A Peek into our “Happy Birthday” Box
Written by Alex, with comments from Abby.
Note, since publishing this blog post, this box has sold out. Shop all curated celebratory boxes here.
Just look at Alex’s sheer joy over this beautiful homemade-by-mom strawberry birthday cake
ALEX
As a boy, there was nothing more exciting than to sit in front of a pile of gifts on my birthday and shred through them one after the next, uncovering Nerf guns, board games, Tamagotchi pets and maybe a check or two that I would forget to cash for 2 months but would be a lifesaver when I needed it.
ABBY
Ha, I’m sure those relatives loved balancing their checkbooks after giving you birthday money.
ALEX
As I got older, gifts became much less important on my birthday than the opportunity to see and hear from loved ones. But the truth is, age has little to no bearing on the joy that receiving a gift brings. We are still touched by them and excited to see what’s inside. We are thankful that there are people in our lives that take the time and money to make our day just a little more special.
We thought about these emotions while we were putting together our Birthday Celebration box. As always, we wanted it to be gender-neutral, include items from craft vendors, and bring an extra bit of joy to a special day.
In a way, this box is an all-in-one birthday celebration (especially important in a pandemic, when people may be celebrating alone).
ABBY
Agreed! Birthdays deserve celebration—maybe now more than ever.
ALEX
We start with the Happy Birthday Banner from Smarty Pants Paper Co., a design and print shop in Knoxville, TN. We love the bright, bold colors of the banner and the all-natural, recycled materials that it’s composed of.
ABBY
Plus, waking up to this hanging on the wall every day for a week… or month (why not?) will be sure to keep you in high spirits.
ALEX
We then include gluten-free (can be made vegan) cupcake mix and frosting from PastryBase in Virginia. Abby is ADAMANT that no birthday is complete without cake, and I’d have to agree with her. This scrumptious cupcake mix is made with real ground vanilla beans, and will have you checking the box, like, is it really gluten-free and vegan? It is.
ABBY
I can confirm—this gut does not approve of gluten and I was A-OK after inhaling a few of these. And HECK YEAH I’m adamant about the necessity of cake on one’s birthday. What is a birthday without cake???
ALEX
And, of course, no birthday cupcake is complete without candles. We are obsessed with these hand-dipped beeswax candles from Knot & Bow. How many grown men do you know that would call candles cute? Well, they are--they’re adorable. Bonus, they burn for 10-15 minutes. That’s enough time to stage an IG photoshoot and get the perfect shot. But really, just save and reuse them :)
ABBY
Don’t worry, it takes a real man to call something “cute,” babe.
ALEX
We wanted this gift box to have something fun and colorful that the recipient could hang onto and use for a long time after their birthday. We found Hooray Sock Co. based out of San Francisco CA and loved their Taraval socks, which are unisex and one size fits most. They are made of high-quality cotton and designed to last years.
ABBY
Time to spruce up that office outfit, anyhow (work-from-home counts, too)!
ALEX
Last, but not least, confetti. I had never known the joy of throwing confetti until 2 months ago. We had a sample from Ecofetti and we went into the backyard and threw it up in the air. Like a little kid, I smiled as I watched the pretty colors rain down in front of my eyes. I promise this little bag will lift your spirits. Best part? Ecofetti is 100% biodegradable. Throw it anywhere you please.
ABBY
But if you throw it inside, make sure there’s a vacuum nearby :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
The mile-wide smile a new Nerf gun brings in the 90’s. (Seriously—how adorable was Alex as a kid!?)
