Ah, the old generation divide rears its ugly head once again. The ‘Millennial vs Baby Boomer’ gap is often a source of angst and family conflict that often leaves the slightly more mature of the generations asking: ‘how do I relate to these strange beings’? Even worse, when special occasions approach, there’s the every-present crisis of what to buy your favorite, uber-entitled millennial that genuinely has everything? Whether there’s a birthday, graduation, or any other gift-giving occasion coming up, consider these emotionally empowered gifts to impress the millennial in your life:
1. Eco-Cup
Eco-friendly reusable coffee cups are a necessity for avid hot drink lovers. The millions of non-recyclable, disposable coffee cups that go into landfills per day is astounding. Give the gift of eco-consciousness to your millennial, and you’ll have good, earthy karma flowing your way.
2. Avocado Tree
The weekly struggle of deciding to a) go out for avocado toast or b) put the $56473 you spend on ‘Insta-worthy’ brunch into savings for a house. Hit two birds with one stone with an avocado tree – give the gift of taking responsibility, as well as the life-changing ability to make breakfast at home. For extra credit, teach them how to make fetta cheese all by themselves, and you’ll be gifting them the ultimate in millennial self-sufficiency.
3. National Geographic Magazine Subscription
Education is power, and in the age of Netflix where David Attenborough is available at the touch of a button, the interest in nature documentaries is ever-increasing. National Geographic magazines reach out to those whose Netflix budget is non-existent yet still want to appear culturally attuned by learning about incredible people, animals and news from around the world.
4. Portable Charger
The ever-devastating issue of phone batteries dying at critical moments. We’ve all been there, but for the tech-head millennial generation, this problem is like temporarily losing a limb. Save the drama, save the phone battery.
5. Festival tickets
Millennials are relentlessly committed to spending money on short-term experiences over long-term investments. The ancient millennial proverb ‘YOLO’ is actively applied to many a financial decision. Festival tickets will, without doubt, go down a treat.
6. iPhone Case
The classic millennial struggle: battling to get their rent in time, but somehow summoning up the funds for the latest iPhone. Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. A phone case is not only a fashion statement, but it may prevent your millennial from smashing the glass and having to fork out extra for damage repair. Good for you!
7. Coffee Package
Adhering to the coffee addict within us all, a pouch of ethically-sourced coffee and a plunger is a delicious gift that gives your millennial a break from a) the dollars spent on coffee per week at trendy cafes and b) saves them breaking the glass to access the emergency supply of instant coffee at home. Win-win!
8. Oxfam goat
You can give the gift of sustainability to those in the world who need an extra hand. With your donation, Oxfam provides a working goat to families in hard-up rural communities. Giving the gift of an Oxfam goat is a great way for your young charge to feel utterly self-righteous about doing some good in the world, while simultaneously gaining mega social-media cred by sharing this movement across all their active platforms. #thanksauntymary!
Whether the millennial in your life loves a bit of avocado on a Saturday or is a keen coffee connoisseur, these gifts are sure to go down a treat. While we all love to poke a bit of fun at the up and coming generation, we also know how much they’re going to change the world. The ones we have to worry about next? The dreaded Generation Z.