Get Well Soon
Illness is awful, in a very particular way. Don’t get me wrong. Feeling physically rotten is bad enough. But it’s also about the smallness of existence; being stuck in bed or in the house when the world moves on without you; boredom and the nagging feeling that everyone is expecting more of you than “not dead yet”. A thoughtful get well gift recognises all this. A pointless one ignores it completely.
We noticed that most get well gifts tend to fall into one of two camps. Neither is really right. Option number one is the fruit basket; well meaning but instantly forgettable. Option number two is junk. The novelty mug, the bath bomb set that was 3 for 2. None of that stuff speaks to the person you’re actually trying to cheer up. You want them to know that you see them. You’re thinking about them. And you want them to feel looked after, not just visited.
Anything we included here had to pass one simple test. Would you want it? Would it make someone’s day just a little brighter, when they’re feeling under the weather? That’s different to feeling better about being ill. But it matters.
We’ve looked for stuff that makes feeling horizontal just a tiny bit more enjoyable. Gifts that give someone something to look forward to. Things that feel like they were curated for the person you care about, rather than thrown together in the nearest shop.
Some are wonderfully practical in ways that actually feel appreciated, rather than just useful. Some comforts in the way that only a great meal or a friend can. Nothing here is showy. Everything is just right. And a couple of the things we’ve picked are genuine treats; the kind of thing you don’t usually buy yourself, which is why they make such superb gifts.
Timing’s everything too. Some of these gifts are perfect for day one. When everything hurts. Others are better for those longer patches of illness, where people have stopped thinking to check in on you. Picking something that’s suited to where they’re actually at right now requires thought. We’ve done some of that thinking for you.