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The Best Gifts for Earth, Air, Fire and Water Zodiac Signs

Gift-giving by zodiacal element is like a cheat sheet to making your friend, roommate, or crush really happy.
the best gifts for air signs and earth signs and water signs and fire signs of the zodiac
Composite by VICE Staff

When it comes to astrology, every sign has its nuances. There are 12 distinct signs, for goddess’ sakes, ranging from hard-ass bulls and unhinged rams to fish that can’t decide which direction to swim, crybaby crabs, self-absorbed scales, maniacal twins, and more archetypes that make Barnum & Bailey look like amateur hour. 

Say what you will about astrology, but you can’t say it’s ever boring. That’s why finding the best gifts for someone depending on their zodiac sign is a clever way to make a present feel even more personal, even if you don’t remember your giftee’s specific sign (typical Aquarius). You see, our ~hot take~ is that you only need to know if someone’s zodiac sign is ruled by fire, water, earth, or air to figure out what kind of present they’d like. Fire or earth? Go for a harness, or something gold. Water? Something comforting and bedazzled with Klonopin pills. 

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Some astrologists would call this approach a bold, sweeping generalization—but then again, so is… astrology, right? And we dig it. We love this funhouse, and we’d like everyone to step inside. Don’t get us wrong, we’d much rather rip a bong with a Taurus than a Virgo, even though both are (supposedly) grounding earth signs. We’d also rather tell our secrets to a Scorpio than a Pisces when it comes to water signs, because the latter is a little too sneaky for their own good (although, both are sus). Understanding which element rules someone’s sign can help you gain some clarity on what’s important to them in the larger scheme of things, and we’ve broken down exactly how to do it. Whether you need a gift for a gregarious fire sign or something romantic for your air sign crush, we’ve got you covered with cool jewelry, 90s-inspired denim, books about outer space, and more. 

The Best Gifts for Fire Signs

What do Jerry Garcia and Animal from The Muppets have in common? Big Leo energy, dude. Fire signs—which include Leo, Sagittarius, and Aries—have a natural magnetism. They’re the friends who get you to go out on a Tuesday night (even though they’re usually late), haggle down prices at the flea market, and don’t mind traveling solo. Somehow, they always end up grabbing someone’s attention with their passionate, expressive, leader-of-the-pack energy (also, they’re soo loud). 

All that glitters

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… Should be gold. Find your fire sign some cool, gold jewelry by Ten Wilde, which makes custom nameplate necklaces for under $50, so that they can do what fire signs do best: Flaunt.   


$42 at Ten Wilde

$42 at Ten Wilde

An electrifying game

Lightning Reaction Reloaded must have been invented by a fire sign, because it’s one of the wildest board games we’ve ever played. Here’s how it goes: You and up to three other friends must compete to be the quickest person to push your respective joystick button (at the end of a weird clown/ice cream truck song), or else receive a light shock. As a Cancer, this made me shriek when I tried it on my birthday but one of my best friends, a Sagittarius, just said “more please.”   


$33.99 at Amazon

$33.99 at Amazon

They love some yoke

A fire sign will make sure they’re the first to grab the mic, and absolutely crush "Butterfly" by Crazy Town during karaoke. They really deserve their own mic to bust out at any time—and in any place—so this BONAOK’s cordless, Bluetooth-enabled mic is a perfect present. (It’s also one of the best-sellers on Amazon.) “​​Hulk couldn't smash this thing,” writes one reviewer about the mic, which has over 66,000 reviews (all of from Leos, prolly) praising its great sound and durability. 


$30.99 at Amazon

$30.99 at Amazon

The Best Gifts for Water Signs

Get ready for some hot tears, velvet tights, and quiet emotional manipulation. We can’t help but feel obsessed with the water signs (Pisces, Scorpio, and Cancer) because they’re such secretive, enchanting moon babes with strong intuition and a lot of emotional depth. Get ready to be smothered by their love, or GTFO. 

Some cozy denim

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Nothing says “I’m a Cancer” more than an oversized denim shirt that can be layered over your Cancer’s favorite sweater. It’s cozy, earthy, nostalgic, and we can already see them losing it on a trip to Big Sur and romanticizing about it on the car ride home. 


