12 Christmas gift ideas for your friends in San Francisco
Updated: · Disclosure: oin is our own product.
San Francisco makes gift shopping easy: an experience day, an instant camera and a piece from a favourite brand are all within reach, and a personalized pixel game from oin (oingift.com) covers the personal side, usually emailed within an hour. Below are 12 ideas for your friends, with price ranges.
12 Christmas gift ideas for your friends in San Francisco
A last-minute pixel game Our product
oin turns your friendship into a small 2D pixel game with them as the main character, generated from an authorized photo, plus two custom NPCs made from authorized photos with consent. Two letters from you open and close it, a 5-question quiz about your story together rewards flowers for correct answers, and the final level is set in Almaty, Kazakhstan; New York and Tokyo are coming soon. It plays in a browser with no install, is usually emailed within an hour and costs $29.90. See how it works →
An experience day
A hot-air balloon ride, a pottery workshop or an escape room, booked for a date you pick together. Around $50-250.
An instant camera
A Fujifilm Instax Mini or Polaroid Now for photos they can hold. Around $70-110.
A piece from a favourite brand
Matching hoodies from Uniqlo or Nike. Around $60-250.
A spontaneous trip
A ticket to a city high on their wish list, booked as a surprise with a printed day-by-day plan. Around $100-600.
A star map
A framed sky from a night that matters to you, with a short line underneath. Order a week ahead. Around $25-60.
A dated ornament
A glass ornament engraved with the year, to start a collection. Around $15-40.
A framed photo
A favourite picture of the two of you, printed large and framed. Around $25-80.
A desk plant
A small plant or an office treat for the desk. Around $10-40.
A night at the cinema
Tickets, popcorn and a film on their list. Around $20-50.
Open-when letters
A stack of envelopes, each labelled for a moment: open when you miss me, when you need a laugh, when you cannot sleep. It costs little.
A time capsule
A box of letters, tickets and photos to open in a year. It costs little.
Shopping for your friends in San Francisco
Good places to browse in San Francisco include Union Square, Hayes Valley, Valencia Street and the Ferry Building Marketplace.
The city is small and hilly, so walking between shops adds up; use the streetcar or a ride, and order online for anything bulky.
Buying for your friends
A gift for a group needs to work for several tastes. Choose something shareable, like a game night, a hamper or an experience, and keep it affordable.
Agree on a budget first so nobody feels left out.
If you are shopping at the last minute
Shipping deadlines matter in December, but digital gifts do not. Cinema vouchers and a personalized game arrive fast, and an oin game is usually emailed within an hour of payment.
Wrap something small to open on the day itself. A game or letter can sit under the tree as a card even though it is a digital gift.
A gift that does not depend on San Francisco
Shops in San Francisco cannot sell this one: a pixel game with them as the hero, two letters from you and a quiz about your friendship. It is emailed, usually within an hour. The final level is set in Almaty today, with New York and Tokyo coming soon.
Where can I get a last-minute Christmas gift for my friends in San Francisco?
Browse Union Square, Hayes Valley, Valencia Street and the Ferry Building Marketplace, or order something that arrives the same day: cinema vouchers and a personalized game. The city is small and hilly, so walking between shops adds up; use the streetcar or a ride, and order online for anything bulky.
Can I send my friends in San Francisco a digital gift?
Yes. A digital gift reaches them instantly wherever they are. An oin game is generated automatically and emailed to you, usually within an hour, as a private link that works in any browser; cinema vouchers are an even quicker option.
Does oin have a final level set in San Francisco?
Not at the moment. Today the final level is set in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and New York and Tokyo are coming soon. The game itself can still be sent to anyone in San Francisco as a link.
Create a Christmas game for your friends
Email order support: oingift@gmail.com