‘Booze Fairies’ leave baskets on NJ doorsteps
LINCOLN PARK, N.J. – Surprise baskets of booze have been showing up on the doorsteps of homes.
The reason? A visit from a “Booze Fairy” – a kind of adult tooth fairy who leaves alcohol and other treats instead of money, no tooth loss necessary.
Booze Fairy groups have popped up across New Jersey as a way to spread cheer and break up the monotony of quarantine. Booze Fairy groups have existed since the early 2000s but are gaining popularity as the pandemic drags on.
Jaime Laubshire, a mother of five, and Jenni Perry, mother of two, organized the Lincoln Park Booze Fairy group. Laubshire got the idea from a Facebook group she saw and reached out to Perry, the administrator of the Lincoln Park Moms Facebook page, to help spread the word.
“There was a lot of debate in Lincoln Park about what was going on with the schools,” Laubshire said. “People were fighting over whether it was a good idea to send the kids back or not. I thought we needed something to unite everyone and bring the moms together.”
In July, about 190 Booze Fairy baskets were made and delivered.
Here’s how it works: Folks join a Booze Fairy Facebook group in their area. Some are hyper-local, some are for the entire state. They leave their name and address, and a “fairy” from the group will “dust” them, or leave them a basket full of alcohol and other goodies on their front step. The person who receives the package is then asked to pay it forward. In some groups, they give a basket to their “fairy” in a swap system. In others, that person picks another person in the group to “dust” and on and on until everyone gets a basket.
The Lincoln Park group doesn’t swap, dropping off a basket to another person in the group. Moms in the group posted their favorite snacks and drinks of choice (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) to guide their fairies.
Laubshire loaded one basket with iced tea and lemonade instead of alcohol for a friend who doesn’t drink. For a mom who was pregnant, she made a spa-themed basket with “all fun pampering products that you might not treat yourself to.”
Perry’s favorite basket she saw on the Facebook group was football-themed and included a shirt that said, “I’m Day Drinking Because 2020 Sucks.”
Besides the booze (White Claws and bottles of rosé are popular), many of the baskets include inspirational signs, bubbles and other activities to keep the kids busy and candles. Perry included a “best wishes” card for a mom undergoing a medical procedure.
“Moms are very underappreciated, so we’re taking care of each other with these baskets,” Perry said.
Perry and Laubshire hope to continue Booze Fairy with themed months and special birthday surprises.
“Especially with everything everyone’s going through right now,” Perry said, “it’s nice to receive something and feel a bit special.”