9 Gifts for Spring Shoppies

A bunch of colorful flowers and a pair of illustrated bumblebees surround a stack of neatly wrapped gifts.

In this edition of The Gift, we’re sharing gifts to welcome spring. Plus: beautiful (fake) flowers and 24 wedding gifts you won’t find on the registry.

The winters of my childhood in Maine did not play. From Thanksgiving until Easter, the flurries were flurrying, the snow banks were towering, and the no-school days were aplenty. This past winter felt like one of those winters. The internet tells us we aren’t supposed to like rugged weather, but I do like it, very much. And the best part about a helluva winter is that when spring comes — next Friday! — baby, we’ve earned it.

We had our first two spring-like days this week, the sky an electric blue, the air like silk. (Of course, it’s frigid and gray now.) My optimism is undimmed. No matter what spring looks like this year — colorless and cold, drizzly and vibey, twinkling and bright — my vow is to embrace every minute. We made it through winter, and the newness of spring, in all its forms, is a gift.

It’s also a nice time to reconnect with relationships that have been on ice after a winter of hibernation. I’ve been seeing so many perfect, springy, just-because gifts lately. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • This screen-printed garland charmed me at a trade show a few weeks back. It’s detailed and double-sided, and sewn along a sturdy cotton thread. This spring bloom set of daisies, marigolds, and cow parsley would make the best surprise mail for at least a few of my favorite friends. I’ll concede none of us need garland, but this blend of artful whimsy could bring greenery indoors while we await the real thing.
  • A friend of mine keeps a canvas tote hanging in her entryway for umbrellas, hats, and other leaving-the-house miscellany. But wouldn’t this perfectly shaped (and priced) wall basket be even better? If you didn’t want to use it for storage, it could hang just about anywhere overflowing with a clutch of flowers. A crafty friend might appreciate weaving a similar one on their own.
  • I can’t stop thinking about these floral landscapes from Austin-based artist El Baker. (I saw a print of the daffodil one in person and was particularly smitten.) It would be a lovely spring-ahead vista at the desk of anyone who works from home.
  • My partner has eradicated all traditional spring ephemerals — tulips, hyacinth, snowdrops — from our yard in favor of less-familiar native blooms. (We all make sacrifices for love.) And so I’m feeling very drawn to this bulb vase. I especially appreciate the tall neck to support floppy, sun-reaching stems.
  • The little people in my life sure would like this see-through rainbow umbrella and splatterpaint boots, which are literal celebrations of the season and both thoroughly vetted by Wirecutter’s experts. After I patiently tromp for hours with my kids in puddles, a steamy tub with any one of these medicinal magic bath soaks will be well deserved. The yuzu and forest bathing scents are particularly special.

In all this considerate musing for friends, I should add that this link-stitch cotton cardigan with its perfect contrast collar would be a great swap for the winter one I’ve worn all season.

Sending good tidings for all sorts of spring.



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