Flowers are lovely.
They are cheerful, thoughtful and generally very good at making a room look as though somebody cares.
They do, however, eventually become a vase full of slightly murky water and a collection of petals on the table.
So if you’re looking for get well soon gifts instead of flowers, you may want something the person can actually eat, wear, read, use or enjoy while they’re recovering.
The good news is that there are plenty of options.
And none of them requires you to become an expert in floral arrangements.
1. Send their favourite treats
This sounds obvious, but obvious is often good.
A few things you know they like can be much more welcome than an enormous hamper full of mysterious chutneys.
Think favourite chocolate, decent biscuits, tea, coffee or something they always buy for themselves.
The important bit is that it feels chosen for them.
If they love chocolate digestives, send chocolate digestives.
You do not need to take this opportunity to introduce them to artisanal fennel crackers.
You could add a little note:
Something for your next tea break. Wish I could join you.
Simple.
Personal.
And, crucially, edible.
2. Put together a sofa survival kit
Being poorly often involves an extraordinary amount of sitting down.
At first this sounds quite appealing.
Then, after several hours, the novelty begins to wear off.
A little sofa survival kit can make things nicer.
- cosy socks
- chocolate
- tea
- a magazine
- a puzzle book
- a handwritten note
It doesn’t need to be grand.
You’re not equipping an expedition to the Arctic.
You’re just making an afternoon on the sofa a little less rubbish.
3. Choose something they can dip in and out of
A book, magazine or puzzle can be a lovely gift when someone is resting, as long as you choose something they actually enjoy.
This is probably not the moment to send them an improving book called Seven Steps to Becoming Your Best Self.
They’re unwell.
They have enough to deal with.
A gardening magazine, crime novel, football magazine, crossword book or something funny can be much better.
And if they don’t read it for three weeks?
Also fine.
The book will cope.
4. Send food they don’t have to cook
When you’re not feeling great, deciding what to have for dinner can feel like an administrative task of surprising complexity.
So food can be a brilliant gift.
You could arrange a takeaway, drop off something homemade or give them a voucher for somewhere they already use.
If you live nearby, something as simple as:
I’m going to the shops tomorrow. What do you need?
can be incredibly useful.
It may not come with ribbon.
But neither does a loaf of bread, and sometimes a loaf of bread is exactly what somebody needs.
5. Give them something to watch or listen to
There are only so many times a person can look out of the window.
A streaming voucher, audiobook, podcast recommendation or even a list of films you both love can help make the day pass a little faster.
You could send a message saying:
I recommend tea, three episodes of this and absolutely no housework.
This advice has not been medically verified.
It is, nevertheless, excellent advice.
6. Make a small care package
A care package doesn’t need to be enormous.
In fact, some of the nicest ones are simply a handful of thoughtful things put together.
- tea
- chocolate
- cosy socks
- a favourite snack
- a little comfort item
- a card
None of those things is particularly dramatic on its own.
Put them together and suddenly you’ve got something that feels very personal.
That’s the magic of a care package.
Also, chocolate improves almost every parcel.
7. Send a ready-made get well soon gift box
If you love the idea of putting a care package together but don’t especially fancy spending an evening wandering around the shops comparing biscuits, a ready-made box is a very sensible shortcut.
Our Get Well Soon Gift Box includes cosy socks, tea, chocolate, menthol and eucalyptus shower steamers, one of our handmade grounding stones and a personalised handwritten message.
In other words, a little collection of things designed to make a quiet day feel a bit nicer.
And because you can add your own message, it still feels personal.
If “get well soon” isn’t quite the right thing to say, you can also browse our thinking-of-you gifts.
Sometimes “I’m thinking of you” says everything that needs saying.
8. Write them an actual letter
Yes, an actual letter.
With a pen.
It sounds almost alarmingly old-fashioned now.
But receiving something handwritten can feel incredibly special.
Tell them what’s been happening.
Share something funny.
Remind them of a ridiculous thing you once did together.
Tell them you miss them.
You don’t have to produce six pages of emotional prose.
A few genuine lines are enough.
If you’re stuck staring at the card thinking you’ve suddenly forgotten how words work, our guide to what to write in a thinking-of-you card may help.
9. Pick something that has absolutely nothing to do with being ill
This is a surprisingly good rule.
Sometimes the nicest gift is simply something connected to what they love.
A gardener might enjoy a gardening magazine.
A reader might want a new thriller.
A foodie might like some brilliant treats.
A crafter might enjoy a small project.
Someone with a terrible sense of humour may want something completely ridiculous.
Not every gift needs to say:
YOU ARE CURRENTLY UNWELL.
Sometimes it can simply say:
I know you. I saw this. I thought you’d like it.
That’s rather nicer.
10. Give them something to look forward to
A gift doesn’t necessarily have to be something they can open today.
You could promise lunch when they’re feeling better.
Arrange a future coffee.
Plan a cinema trip.
Or just write:
When you’re back on your feet, cake is on me.
There is something very comforting about having a small nice thing waiting in the future.
Particularly if the small nice thing contains cake.
What are the best get well soon gifts instead of flowers?
There isn’t really a perfect answer.
The best get well soon gifts instead of flowers tend to be the ones that feel personal.
Think about the person.
What do they actually enjoy?
What would make them smile?
What would make a dull afternoon feel a little better?
It might be a box full of thoughtful comforts.
It might be their favourite biscuits.
It might be a ridiculous magazine.
It might be a takeaway.
And sometimes it might simply be a handwritten note saying:
Thinking of you. No need to reply.
Because underneath all the tea, chocolate, cosy socks and magazines, that’s what a get well gift is really trying to say.
I thought of you.
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