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15 Little Gifts to Brighten Someone's Day

Posted: April 06, 2021
[ET] Little Gifts to Brighten Someone's Day

If you're on the hunt to brighten someone's day, these 15 little gifts should present you with plenty of opportunities. Whether it's a spouse stressed from work, a buddy down on dating, a mama about to have a Mother's Day, or your own self feeling like a 2/10 lately, my collection of fun, funny, and funky gifts to brighten someone's day are ready to light up the face of just about any someone you've got.

Note: Day-brightening gifts are priced as they were at printing. Pricing, and availability, are subject to change.

Inconsequential Dilemmas Flowchart Book

Inconsequential Dilemmas Flowchart Book
Inconsequential Dilemmas Flowchart Book

Making minor decisions is one of my least favorite activities in life, so Inconsequential Dilemmas: 45 Flowcharts For Life's Peskier Questions is like a gift from the Baby Jesus - or Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny, or one of his other representatives - to me. Can I park here? Should I eat this street food? Am I too old to be at this party? I don't know, but in clear, straightforward, and illustrated form, this book is going to give me the answers to 44 questions I wrestle with on a weekly basis!

I say 44, not 45, because the answer to the question of whether or not I should eat food I just dropped on the floor is always a definitive Yes.

$15 ➠ Amazon

SIND Studio Funny Face Mugs

SIND Studio Funny Face Mugs, Cups & Planters
SIND Studio Funny Face Mugs, Cups & Planters

SIND Studio has a mug - the drinking kind and the face kind - for every expression you wear and emotion you feel before and after you've had your coffee. There's a groggy Yawning Mug (before coffee). A jubilant Laughing Mug (after coffee). A relatable Grumpy Mug (definitely BC). A smooch-awaiting Kiss Me Mug (probably after coffee, and hopefully after teeth brushing too). And, ready for gifting to a healthcare worker or COVID-conscious friend, a Face Mask Mug (I'm going to say BC. Even though his face is covered, I can see the yearning for caffeine in his eyes.)

$36.50 to $38.50 ➠ Amazon

Butts on Things Stickers, Pins & Artwork

Butts on Things Stickers, Pins & Artwork
Butts on Things Stickers, Pins & Artwork

What's up, Taco Butt? Hey there, TARDASSSS! Yo, yo, I see you've got S'more junk in the trunk. No insult and no judgement with my comments, just a sheer appreciation for these Butts on Things stickers, pins, and artwork from freelance illustrator Brian Cook.

In his Butts on Things collection, Cook takes everyday objects and pop culture darlings, and, well, slaps an ass on them. A perky, adorable ass that you (and everyone you meet) will probably want to slap right back. Or at least pinch, rub, or kiss for good luck.

$4.50 to $20 ➠ Etsy

Dirty Cookie Cookies & Milk...or Booze Shots

Milk & Cookies Shots
Milk & Cookies Shots

Now that the Cookie Monster has had his fling with Siri, maybe he can engage the services of Alexa to order him a dozen...or 8 dozen...of Dirty Cookie's Milk & Cookie Shots. I can't wait to see what he gets up to while waiting for them to arrive!

And speaking of the Cookie Monster, I didn't think cookie consumption paraphernalia could get any better than this Cookie Monster Mug. But an edible Red Velvet cookie shot glass coated in white chocolate, begging to be filled with milk, or Bailey's, or a fat wad of cream cheese icing? Cookie consumption paraphernalia just got a whole helluva lot better.

$29.99 & Up ➠ The Dirty Cookie

Mistaken Lyrics Coasters

Mistaken Lyrics Coasters
Mistaken Lyrics Coasters

Bright Beam Goods has gathered up some of the most common, and most hilarious, mistaken lyrics and laser-engraved them on 4" square cork coasters. Mistaken Lyrics Coasters come in sets of 6, and are categorized by era, theme, or your own custom selections. Classic Rock, 80s, 90s, 2000s, Hip Hop, Inappropriate, and even a Meat Lover's pack feature one mistaken lyric on each coaster. It will be up to your guests to figure out which song it's from though. That information is included only in a key on the back of the set's box.

$25 ➠ Amazon

World's Smallest Stretch Armstrong

World's Smallest Stretch Armstrong

He's a grower, not a shower. At 4" tall, this miniature Stretch Armstrong says he has a license to call himself the World's Smallest. At least until you yank his arms and legs to 2...3...4 times their starting size. Just look at Li'l Stretch go.

$9.24 ➠ Amazon

TERRACOCK'n'BALLS Planter

TERRACOCK'n'BALLS Planter

While seemingly not well endowed at 3" tall x 4" wide, remember those dimensions represent the terracotta pot (i.e., the balls) only. You're responsible for supplying the cactus, or other phallic plant, and can therefore choose how long, strong, and porn star to brighten your special someone's TERRACOCK'n'BALLS day.

$17.50 ➠ Etsy

Egguins - Cook, Store & Serve Egg Holder

Egguins - Cook, Store & Serve Egg Holder

Squee! your hearts out for the Egguins, ladies and kiddos...and dudes who are being honest. Peleg Design's new egg holder uses the arms of penguins to cradle your delicate shells as their own bellies - so precious! - and then lower them gently into...hard boiling water that will surely cook the penguins along with the eggs. Huh. From precious to disturbing in 5 seconds or less.

