can make the stem as long or short as you want. The leaves on the two open flowers have bendable hinged leaves so you can make them look more realistic. They look cute in a vase, and I’m very pleased with the results.” —Happy Amazoner
Get it from Amazon for $11.99+ (available in two styles).
3. A sweet little initial ring to give your gift a unique, personal touch — especially if you do the optional customizing option, and hide a sweet, short message on the inside, like a name or a date. Bonus: the ring is adjustable, so you don’t have to worry about size!
Promising review: “I appreciate the adjustable and customizable features of this jewelry. This is very unique in appearance, size, and thickness. Priced just right! You will get many compliments from the discerning people. Beautiful addition to your collection.” —STL Shopper
Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in letters A to Z and with a customized word or date on the inside).
4. A “You Are My Favorite Notification” candle for anyone whose long-distance BFF is having three different conversations with them at once via Instagram, text, and carrier pigeon.
Moncioni Fragrances/Etsy
Moncioni Fragrances is a Texas-based, family-owned Etsy shop established in 2017 that specializes in candles, decor, and gifts.
Promising review: “I got a coffee scented one for my BF and I was so excited receiving it cause I could just smell the coffee as soon as I opened the box! Awesome scent and quick shipping!” —Al Hager
Get it from Moncioni Fragrances on Etsy for $11.24+ (available in 10 scents, two sizes, and two gifting options).
5. A set of vinyl coasters to give their coffee table a delightfully retro nostalgic touch *and* protect it from the perils of condensation.
Promising review: “I absolutely adore these!!! They are so cute and definitely do the job! They keep the surface free from water rings and make me giggle!” —johnny williams
Get a set of six from Amazon for $5.99.
6. An assortment of Cadbury chocolates for anyone whose BFF has a sweet tooth — particularly an international one. What better way to celebrate long-distance friendship than with long-distance treats?
Each set comes with with one Curly Wurly, one Picnic, one Twirl, one Starbar, one Crunchie, one Wispa, one Dairy Milk Caramel, one Double Decker, one Dairy Milk, and one Flake.
Promising review: “While watching Matilda the Musical recently on Netflix, we saw one of the kids handing Matilda a Curly Wirly bar. Having never tried one before, I went online to fine them and happened across this box. This candy has not disappointed. Fresh and delicious!” —Barbra
Get it from Amazon for $22.
7. An unofficial Disney Parks cookbook so they can live their best Mickey Pretzel life without it costing them an arm and a mouse ear to book plane flights and park tickets.
Promising review: “Beautiful hardcover cookbook with so many yummy Disney recipes from the parks! There is lots of Disney foodie history in it, plus recipes that look easy to follow with high quality ingredients. There are fun maps of each of the parks inside where the food is located from, which makes it fun. As an avid Disney fan I have never seen a cookbook like this.” —Nicole
Get it from Amazon for $4.59.
8. A book-shaped flower vase with some real “Belle from Beauty & the Beast” energy to thrill and delight your bookish friend (like TELL ME this vase wouldn’t absolutely come to life and start strutting its stuff all over the library).
Check out a TikTok of the book vase in action.
Promising review: “The vase was so pretty I bought a second! They’re durable and very appealing to the eye. I will be purchasing more.” —kayla
Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in four colors).
9. A plug-in color-shifting mushroom light for anyone whose little hobbit heart could use an extra dose of cozy in their room. Reviewers swear by this lil’ bub for navigating their rooms at night!
Promising review: “I LOVE this night-light. It’s in my bathroom and is a lovely addition. It turns off the second the lights go on which is nice that I don’t have to worry about accidentally leaving it on. Super cute and the little itty-bitty lighting element does a good job lighting, just enough so I don’t have to turn the main lights on in the middle of the night.” —1Thand
Get it from Amazon for $5.99.
10. “You Need To Calm Down: A Coloring Book,” which is the new ideal way for Swifties to de-stress. This features 45 pages of illustrations and quotes designed to loosely follow the Eras tour in order, so they can color their way back to the magic whenever they please.
Psst — you can pick up a cult-fave colored pencil set on Amazon for $11.99!
Promising review: “I never thought I would enjoy adult coloring as much as I do with this book. It provides many opportunities to be creative, mix colors, be whimsical, and enjoy the lyrics.” —Sherry
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
11. A spaghetti-shaped pasta spoon for anyone looking to get REAL meta about their favorite food group (pasta isn’t just a meal, it’s a GENRE).
Promising review: “This spaghetti fork is great! Grabs and holds the pasta really well, and is absurdly cute. The plastic feels sturdy, and it’s easy to clean in the dishwasher.” —Tori Tyrell
Get it from Amazon for $14.90.