$78$54 at Everlane

$78$54 at Everlane

The forever-hug of a weighted blanket

There are some really rad weighted blankets out there these days, including this lilac throw by Luna that can hug and swaddle your watery giftee with the sensation of a soothing, all-over light body pressure.  


$89.99$63.99 at Luna

$89.99$63.99 at Luna

Hide those tears

We don’t have the hard science to back this up, but at least 60% of water signs have discus-sized baby blues that need protection from the sun. These 4.5-star-rated BOJOD shades look expensive, come in eight different colors, and are the perfect sunglasses for your water sign to hide their incoming tears. 


$10.99 at Amazon

$10.99 at Amazon

The Best Gifts for Earth Signs

Finally, the chill element. Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are all earth signs, which means that they’re organized, steadfast, and grounding people to be around. This is especially appealing for water signs, who love finding someone they can really sink into, but every sign of the zodiac is humbled by their no-bullshit joie de vivre. You see, an earth sign’s love language is sensory; they’re about touch, taste, and physical expressions of love. They’re the epitome of “show, don’t tell” and would rather spend all weekend chilling indoors with their favorite meal and Netflix series than being a social butterfly. 

They love a journal

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No one plans ahead like a Virgo or a Capricorn. They probably already have their 2022 planner, but they could always use another Moleskine notebook, which is one of the best products of all time you can find on Amazon with a 4.8-star average rating and over 7,000 reviews praising everything from the papers’ weight to how buttery the outside feels over time. 


$19.01 at Amazon

$19.01 at Amazon

They’re a born gourmand

Taurus has a reputation of being the sign obsessed with delicious stuff, and whether or not your earth sign can cook, they’ll appreciate a flight of gourmet olive oil and vinegar samples from Brightland. The Mini Essentials kit will spoil them with best-sellers from the aesthetic, sustainable olive oil brand from California, and include the brand’s Awake and Alive olive oils, as well as the Rapture and Parasol balsamic and Champagne vinegars. Get that burrata ready. 


$70 at Brightland

$70 at Brightland

Help them relax

As one of the most steadfast and often stubborn signs, earth babes sometimes need a little help unwinding. Standard Dose is host to so many gorgeous and relaxing products, but their sleepytime melatonin gummies by ASYSTEM—which also makes libido gummies and a roll-on CBD topical that our editor likened to "weed IcyHot"—are one of tastiest ways to massage and bon voyage your way into dreamland. Not only are they more interesting and tasty than a humdrum melatonin tablet, but they also include lion’s mane fungi extract, which is loaded with potential health benefits.  

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$39 at Standard Dose

$39 at Standard Dose

The Best Gifts for Air Signs

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini are the air signs of the zodiac and some of its biggest social butterflies and most unique personalities (at least, they’d like to think so). Air signs tend to be cerebral, chatty, and naturally curious, and while their short attention span might make them look like airheads, it’s only because their brains are firing five steps ahead of everyone else—and are probably coated in body glitter. You can honestly gift them anything, be it fencing lessons or a night at the roller derby, as long as it’s interesting and/or aesthetically pleasing. 

They’re your space cadet

NASA scientist Dr. Gary Hunt was hand-selected to participate in the legendary 1972 Voyager mission, and now he’s regrouped all the hot, intergalactic deets on the adventure in this new photography book, which will both dazzle and titillate your know-it-all Aquarius.  

$48.99 at Amazon
$48.58 at Walmart
$32.80 at AbeBooks
$48.99 at Amazon
$48.58 at Walmart
$32.80 at AbeBooks

The art of Japanese flower arranging

Ikebana is the art of Japanese flower arranging that almost feels like sculpture, because you’re  doing a lot more than just plopping some perky daisies in a glass jar with this practice, which favors spartan arrangements that cut a unique profile. Also, we’re very into how much more affordable it is to make a flower arrangement with a few foraged stems. Aesthetically bent, romantic Libras will love this kit.  

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$35.29 at Amazon

$35.29 at Amazon

Gobble gobble

No thoughts, just clucks. The internet is forming a cult around this crossbody chicken bag, and your eccentric air sign is the next member.


$22.99 at Amazon

$22.99 at Amazon

See? That wasn’t so hard. (Then again, we’re Capricorns.)


The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story.