Rethinking how we celebrate in a socially distanced world

With Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter on the horizon, celebration trends in 2021 will experience a massive overhaul as life in the pandemic continues to reshape how we interact with one another. At a time where we can’t physically be together, people are seeking more personalised, creative ways to show loved ones that they care on a much deeper level.

We’re seeing a move towards more thoughtful and meaningful gifting as people look past the cliché red roses for Valentine’s Day, or want to do more than send a standard ‘Happy Birthday’ Facebook message to friends they haven’t seen in months.

This key shift in how we celebrate is a behaviour we have been tracking in our 2022 Intimacy Reborn trend, and some forward thinking, innovative brands are already adjusting their messaging to ensure it lands right with their customers.

 

 

Care Wildly

 

Bloom & Wild have hit just the right note with their Valentine’s campaign this year, announcing that they are breaking up with red roses. The campaign encourages individuals to step back from the cliches of Valentine’s Day and the token romantic gestures associated with it – no more red roses or sprinkling petals on perfect silk bed sheets. Instead, they encourage their customers to show they ‘care wildly’ with more thoughtful, unexpected gifting and how we celebrate the little everyday gestures whether that’s leaving a hot water bottle in bed for your partner when it’s cold or making the dinner after a busy day at work.

Insperience over experience

When it comes to how we celebrate as a group, instead of gifting intangible experiences which are intended to be enjoyed once life ‘returns to normal’, such as spa breaks or restaurant vouchers, many are seeking to provide thoughtful in-home experiences which can be enjoyed right now, making the best of the situation we are in. From tipi tent afternoon tea set-ups to lavish outdoor dining experiences. The balloon industry is also booming right now, with many ordering extravagant helium filled displays to provide the sense of occasion in the absence of actual visitors.

Wolf & Moon have cleverly flipped their occasion-ware jewellery product into an enjoyable experience to help bored householders pass the time at home. They now provide ‘make at home craft kits’ for some of their key best sellers, providing all of the tools and pieces needed for customers to construct their own beautiful necklace, earrings or even jigsaw puzzles.

What does this mean for the future of celebration?

The pandemic has allowed us to step back, reflect and regain a renewed gratitude for life and those in it that make it special. The importance of the relationships we hold with those nearest and dearest will continue to become significant in the wake of lockdown as we long to carry on building deeper connections with ourselves and those around us.