In partnership with Thoughtfully. Gift-giving season is upon us. I’m here to tell you about a company that will address an issue we all face during the holidays… the need for a gift and no idea what to buy.

This is where Thoughtfully comes in. The company began due to the founder’s passion for food and his love of exploration. He captured aspects of his adventures (design, fashion, lifestyle, flavors) and put them into thoughtful gift boxes. The idea is that Thoughtfully boxes allow people to gift something meaningful and authentic to those that they love and care about the most.

Every themed gift box comes with a story, contemporary packaging, and items your recipient will use and appreciate.

The story behind the Thoughtfully Moscow mule set.

And, there are just so many gift boxes (food and bar, birthday, holidays, celebrate, thank you) to choose from. Below is only a small sampling.

Thoughtfully offers an enormous variety of clever gift boxes for everyone on your list.

Three very different Thoughtfully sets arrived on my doorstep: a holiday photo booth gift box, a Moscow mule gift box and a make-your-own chocolate chip cookie gift box.

Each item in the boxes is individually-wrapped with a tied-on note explaining its purpose. Again… very thoughtful.

This is the Chip Chip Hooray! Cookie Lover’s Gift Box right after I opened it.

Thoughtfully gift boxes come in a variety of themes, like this one for cookie lovers.

Cute, right? I hadn’t ever baked a cookie in a cast iron skillet before but was impressed by how evenly it cooked. The mixes require a little bit of butter, water and/or oil and were easy to assemble in minutes.

A single serve chocolate chip cookie made in a cast iron skillet that is part of a Thoughtfully gift set.

I was sorely tempted to dig in but there was some decorating to do!

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This is a very, very sweet cookie, sort of like if a donut with sprinkles was dense and gooey.

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The cast iron skillet makes an excellent corn tortilla warmer, too, FYI!

But, back to the Moscow’s Finest, a Moscow Mule Lover’s Gift Set pictured at the top. I wanted to sample this one because we make these fun cocktails often at home. We love the matryoshka doll jigger and it was the first time I’ve tasted Moscow Mule with a candied ginger garnish. It’s a delicious upgrade that I never would have thought of. The recipient supplies the booze.

A clever Moscow mule lover's gift set.
A Moscow mule made from a Thoughtfully gift box.
Holiday gift idea: The Moscow Mule gift box from Thoughtfully.

Finally, the Holiday Photo Booth Gift Set is sure to insert the right amount of fun into any holiday gathering. What a great hostess gift.

A Christmas photo booth gift box from Thoughtfully is a great hostess gift.


It comes with a chalkboard banner. The kids wrote “Photo Booth” on one side of it and “Snowman” with snowman drawings on the remaining two panels.

The 8 photo booth props can be used however you like.

Kids love the Thoughtfully photo booth gift box.

It also comes with three lollipops and some faux mistletoe (the vase is mine).

Holiday photo booth props from Thoughtfully.


All you need is a smartphone (or a Fuji Instax in our case) for an impromptu booth anywhere you are and you’re good to go.

The bottom line is that I like Thoughtfully gift sets for hard-to-buy for people on my list and for people I’d need to ship gifts to anyway. They work for business associates, friends, family and even kids.

Katie Dillon headshot

Katie Dillon is the managing editor of La Jolla Mom. She helps readers plan San Diego vacations through her hotel expertise (that stems from living in a Four Seasons hotel) and local connections. Readers have access to exclusive discounts on theme park tickets (like Disneyland and San Diego Zoo) and perks at luxury hotels worldwide through her. She also shares insider tips for visiting major cities worldwide like Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Shanghai that her family has either lived in or visits regularly (or both).

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