The past two years have been hard. Full stop. And no amount of online shopping could change that. Even still, we managed to make some purchases that made the isolation and lack of social gatherings sting a little less.
For this year’s gift guide, I asked our team to share their favorite pandemic purchases. From kittens to candles to beautiful dutch ovens for our newfound sourdough baking hobby. This is a list of the gifts that lightened our lives during dark days. We’re sharing in case some of these might bring you or someone you love joy, too.
Pasta maker
“On a whim I bought a pasta making machine and pasta cookbook. It was October 2020 and the weather paired with the isolation of pandemic was pushing me toward the edge and I knew I needed to do something to keep from falling into a deep dark hole of depression. So I made pasta-making my thing and my friend did, too. The choreography involved kept me engaged through the dark winter days, I loved having a buddy that I could share the experience with via the Marco Polo App and the end result was so satisfying. I recommend everyone to try it. Just know that the first go is an emotional journey but it’s worth it because noodles.” – Jen, Brand Manager
Mug warmer
“After the pandemic started, I started making my own coffee, but it would go cold so fast! What was I to DO?!?! Well… one mug warmer later, and I was set for LIFE!” – Daniel, Web Application Developer
Sustainable goods from Tacoma Soap Refillery
“The pandemic made me hyper-aware of the constant waste that’s being produced by companies and people. After coming across Tacoma Soap Refillery’s booth at a local farmer’s market, I visited the store in-person. My first purchase was refillable laundry soap, and after that it was a snowball effect of making my entire household as eco friendly as possible. Now most of my kitchen, cleaning, and body care supplies are plastic-free and zero-waste!” – Alma, SEO + Digital Marketing Specialist
Candles from Frostbeard Studio
“When you’re sitting at home trying to work while your preteen boys do their homeschool homework you quickly learn that some scents are less desirable than others. It was during the pandemic sitting next to my boys doing school that I realized the importance of a great scent in helping me focus. I initially bought candles from Frostbeard Studio because they have a candle called Oxford Library. I spent some time at Oxford while I was doing my doctorate, so the scent holds some lovely memories for me. What I discovered was that the candle was as good as I hoped and the creativity of the team at Frostbeard to come up with scents evocative of a place is incredible. Also, they cover up preteen-boy really well. My favorites are Oxford Library, Bookstore, and Headmaster’s Office.” – Sean, Staff Developer
A new friend from the Humane Society
“It was Thanksgiving 2020, and we were closing in on 8 months of the pandemic when my son saw a SiteCrafting co-worker’s cat on a video call. He was immediately sold on the idea that we needed a furry friend in the house to break up the monotony! After some persuasion we went to the The Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County ‘just to look.’ We stood outside and randomly pointed at a picture in a 3-ring binder of ‘Sir George of Meow’ (his formal name). Upon meeting, we had an immediate love connection. We brought him home that afternoon and he’s been our best snuggly, playful little buddy ever since!” – Megan, Project Manager
iRobot vacuum cleaner
“As a mom and wife, I’m always feeling pulled in a million directions. Throw in a pandemic with school and work from home and that feeling is hyper intensified. My sweet husband (who mind you still had to go to work daily and travel out of town frequently) wanted to make things a little easier, so he gifted me an iRobot vacuum (so romantic, I know). Not having to sweep up pet hair every day gave me back the slightest bit of sanity when we all felt we were losing it.” – Crissy, Project Manager
Food52 cast iron dutch oven
“I held off on the homemade sourdough trend as long as I could, forgoing tending of tricky starters for quickbreads instead. At one point I even shared a photo captioned, ‘Y’all go on with your fragile sourdough starters. I’ll be over here making bread with 2 pounds of chocolate and zucchini.’ A few months later, I bought the most beautiful dutch oven I could get my hands on and ate my words — as well as my own fresh baked sourdough. Yum!” – Aly, Marketing & Communication Strategist
Plants from Jade & Co
“During the summer of 2020, I was walking around 6th Ave when I noticed a cute plant shop called Jade & Co. Never been a green thumb myself, I browsed around the store admiring the cute plants. I purchased a pilea, and life hasn’t been the same since. I’m now a plant mom to 20+ plants! I’m learning the ins & outs of propagating, soil mixes, and more. Grateful this random purchase turned into a new favorite hobby of mine!” – Lynn, UX Researcher
Nintendo Switch
“When the pandemic hit, there were only so many puzzles, board games, books, bike rides and soccer practices that could be done to satiate my 9 and 12 year-old’s needs for entertainment. Our family isn’t really into video games, but I had heard so many good things about the Nintendo Switch that I purchased one for our family for Christmas in 2020. The thing we like most about it is that we can all play at the same time. We are really into Animal Crossing – New Horizons where I built our island and everyone in our family has a character on the island. We call it ‘Slopez’ which is the tagline of our favorite vacation spot, Lopez Island. We were also given the recommendation to check out Overcooked 2 by SiteCrafting’s very own Phil Price and have since gotten into that as well.” – Mark, Customer Success Manager
