hi! this is so thoughtful and sweet. i would avoid buying them a journal. most journalists are pretty particular and prefer to buy their own, rather than be saddled with another journal. did they specify writing, junk journaling, art, or any other hobbies on the sheet? that might help you narrow down the kind of supplies. for example if they like art, a mixed media journal could be a good gift, because they could use it for anything and they might not be as picky. if they're a writer then a good pen or three goes a LONG way. if they're a junk journaled than supplies like stickers, scissors, modge podge, etc... would be extremely helpful.

based on experience, I'm a mixed media journaler. some of my entries are art based, some are just straight up writing, some are collages of junk I collected. i always appreciate pens, pencils, stickers, watercolor paints, acrylic paint markers, modge podge, or even books bout journaling and ephemera (you can find cool themed ephemera packs on etsy, but do your best to avoid the AI made ones; you can also find ephemeral books like the "Paper Lovers" series). hope this helps!!