When I was a child, while my friends received big, expensive toys for Christmas or Chanukah, my Chanukah gift was often a pair of socks or a shirt. Socks did not exactly excite me like sugar plum fairies or jelly donuts. But they were definitely utilitarian.

The Problem with Traditional Gifting

Holiday gifts run the gamut from the mundane but utilitarian (socks, shirts, belts) to the whimsical (bizarre trinkets and little tchotchkes from “white elephant" gift exchanges) to the supremely exciting (a long-desired game, an Xbox or a Star Wars action figure). At some point, though, the excitement wears off, the cherished gift gathers dust and the landfill gets fatter.

Another festive gesture is to gift bouquets of cut flowers. Roses come to mind. They may look beautiful around the dinner table for a week. But they are basically dead on arrival and quickly add to the compost pile.

But producing more waste is not a very consciously kosher virtue.

There is another way.

The Solution: Gift a Living Plant

Instead of giving a gift that has a very limited lifespan, give a gift that continues to give. Give the gift of living plants.

Plants offer many advantages over trinkets, tchotchkes or toys. For instance:

• They are beautiful to look at and bring a green burst of life to your living space, which makes you feel happy and relaxed.

• They add color and life to a sterile office.

• They provide an opportunity to educate kids and their parents on horticulture.

• Some plants, like succulents, are very resilient and easy to care for.

• You don’t need to worry about throwing away anything after it has been used up.

• And finally, as these living plants symbolize life and growth, gifting them is an excellent way to recognize people who have made an impact in your life.

Lula’s Garden: A Succulent Gifting Company

Lula's Garden is a succulent gifting company. Their product line includes eco-friendly "succulent gardens" that arrive "in a self-sustaining gift box that is uniquely designed to serve as a planter. The combination of luxurious design and enduring flora makes Lula's Garden one of the most popular destinations for corporate gifting." According to Israeli native Liraz Birnbaum, the sole mission of Lula's Garden is "to gift the wellness that I’ve felt to others."

During a year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, being given a gift of wellness rather than pure consumption is about as powerful a statement as I can imagine.

Chanukah Gifting Options With Lula's Garden

There are 10 Chanukah gift options, ranging in price from $29 to $60 and containing various succulents, including Jade, Haworthia, Echeveria and Red Grafted Cacti. The brand gifted me the Chanukah Jewel Garden. This gift retails for $42 and includes the following three gorgeous succulents: Jade, Haworthia and Echeveria. It arrived packaged in a beautiful Chanukah-themed package, with the succulents contained in a lovely potted container. (More on this below.)

The personalization options are very appealing, as well: You can gift a “Personalized Garden” with your recipient’s initials on the box. Of course, there are many other gifting options, including a corporate gifting page where you can customize all aspects of the product, from succulents to logo to packaging. For more gifting options, check out the Lula's Garden Catalog.

How Does Lula's Garden Stand Out?

According to founder Birnbaum, Lula’s Garden claims to be the only plant delivery company “that focuses on gifting, for both personal and business occasions, and not for self-consumption” while being delivered, live and fully potted, inside a gift box. In addition, every sale supports water.org, an organization devoted to helping improve lives around the world by providing access to safe water.

Having received a Chanukah gift box from Lula’s Garden, I can confirm that the brand’s gifting experience is something very special and high-class. There are many plant subscription services. But this brand's attention to detail really stands out, for a number of reasons.

A Local Business

First, Lula's Garden is a local business: All the plants are hand-planted in Los Angeles, using locally-grown succulents.

An All-in-One System

Second, the genius of Lula's Garden is that it's an all-in-one system. The packaging is very elegant, with the bottom of the gift box doubling as a planter that can be watered and placed directly on a desk, countertop or shelf.

A Miniature Zen Landscape

Third, the planter is not just a couple of plants stuck into some soil with loose pebbles thrown on top. With the black pebbles tightly fastened around each succulent, this set resembles a tidy but miniature landscaped garden. It is very Zen!

Perfect Unboxing Material

Finally, it's not often that your plant arrives in a package worthy of an unboxing video (which I did not think about doing until after the fact!). It reminds me a lot of the iPhone's packaging, which is both visually impactful and incredibly sturdy. Like with the iPhone's box, I've already found an additional use for the top of the planter container as a storage bin for loose coins and other loose metal objects.

Care & Cultivation of Succulents

If you've ever grown cacti at home, you know how easy they are to look after. As long as you maintain a consistent but not too frequent watering schedule, keep them exposed to strong but indirect sunlight and change the soil occasionally, they will thrive for years.

Caring for the succulents of Lula's Garden is similar. The instructions come printed on the outer sleeve of the box, along with a plastic dropper for watering the plants with 3 full droppers every 7-10 days.

Transferring the Succulents to a Larger Pot

The plants are anchored into the planter with rocks that appear to be glued in place. The upside is that the plants can be easily shipped without being damaged or falling out of their pot. The downside to this closed packaging is that there is no drainage system. Therefore, accidentally overwatering could damage the plants.

And what happens when the succulents in the Chanukah Jewel Garden planter outgrow their current digs? The succulent care guide listed on the packaging describes how to transfer the plants to a larger pot with a drainage system.

Unfortunately, one of my three succulents, the Echeveria, withered and died within a couple weeks. I am not sure whether I overwatered or underwatered it. It is also possible that the sun exposure was not optimal for this plant. The other two plants are thriving after I moved the planter box closer to a window.

Enjoy A 20% Discount with a Chanukah Coupon Code

During the holiday season, you can get a 20% discount on your succulent purchase with coupon code CK20. It’s well worth the investment! Order your succulent box now so your friends and loved ones can receive one during Chanukah.

Plant the Seeds of an Abundant 2021

With the gift of hindsight, I am more appreciative now of the socks and shirts that I received on Chanukah than I was when I was a child. They had tremendous utility and brought me great joy.

However, I also see a greater virtue now in gifting plants, particularly during a pandemic. Plants are more ecologically sound than trinkets, tchotchkes or toys; exude happiness and tranquility; and symbolize life and growth.

May you all have a Chag Chanukah Sameach and a powerfully abundant 2021!

This product was gifted by the brand. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.