Boiling penguins aside, the Egguins holder is an egg cooker, storer, and server that exhibits Peleg's trademark ingenuity in design. It really is equal parts functional and adorable, right up there with the OTOTO's Nessie family of kitchen utensils, and Spaghetti Monster Colander.

$19.99 ➠ Amazon

Creaton Crafts Book Art

Creaton Crafts Book Art
Creaton Crafts Book Art

Creaton Crafts craftmaster Lara opens her description of the magnificent Marvel comics paper vase above, and many of her other elaborate book art creations, with "I love folding and cutting paper!" Wow. Those are words you'll never hear coming out of my mouth. Not to mention skills you'll never see coming out of my hands.

That Lara can not only fold and cut her book art into existence, but that she actually enjoys doing it is kind of bananas. No wait. It's apples. And flower vases. Cats and dogs and cheeseburgers and ice cream cones and Hedwig the owl from Harry Potter.

Creaton Crafts Book Art comes in all of the above shapes, and in dozens of different book titles and comic book pages. The pieces are freestanding and sized for bookshelf or desktop display as part of your office or home decor.

$26 & Up ➠ Etsy

Freeze-Dried Candy

Freeze-Dried Candy

Skittles and Starburst and SweetTarts, oh my! Skittles and Starburst and SweetTarts, freeze-dried! Stellar Rabbit Foods has the stellar down indeed with their collection of freeze-dried candy. The magic of sugary fan faves meets the magic of chemistry in a process SR Foods says "allows us to transform once chewy candies into an airy, light, crunchy and melt in your mouth texture."

They say freeze drying candy also intensifies its flavor, so if you thought Trolli Sour Gummy Worms sent your lips to the pinnacle of their pucker before, wait 'til you bite down on a Freeze-Dried Worm Puff. The Cherry-lemon, Orange-Lime, and Strawberry-grape flavors are sure to POP! too.

$8 ➠ Etsy

Strong Arm Maneki-Neko Good Luck Cat

Strong Arm Maneki-Neko Good Luck Cat

What does this Maneki-Neko lucky cat statue with one extra-ripped arm - the waving arm, of course - say? Welcome to the gun show, of course. Either that or, Or, No luck? Maybe it's time to strong-arm the fates.

In addition to showing off the benefits of doing unilateral arm work on just one side, the Maneki-Neko Good Luck Cat also sports some cool cat shades and either a gold or white fur coat. Choose from 2 sizes, the smaller about 9.1" tall and the larger 12.6".

$68.99 to $118.99 ➠ Amazon

Bob Ross Talking Clapper & Night Light

Bob Ross Talking Clapper & Night Light

Bob Ross and his happy little trees turned into a combo talking clapper and night light have turned me into a very happy little dude.

Bob Ross and his painting plug into the wall just like a boring, unartistic Clapper, but in addition to turning your connected lamp on and off with a clap, clap, they also light up themselves. Aaaand, with 3 claps instead of two, you'll receive some Bob Ross spoken wisdom along with your ambient lighting. The beloved painter says either, "If painting does nothing else, it should make you happy," or "You have to have dark before you show light."

$29.99 ➠ Amazon

TacoCat Taco Holder

TacoCat Taco Holder
TacoCat Taco Holder

I'm not sure I would buy a TacoCat Taco Holder for home use - they're kinda pricey, and I'd need at least a set of 4, since my wife and I are both into double-fisting when it comes to tacos. But I'd definitely go to a restaurant that served their tacos in a TacoCat. I might even go a few blocks out of my way to get there, or accept that they don't have a parking lot, if I could eat my fish tacos straight from the belly of a beast I know would be so pissed at me for using him as a taco holder and, worse, eating his fish tacos while he lay supine and powerless, were he not made of food-safe, BPA-free plastic.

$14.99 ➠ Amazon

Eggling Crack & Grow Plants

Eggling Crack & Grow Plants
Eggling Crack & Grow Plants

Egglings are kind of a weird mash of concepts. Like, an egg is supposed to be a womb for growth, but if you crack it before the growth cycle is complete you don't get life, you get breakfast. With this egg though, if you don't crack it, nothing will grow; in fact, its contents will probably die. And also, its contents aren't a baby chicken, they're parsley and petunias. Or some other plant for sitting on your windowsill and watching bizarrely spring to life from the shell of an egg. See? Weird.

Oh wait. I just read Egglings were created in Japan. Now their weirdness makes perfect sense.

$9.50 ➠ Amazon

FiestaFive Reloadable Confetti High Fives

FiestaFive Reloadable Confetti High Fives
FiestaFive Reloadable Confetti High Fives

Did you know that National High Five Day is just over a week away? Wait, let me back up. Did you know there exists such a thing as National High Five Day? It's the third Thursday of every April, or for our purposes, April 15, 2021. Better get your FiestaFive order in now. Because what better way to celebrate National High Five Day than with a reloadable confetti high five kit?

And for that matter, what better way to celebrate your team's big win, New Year's, your wedding, the best zing! you've ever delivered, or a day you've just brightened for someone special than with a reloadable confetti high-five kit?

$5.95 to $7.95 ➠ Amazon
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