We bet there are a few people in your life that truly believe they have enough stuff — they’d rather create memories through experiences instead of a physical gift that might end up just collecting dust on a shelf. A virtual experience gift is what we call a win-win situation: It’s great for the gift-giver (you don’t gotta leave home to buy it!) and the person receiving it (they don’t gotta leave home to enjoy it!). Now that we’ve been doing this pandemic thing for a while, the online experience gift options have gotten more creative than ever. Below, we dive into our favorites:
The Magician
Bunnies pulled out of hats are fun and all, but this isn’t your typical magic show. The virtual experience is hosted by magician Dan White, who’s been a regular on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the visual mastermind for Kanye West’s Yeezus tour, as well as a consultant for the iconic illusionist David Copperfield. The week of the show, you’ll be sent a box to your home with some items you’ll need for the show (make sure to follow the directions and not open it until you’re told!). The show is recommended for two guests (ideally those over 18) but can be enjoyed by up to four people — since you want to all comfortably fit on the same video screen, you don’t want any more than that. For approximately 80 minutes, you’ll enjoy watching illusions, magic, and the art of deception happen right in front of your eyes. Be prepared to keep your camera on since the show relies on audience participation.
Sur La Table
Aren’t we all tired of the takeout scene? Learn from the best chefs in the country with these fully interactive Zoom sessions where you and other attendees can ask questions that pop up as you follow along. Classes range from steak dinners to baking classic carrot cake to mixology classes like eggnog. Before the class starts, you’ll get a prep packet to buy the ingredients you’ll need for the class so you can get started. All the sessions are $29 no matter how many people are in the kitchen.
The Sill
If someone you love has always wanted to turn their brown thumb into a green one, The Sill (a delivery service that specializes in gorgeous, low-maintenance plants), has both in-person and virtual plant care workshops that cover all the basics of caring for plants, winter plant care, artificial lighting, and wreath-making courses. Classes are as inexpensive as $10 for a thirty-minute session, so it’s an affordable way to have fun.
Driftaway Coffee
What started as a side hustle for a Brooklyn-based married couple, Driftaway Coffee became one of the country’s top coffee subscriptions services known for its eco-friendly and sustainable practices. Now, in addition to public coffee tastings that you can follow along on Instagram Live, they offer private tasting parties for family and friends. They’re led by James McCarthy, who won the 2013 World Brewers Cup (an annual international coffee brewing competition). Your group will taste different coffees and learn more about the way coffee is processed, its history, etc., so you can all become coffee connoisseurs. Your virtual tasting kit comes with five four-ounce bags of coffees, cups, and forms for the tasting. All you need is a coffee grinder (no brewer needed), a hot water kettle, spoons, and cups.
Alice’s Table
Alice’s Table has a number of entertaining live-streaming experiences that teach people to unlock their creative side by creating the perfect charcuterie board or arranging flowers like a pro. They make different aspects of being the hostess with the mostess super easy with premium project materials delivered directly to your home, so all you practically need to do is show up for the class.
Fender Play
If you know an aspiring musician who has a guitar, ukulele, or bass that’s gathering dust, these step-by-step video curriculums are pre-recorded by pros to help give them a 101 lesson on playing chords, scales, and riggs. With thousands of lessons to choose from, the program promises you’ll be able to play popular songs like Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” and Sia’s “Chandelier” in as soon as three days.
Bite Beauty
We’ve waxed poetic about how Bite Beauty’s customizable lipsticks make a great gift — and you can opt to do it virtually with a Lip Lab at Home appointment. You can see everything happening in the lab in real-time and make tweaks to your shade until it’s perfect. Once your color expert is done swatching and tweaking to your liking, you pick whether you want a matte or satin finish, a flavor, and a name for the shade. You could either gift the experience itself or go through the process of creating a shade for someone you love if you’re confident you know their style inside and out.
