Packages of Love
by Lindsey Rosenblatt
Photography courtesy of lovelearnings.com
Leaving home for the first time, giving friends and family twenty-minute-long hugs and fourteen “I love you’s” before parting ways to different states and cities for college is not easy. As the year progresses, phone calls, Facetimes and social media often become the new daily face-to-face interaction that once was reality at home. Nearing the end of the school year, hugging a best friend from home is the single most comforting idea.
Due to geographical complications, hugging your long distance best friend is probably not as practical. However, a more realistic way to express love to someone far away is by sending a treat in the mail, allowing the smell of baked goods to hug your friend for you.
With express shipping and quick ordering processes, anything from mini cupcakes to fruit arrangements can be delivered at the footsteps of your favorite person.
Sugarfina, a gourmet candy shop, offers unique, stylish candies—like Champagne gummy bears—delivered in cute bento boxes. It’s as appealing to your eyes as it is to your stomach. Through the online store, there are options to customize a bento box specific to the candy cravings you know your friend has.
If it is too difficult to gage the candy desires for someone else, Sugarfina has the option of candy grams. Candy grams send an email (the most exciting message to enter one’s inbox) with a link redirecting the recipient to the website, allowing them to hand-pick their candy combo.
“I wanted to send something cool and pretty to open because it’s all about the visual, so I chose Sugarfina,” said Caryn Lerner, a mother to a BU freshman. “I wanted her to open a package that brings her sweet thoughts of home and the family and also taste good.”
If candy is not satisfactory enough, try a tray of fresh bite-sized cupcakes from Baked by Melissa. Baked by Melissa, located in New York, revolutionized the art of cupcakes by minimizing them to individual, flavor packed cupcakes that easily fit in a plastic tray of 25-50.
From electric tie die to peanut butter and jelly flavored cupcakes, this package is guaranteed to impress any craving. The best part is: No need to feel bad after inhaling ten cupcakes in one sitting—they are mini!
“I felt excited and loved when I received it. My day immediately got better,” said Lily Stone (CAS ’21), who has been sent Baked by Melissa twice at school.
Mailing presentable desserts can be a little pricey. However, these companies use their creativity to package yummy foods in an easy-to-unwrap way which will make the recipient feel immediate happiness and pleasure. It is guaranteed to arrive presentable, rather than a FedEx box with three day-old brownies tin foiled inside.
“It is so easy to send,” said Hannah Newman (UW ’21). “All I did was pick the cute package I thought she would like and entered my information online, it took a total of ten minutes but made my friend’s day when she received it.”
Although mini cupcakes are fun, original large cupcakes should not be forgotten. Send a cupcake in a jar through Wicked Good Cupcakes. Customize the flavor and get free shipping, making the deal sweeter for you and your friend.
And of course, there is always a healthy alternative to gift giving and it is as appealing. Be extravagant and mail an Edible Arrangement. Flower arrangements are nice, but an arrangement of fresh fruit—that’s a dream. Made fresh daily, pineapple, cantaloupe, chocolate covered strawberries are the happy medium between sweet and healthy made perfect for delivery.
“My best friend and I live very far away from each other, so while we’re at school the easiest way to express our love for each other is by sending treats in the mail,” said Stone.
According to a New York Times article, a Harvard Psychology professor, Ellen J. Langer, discusses the psychological reasoning behind the positive effects of gift giving.
“Giving to others reinforces our feelings for them and makes us feel effective and caring,” said Langer.
Sending gifts to someone we love is adding to our psychological health. It feels good internally while the recipient is enjoying the physical benefits.
Perhaps this compensates for the separation from those you love. Although it is hard living so far, these dessert companies listed above are ways to let someone know you love them. There is no need to wait for birthdays or Valentine’s Day. I mean who complains if you send a treat just because.