When you look at the sheer variety of subscription boxes available this Christmas, it’s easy to forget that these delightful gifts that keep on giving only really became a “thing” less than a decade ago. Today, your options for gifting a loved one with a recurring swag-induced endorphin rush are almost overwhelming — from shamelessly geeky superhero merch to fancy umbrella-enhanced cocktails.
Here’s our yearly roundup of some of the best subscription boxes on Planet Earth in 2019.
(Mainly) For The Grown-ups
OwlCrate
If you have a reader in your life, the gift of a brand new book every month is about the closest thing to magic as this world allows. The great thing about OwlCrate is that it focuses on young adult (YA) literature. These books are perfect light-reading for adults, but they’re also spot-on for teens. YA literature may well be the ultimate cross-generational icebreaker!
OwlCrate starts at $30 per month. With each box, the lucky recipient also receives a letter from the author and some gold-standard literary merch. Oh, and if you know a younger reader, take a look at OwlCrate Junior, targeting the eight to twelve-year-old crowd.
SaloonBox
That there is now a subscription box dedicated solely to the subtle art of mixology is a source of great delight and wonder to those of a tipple-partaking disposition. Saloonbox elevates the concept of a cocktail in a box to a monthly adventure of sight, taste, fragrance and shamelessly falling asleep before 10 pm.
Here’s what makes Saloonbox the Aliens Director’s Cut of adult subscription-based gifting. Each box gives you everything you need: From spirits (duh, obviously) to mixers, garnishes, and even the occasional fancy swizzling accouterment. You just open your box, fire up your classy cocktail-mixing jams, and mix up a storm.
A subscription costs $53 per month for three months, and it’s hands down the perfect way to introduce a friend to the joys of culinary potion-brewing at home.
Date Night In
Guess what? There’s even a subscription box for a touch of romance (pronounced “romahnce” and said with an eyebrow waggle). Date Night In is an inspired idea. Each date box includes all the raw ingredients for some A-grade romancing, from activities to ambiance-makin’ accessories to (most importantly) ultra-classy romance snacks.
In all seriousness, life is busy. Sometimes, a bit of easy intimacy at home can be one of the hardest things to make time for in a relationship. At $42 per month, Date Night In is a smart way to help a couple keep the magic alive.
Singles Swag
If the single women out there are feeling left out, never fear! Singles Swag has them covered. The master-move of this subscription box is that it’s all about happy, regular surprises. Each box includes a treasure trove of assorted stuff for single women. We’re talking beauty products, trendy fashion accessories, books, unusual objet d’art — and yep — even their snack game is impressively on-point.
You have two price points to choose from. $25 per month will land the lucky recipient three or four full-sized products. $40 per month bumps that up to six to seven full-size products.
Target Beauty Boxes
And finally, it’s worth giving the nod to one of the more affordable subscription services you’ll find. Target Beauty Boxes cost an unreasonably reasonable $7 per box. For that paltry sum, the recipient gets up to nine sample size products, making it great for college students or travelers.
We have to give extra cool points to Target for making a beauty box for men as well. Kudos, Target!
(Mostly) For The Young ‘Uns
Little Passports
Helping a kid know stuff has to be the ultimate gift that keeps on giving. Starting at $15 per month, Little Passports is all about enriching a whippersnapper’s mind with fun and exciting knowledge that’ll enlarge their world and broaden their outlook.
In the first month, the lucky kid receives an “explorer kit,” complete with a mini suitcase, welcome letter, passport, and map. Every month after that is a journey to a new corner of human knowledge: From dinosaurs to space, from art to literature.
Age groups three to five, six to ten, and seven to twelve are available. Each has age-appropriate activities to delight, amaze, and make the little gray cells explode with crunchy-fresh insight.
Bitsbox
Give your kid a fishing rod, and they’ll never go hungry. Teach your kid to code, and they’ll earn a gajillion dollars building fish-catching software. Bitsbox aims to imbue young kids aged six to twelve with an early love of coding.
The brilliance of Bitsbox is that it makes coding feel like an adventure game with the kid in the driver’s seat. First, the recipient gets to choose what kind of app they want to create. Then, subsequent boxes reveal how to build that app, introducing a new computer science concept as each new chapter unfolds.
The basic subscription costs $29.95 per month. A deluxe subscription (with extra projects and fun stuff) costs $44.95 per month and is well worth the price of admission for the serious kid-coder about town.
Strong SelfIE
SelfIE is a subscription service that’s all about helping girls feel good about themselves. SelfIE’s mission sums their product up to a tee: “From birthdays to break-ups or just because… the perfect gift will leave her feeling like her STRONGest self(ie). Always. All ways.”
If a girl in your family is struggling with self-esteem, SelfIE may be one extra-special morale boost you can gift her with this Christmas. The Bloom Box is aimed at girls aged eight to twelve. The Burst Box is for girls aged thirteen to seventeen. Each box costs $60 per month and includes inspirational products and messages focused on health, fun, feeling good about yourself, and more.
You may also want to take a look at youth programs in your area that are set up to help kids who are struggling.
Kids Night in a Box
This subscription is all about helping a family (and especially kids) play with a purpose to “skill-up” in meaningful ways. There are all kinds of family activities you can choose here, each geared toward a growth skill such as sporting behavior, kindness, or gratitude. In each box, you get a book, group activities, a recipe to complete, and even a custom Spotify playlist. Clever!
Kids Night in a Box is excellent because each box, ultimately, provides the raw materials for an experience a family can do together. If you’re looking for a regular dose of constructive fun with a purpose, this subscription ticks all the right boxes. Each box costs $42 per month, or you can try a single box for $50.
Make Them Quiver… With… Antici…
Pation! (Yep. We went there!)
The secret sauce to any good subscription service is that the heady endorphin rush of present-opening can happen every single month. In fact, the joy of waiting for that next box can be just as fun as opening it when it finally arrives!
One of these subscription boxes is bound to light up a face this Christmas.