12. A set of glow-in-the-dark “tree elves” from Princess Mononoke so the next time your favorite Ghibli fan takes an enchanted midnight stroll through their front walkway to get home at night, they’ll have a whole host of magical critters to welcome them back.
Promising review: “I have actually bought a couple of packs of these. I think they’re so cute and fit so well in a little plant or around the house. Sometimes, I like to let my friends pick out some little guys as members of their families. Plus, did I mention how cute they are? And they glow in the dark very well.” —Jen
Get a set of 20 from Amazon for $12.98 (available in green or green and blue as well as a set of 10).
13. A set of personalized capsule letters you can hand write and put in a little “pill box” for your BFF for them to open as needed. Sometimes when they’re having a Day, what they need most is a note from you that says, “You deserve Taco Bell today, you beautiful mermaid.”
Each set includes 90 capsule notes.
Promising review: “I bought this for my best friend’s birthday gift and wrote down happy memories and compliments on the slips of paper. I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a cute and sentimental gift for someone important in your life!!” —cleo 🙂
Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (also available in six other styles, including 25-note capsule boxes).
14. A set of of Minnie Mouse ear scrunchies for anyone whose permanent spiritual address is “The Magic Kingdom,” even if their physical address is somewhere else.
Promising review: “I bought these at the last minute prior to a school trip to Disney. They came in a two-pack. I wore them EVERY DAY of the trip. They are so dang cute and durable. Standing in lines for the ride, almost EVERYONE asked me about them. They thought I bought them there, but surprisingly, NOT ONE shop at any of the Disney properties sold this. I sold one to someone in the line!” —Melissa Rae
Get a two-pack from Amazon for $8.89 (available in 13 styles).
15. A wine caddy for the bathtub, because sometimes they need to relax, and sometimes they need to relaaaaaaaaax. 🍷
Amazon
SipCaddy is a US-based small business that specializes in shower beer and wine bath holders.
Bonus: it also holds cans, so they can pop in a LaCroix or enjoy a shower PBR, too.
Promising review: “Loved how easy this was to put in my shower and use for anything from holding beverages to face wash. Gifted it to two friends and my boyfriend who at first mocked it but now LOVES it. I’d consider traveling with it at this point.” —MB Schatz
Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in five colors).
16. A rainbow prism suncatcher they can easily hang indoors to refract sunlight and make a bunch of teensy little rainbows all over the place, adding a subtle touch of magic in their space. 🌈
17. A TikTok-beloved dimmable sad duck night-light that will be a *real* hit among long distance friends pulling late-nighters working or studying. Sometimes it helps to look at this emotionally deflated creature on their desk and be like, “Welp. At least I’m doing better than that little dude.”
Amazon
Promising review: “I ordered this lamp because of its appearance. I didn’t NEED a depressed duck lamp … but it has totally filled a void in my life I didn’t know existed. Everyone who sees it pokes it. The lamp is actually very functional. It’s got a really nice set of brightness options and the glow is yellowish, which is much nicer than white in a dim/dark room. One thing that isn’t mentioned in the description is that its legs are utterly floppy. It’s terrific.” —Literated
Get it from Amazon for $12.79.
18. A portable retro-style radio with built-in speakers and a handle so they can bop around to your favorite joint playlists wherever they roam.
Promising review: “This was to replace an inherited vintage radio that finally died after 50 years. This is smaller and has a similar style, but pulls in so many more stations than the old one did. Good sound in small package, perfect kitchen radio.” —Pat Kidwell
Get it from Amazon for $17.03 (available in two styles).
19. The Green Witch’s Herb and Plant Encyclopedia, perfect for anyone whose vibe is straddling that line between cottagecore and dark academia. This includes over 150 profiles of the plants and herbs witches use most, with practical, detailed guides on safely growing, foraging and using them for rituals.
Promising review: “A beautiful book with stunning illustrations and informative insight into magical herbs/plants! I had a fabulous time searching my backyard for plants to use! I would highly recommend!” —Hannah Kil
Get it from Amazon for $11.70.
20. A mini inflatable tube guy for their desk to cheer them on when you can’t be there in person to do it yourself (or to remind them to take a lil’ dance break whenever they overwork themselves).
This little dancing dude is 17 inches tall! It uses 9-volt alkaline batteries (can be rechargeable or single-use) or an AC adapter — using an AC adapter with the proper specs is the recommended choice for best performance.
Promising review: “OMG! I love this guy! These things large and small will ALWAYS make me laugh. My husband bought the desk version for me and I can always count on it to make me laugh. My co-workers love it too. People just stop by to turn him on for a quick pick-me-up. I would recommend getting the AC plug since batteries can run down fast. I think we should create a community of fellow air-dancer-havers and post clips of our little guys dancing to our favorite songs. Anyone in?” —Mark
Get it from Amazon for $8.58.
