17 Gift Ideas for Acupuncturists and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners
Since I finished the first gift guide for acupuncture graduates, I kept having new thoughts about gift giving for acupuncturists and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.
This blog can be viewed as the sequel to the first one and has different ideas than the first.
Give small gifts
It is usually small things that matter the most in life. When you think about your acupuncturists or traditional Chinese medicine practitioner friends, when was the last time you did something simple to just let them know you care about them and you are thinking about them?
You don’t need any grand gestures or any special occasion. Just because you are thinking about them is good enough.
Here are a few no-fail small gift ideas.
Mugs are one of the most common gifts because they are practical and full of designs. That’s why one of the first gifts we have in the shop is mugs. It never goes old.
Also, when your acupuncturist friend has his/her favorite tea or coffee, they can think about you!
A tote bag provides all the convenience for your traditional Chinese medicine practitioner friends. Do they need a bag for groceries? Check. Do they need a bag to haul herbs? Check. Friendship? Check!
In this digital age, a notebook and journal seem nostalgic. An acupuncturist has a lot of reasons to write things down. As they are running a practice, seeing patients, a good notebook and journal will come in handy.
Give DIY gifts
A DIY gift will definitely show your sincerity. Below three ideas are in sequence of no skill to some skills.
Do you remember how you felt when you received a handwritten card last time? How warm and fuzzy you felt?
You only need a pen and a stamp to make this happen!
Don’t know what to write. Google will give you plenty of great examples to start with.
- Photo book
How about sending them a photo collage or a photo book? Think of a theme, such as graduation or the change of their practice. Or a trip you two took together.
With a free online tool like Canva.com, it might be very easy to put together something very personal and well cherished.
- Homemade food (baked goods, soup, meal)
If you are great at the kitchen, you might consider making some cookies, pies, or cakes.
If it is winter, why not consider some warming soup?
If you are a chef who can put together a meal, you will definitely be savior for acupuncturists and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners when they have a hectic day at practice.
Give curated gifts
If you want to have a perfect looking box full of goodies, you are willing to spend some money to get it delivered nicely to their house. You might consider the following curated gift box services.
Full disclosure: I am not affiliated with these three services.
If your acupuncturist friend is going through difficult times, Laurelbox will be your best bet. Laurelbox started with gifts to bereaved mothers and expanded to many occasions when people experience loss.
If you find it difficult to find a gift to express your sympathy, Laurelbox might be a very good choice.
Want to send some soup to show you care but cooking is not your thing? Spoonful of Comfort gets you. They have many classic choices of soups to send to your beloved acupuncturists.
Do you need a more general purpose gift box? Knack gets you covered. They have plenty of choices, and an easy process to guide you through those.
In case you don’t know what to give, a gift card will let your acupuncture friend have the power to choose his/her own gifts!
Give subscription gifts
Your gift does not need to be one time only. There are plenty of subscription services that could extend the shelf life and freshness of your gift.
- Old fashion magazine
What does your traditional Chinese medicine practitioner friend love? You would probably find a magazine that covers his/her interest. Make a subscription to make it a recurring delight!
- Music streaming services
There are plenty of music streaming services out there. A subscription will allow your acupuncturist friend to take his/her favorite music everywhere. You will also support the musicians at the same time.
- Meditation apps
As a healer, your acupuncturist and traditional Chinese medicine practitioner friend needs to be recharged and decompressed. What works better than meditation?
A meditation app will help them decompress anytime, anywhere.
Give free and relevant information as gift
As most acupuncturists and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are life long learners, they would appreciate knowledge sharing.
This blog covered 8 acupuncture and TCM podcasts. Why not share this information with your friend? Maybe both of you can listen to the same podcasts, chat about the episodes and deepen your friendship?
I found this TV series provides in-depth knowledge about Chinese food culture and it is so easy to follow! It is fascinating to know so many different types of Chinese food.
This is the show to recommend to your foodie TCM friends!
Chinese government put into great effort to let its ancient and rich culture be known by the world. This Youtube channel provides high quality and English sub videos about Chinese medicine. Practitioners will not want to miss!
Give shared interest as gifts
This idea is essentially to arrange some time for you and your acupuncturist friend to do something together.
Both of you love tea? Awesome. Find a tea shop, sit down and update each other’s life.
Both of you love yoga? Try a new yoga studio close to both of you.
Want to do something meaningful? How about volunteering together?
Two of you are not in the same city? Not a problem. You can find a sort of different online activities at Airbnb experience. You two can find all sorts of activities, artsy, baking, dancing, etc. You will be surprised how much fun you two can have together even if you two are miles away.
Layer them up
Who says you can only send one gift? For all these ideas, you can pick a few and put them together into your unique gift experiences.
For example, you can send a handwritten card and home baked cookies. After your acupuncturist friend receives your goodies, schedule a time to watch Confucius was a foodie together!
Happy gift giving!!