Not even a pandemic can stop Pinoys from celebrating Christmas. And for a community known for their generosity, Pinoys will always find ingenious ways to observe the spirit of gift giving—even virtually. Thanks to the internet, we can now easily send gifts to our loved ones from miles away, minus the feeling of being too impersonal. Virtual presents are also perfect if you don’t have the time (and stomach) to go to the mall and join the holiday rush.
So, if you’re feeling like Santa, here are gift ideas that you can book, buy, and send virtually to your families and friends.
Gift Cards
Gift cards often get a bad rap for being the lazy man’s last resort when it comes to the traditional monito-monita. But given the pandemic’s life-altering impact on the way we live, it’s safe to say that many of us have a newfound appreciation for virtual gift cards—they’re convenient, useful, and let’s face it, you’ll never go wrong with one. Your recipients get to decide what color, shape, size, flavor, design, or type to get for themselves, without putting the burden on the giver.
If you’re looking for a one-stop shop of gift cards, Giftaway is your best bet. With thousands of branches across the country, Giftaway has hundreds of store listings including restaurants, bars, electronic shops, and fitness studios among others.
Just choose your desired merchant, the amount of voucher you’d like to give, and then pay at checkout. Your recipient will receive a notification of your gift via email or SMS.
Subscription Box
There’s now a subscription box for everything, be it for snacks, beauty products, pet essentials, clothing, and many others. Got a friend obsessed with hallyu? Send them a Korean subscription box from Seoulbox, which curates boxes filled with hard-to-find goodies from the land of K-pop and K-drama. One box contains a variety of sweet treats, chips, snacks, and even merchandise inspired by Korean celebs. Each month takes a different theme for added excitement. Fortunately, they ship to the Philippines within two to five days. If you want to purchase, go to the Seoulbox website and enter the code BEAT10 at checkout to get a discount.*
Subscription boxes make for great gifts because of the personal touch—imagine receiving a box tailored to your likes! You can also consider TokyoTreat’s famous Japanese boxes or this crate made for your furry four-legged friend.
Online Shopping Vouchers
With the craze over online shopping, you’ll never go wrong with a gift voucher from Shopee or Lazada! The latter offers e-vouchers in denominations of P250, P1,000, and P2,000. For Shopee, you can choose your desired merchant here or purchase an e-voucher from Giftaway.
Subscriptions to Streaming Services
For those who are into movie and series marathons, a subscription to streaming services will be a sure hit! Codashop offers plenty of vouchers for mobile gaming sites and streaming services that you can give as an online gift for Christmas (or any other occasion, tbh). Their Netflix prepaid code is available in P459, P550, P1,000, and P1,500. Got someone who is into Korean flicks? Purchase a Viu subscription for a period of three days (P29) to 12 months (P999) and get one for free!
Celebrity Greetings
Want a unique present that goes the extra mile? Why not try a celebrity shoutout? This online gift idea for Christmas is one for the books and will truly stand out even if your recipient is picky. We recommend Celebrity Greetings PH and Shawout to get personalized video greetings for your loved ones.
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