21. A Goldfish cracker-themed candle, because it’s not enough to just gift them the snack that smiles back. You have to give them the gift of watching it BURN.
Promising review: “Smells SO good — and the fish crackers look so real!! Be careful if you have little ones or guests who might not realize it at first or they’ll get eaten! The candle burns nicely — we actually take the fish off while we’re burning it, and sprinkle them back on when we blow out the candle. They’re too cute to melt!” —KeWEE
Get it from Amazon for $26.99 (available in 17 styles).
22. A “Grievance Journal,” or rather a “burn book for the discerning misanthrope” — a darkly funny, satisfying, and cathartic journal with 52 prompts so they can purge themselves of the ~~darkness~~ of their daily irritations and inconveniences without alarming all your mutual friends. (Well, any more than you already do 😈.)
Promising review: “Bought this intending to gift it to a friend but ended up getting really into the prompts and decided to keep it for myself. WOW, what an awesome way to vent and articulate the negativity you’re feeling by actually forcing yourself to form coherent thoughts around your emotions. Cheaper and more effective than therapy, buying several more for friends and fam.” —Alex
Get it from Amazon for $27.99.
23. A set of wineglass charcuterie toppers to help them curate the *ultimate* wine and cheese nights, whether they’re throwing a party or cheesing it up solo.
Promising review: “These are so cute! I hosted a wine tasting at my house and the coasters fit into many different wine glasses. I had about three to four fairly decent size chocolates on top. These were a hit and everyone thought they were in a nice restaurant with the setup!!” —Melanie M.
Get a set of four from Amazon for $9.99 (also available in a set of eight).
24. A Twilight-themed car mirror decal so everyone they carpool with will know *exactly* what side of TikTok they’re on when they get in the vehicle.
Ally Makes Magic/Etsy
Ally Makes Magic is a Florida-based Etsy shop established in 2021 that specializes in custom pop culture-themed glassware and decor.
Promising review: “It came out perfect! The color I chose was vibrant and was easily legible.” —Destiny
Get it from Ally Makes Magic on Etsy for $10.99 (available in five colors and two styles).
25. A bag of freeze-dried sour candy for any BFF who deserves to embark on a new candy obsession — these “cosmic crunchies” are unlike any other earthly candy, giving a lighter, crunchier texture to these treats without compromising on their delectable sour taste.
Space Age Snacks is a small business that specializes in small batch freeze-dried candy.
Promising review: “Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect going in, but I was pleasantly surprised. Skittles normally taste alright, but having them freeze-dried really made the flavors POP, and genuinely, I feel like they had more flavor than normal Skittles. (Then again, that might just be my head playing it up knowing it’s a first, who knows, who cares.) Very delicious.” —John Blake
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in two sizes; check out the rest of their freeze-dried candy for more options).
26. A pop culture-themed scrunchie from an Etsy shop that represents a *dangerous* amount of niche interests, from Harry Styles to Taylor Swift to Jane Austen to Mamma Mia to cult-classic films to half the Greek pantheon. (Below are the Harry and Taylor scrunchies, because this writer is deeply and unrepentantly biased.)
The Brady Scrunch is a UK-based Etsy shop established in 2020 that specializes in pop culture-themed scrunchies.
Promising review: “Again another 5-star review. As always I absolutely love this scrunchie and I have shown all my other Harry-obsessed friends who also absolutely love it.” —Jessica Edmondson
Get it from The Brady Scrunch on Etsy: Harry for $13.60 and Folklore Taylor for $13.60.
27. A pair of glowing lightsaber chopsticks to bring balance to The Force *and* to their sushi.
As you can see from the above GIF, I bought these for myself, and I love them to pieces. TBH, I use them as decor every bit as much as I use them to eat. Sometimes I just keep them in my work area to light them up during the day to feel fancy. They toggle back and forth between a bunch of different colors, like red, blue, yellow, purple, and multicolor, so you can either make them match *or* have a red and blue one together and bring ~balance~ to the Force.
Get it from Amazon for $9.97.
28. A Michael Scott/Prison Mike reversible dishwasher magnet so they always know whether the dishes in there are clean and need to be put away, or whether they’re dirty and here to SCARE THEM STRAIGHT.
Promising review: “My whole family is a fan of The Office, so when I was searching for a magnet we could use on our dishwasher, this was the hands-down winner. Does it go with my farmhouse decor? Nope, not at all. But it does get the attention of two teenage boys. Had I gone with something a bit more my decor style, I can guarantee you it would not be as useful. I mean, we all would much rather see Prison Mike staring back at us than suit and tie Michael Scott, right? And there is only one way for that to happen…clean out the dishwasher!” —R. Funk
Get it from Amazon for $8.99.
29. A pound of cereal marshmallows because we should all aspire to be the chaos friend who sends this brand of random nonsense joy unannounced. Pro-tip to your giftee: Refrigerate these babies if they want ’em extra crunchy.
Medley Hills Farm is an Ohio-based, family-owned small business that specializes in unique candies, snacks, and baking supplies.
Promising review: “Buying these charms was one of the best decisions of my life. The bag is twice the size of my head. The marshmallows are aesthetically pleasing and delicious. It’s everything I ever wanted in a snack.” —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
30. A pickle wine stopper perfect for anyone who is both a wine-o AND a brine-o, letting them preserve their favorite pinots in ~style~.
31. A mushroom growing kit for your foodie friend that grows right there in the packaging, so they can add some sweet, sweet umami flavors to all their favorite dishes by sautéing, roasting, or air-frying them up.
Back To The Roots is a California-based small business founded by two college friends that specializes in indoor gardening kits with a mission to reconnect families to food.
Check out a TikTok of the mushroom kit in action.
Promising review: “This product has been so much fun to watch! I followed the directions, exactly as written, and the mushrooms began growing within 3–4 days. I will say that I did soak them for close to 10 hours before putting them back in the box to grow and I believe this helped a ton. I also kept the box inside by a window with the blinds closed in order for them to get indirect sunlight. The mushrooms grew tremendously for almost a week before they started to shrink so I clipped them to cook with and they were DELICIOUS! This was such a fun product and process to watch.” —Steph A
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
32. Nuts ‘N More’s Chocolate Maple Pretzel Peanut Butter Spread, which just put so many beautiful words in such a small space that I am salivating just TYPING them. Whomstsoever thought up a flavor so perfectly sweet, salty, crunchy, and smooth at the same time deserves to only ever get green lights and always have their pillowcase cool.
Nuts ‘N More is a small business that specializes in unique peanut and almond spreads.
Promising review: “Amazing flavor, one of the best flavored peanut butters I have tried. I eat it by the spoonful without bread because it is that good, and I love that it has little topping pieces as well.” —Tina Ray
Get it from Amazon for $14.47 (available in 10 other flavors).
33. A “Drunkin’ Grownups” wineglass for anyone whose love for their donuts goes well past happy hour.
Creations Using Vinyl/Etsy
Creations Using Vinyl is a New Jersey-based Etsy shop established in 2017 that specializes in custom accessories and home goods.
Promising review: “I love my wineglass. It was exactly as displayed. I get so many compliments on the glass.” —Kathleen
Get it from Creations Using Vinyl on Etsy for $9.50+ (available in two colors and without glitter).
34. A set of delightfully gift-able cowboy boot-shaped beer glasses reviewers are not only using for cute bevvy moments like iced coffee and tea, but full-on FLOWER vases. It’s giving coquette yeehaw, y’all!!
Chefcaptain is a small business that specializes in drinkware and dinnerware.
Promising review: “I like these better than tall beer glasses. They’re well designed. The handle is comfortable and beer looks great in them. A simple but perfect item, and really well priced.” —Stella Romeo
Get a set of two from Amazon for $24.95.
35. A set of “spillproof” iridescent diamond wineglasses so they can have two kinds of magic in one — the magic of these glasses’ beautiful reflective rainbow surfaces and the magic of you finding them a cup that has outsmarted their clumsiness.
Promising review: “These were even more gorgeous in person! This picture doesn’t do them justice! I highly recommend.” —Kaylee Crosby
Get a set of two from Amazon for $14.99 (available in two styles and various sets).
36. A set of ceramic cutout soy sauce bowls that reveal little figures when once the soy sauce soaks up, like they’re cheering your BFF on for their delicious choices.
Promising review: “I saw similar bowls over a year ago, but they were closer to $40 from a specialty online retailer. So excited to see them pop up on Amazon for an affordable price. They work exactly as stated (super cute with soy sauce in them) and are very durable.” —Brittany Sharpe
Get a set of four from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in a cat, bird, panda, or nature set).
37. An attachable Stanley cup snack bowl for the ultimate in “girl dinner” hacks. Now they can have all of their beloved snacks on hand for your joint movie marathon nights, even when you’re having them an ocean away.
Psst — lots of reviewers say this fits their Stanley Cup *and* the cheaper alternative versions of it, like this $30 Simple Modern tumbler.
Check out a TikTok of the Stanley snack cup in action.
Promising review: “If using this snack holder on my Stanley is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Now, when I sit at baseball tournaments all day, I don’t have to keep reaching into snack bags and coolers. We all get the snack we want and never have to carry more than a cup. I do get some odd looks, but if they had one, they wouldn’t be judging anymore. Sits very sturdily on my tumbler but comes off easily when I’m done with it.” —Abby
Get it from Amazon for $8.99 (available in two sizes and five colors).
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
