Parties, dinners and celebrations are a great time for friends and family to lavish attention and gifts onto the birthday star. When it comes to selecting a present for your friends, the longer you’ve known someone, often the harder it can be to choose something. Either you’ve bought everything you could think of over birthdays past, or you know they already have everything they seem to want!
So, what should you give if your friend doesn’t need anything? A friend who says spending time with loved ones is the real present? Fear not, here are 6 unique and impressive birthday gift ideas to inspire you, for the friend who ‘has it all’.
1. Feelgood gifts that help others
You may have experienced being ‘gifted’ a goat before, or perhaps a well? Of course, these aren’t currently sitting in your townhouse, they are donated on your behalf to communities around the world. For some, proxy donations are a tad dissatisfying, you don’t get to see the positive impact that the donation has: it’s a give and run.
A similar option is an ethical investment, where you contribute funding to a start-up or trade enterprise through a micro loan on your friend’s behalf. Organisations like Lendwithcare facilitate micro loans to entrepreneurial women and rural communities who cannot as easily access traditional financing through banks, or who live in economically challenged parts of the world, but have the plans, drive and talent to set up their own business and generate a healthier income and way of living.
Once the business is turning a profit, your friend’s investment is gradually repaid. Your friend can then move the money to help fund another person’s loan if they choose. It is a perfect gift for those who want to support others in a more personal way, as you can follow the entrepreneurs progress, and both you and your friend can feel closer to the money you’ve spent on their present.
2. Experiences to remember
It can be hard for some people to ‘treat’ themselves to fun. Everyone deserves to have opportunities to let loose and birthdays provide the perfect opportunity to do so! Celebrate your friend by giving them an experience they can cherish forever, especially if they’re having a milestone birthday that deserves extra style and attention.
You could give them a solo experience, perhaps a tattoo they’ve always wanted, or an experience for your friend and their partner to do together, like a weekend getaway into wine country. You can also gift an experience for the two of you to enjoy. Maybe an early morning hot air balloon trip, skydiving, a concert of their favourite band, or a behind-the-scenes zoo experience with orangutans.
3. Say it with music
Mixtapes are a trope synonymous with American teen movies of the 80s and 90s: a way for a character to show a friend, or crush, how they feel through the medium of music.
Whilst cassettes are a thing of the past, a thoughtful mixtape isn’t. Whether it’s a Spotify playlist, USB, or old-school CD, the important thing is choosing songs that hold a special place in your friend’s heart. Take them back to specific memories shared together, or a soundtrack of your friendship through the years.
Bonus points for creating a song specifically for your friend, so if you’re a musician or producer, use your skills to present them with a personalised track or two.
4. The gift of learning
Whilst ‘birthday’ and ‘class’ are not often used in the same sentence, don’t skip to number five just yet. Giving your friend the opportunity to follow their interests, have a go at something they’d never normally do, or learn a new skill is a great, well thought out, gift.
There are the ‘wine and paint’ type of classes that involve taking a friend or two to an evening of painting (or another art medium) to create a masterpiece whilst having a drink. If that’s not your friend’s style, perhaps some singing or music lessons are? There are too many to list but, depending on where your friend lives, workshop options include pottery, jewellery-making, unicycling, taxidermy and table-building classes, to name just a few!
5. A subscription to fun
Subscribing to a meal preparation delivery service can make the daily slog a bit easier and is a pretty decent and practical gift for the friend who’s always busy. But there are also a gazillion other subscriptions that can be the perfect addition your friend never knew they needed.
You can find subscriptions that include weekly, monthly or quarterly deliveries of magazines, socks, tea, craft boxes, books, flowers, spices, alcohol, gardening seeds, stationery, beauty products, fishing equipment, perfumes, cat-lady essentials and, of course, toilet paper! There are subscriptions for the nichest of interests, the hardest part will be narrowing your options or finding the one that will bring your friend the most joy.
6. Treasured & personalised keepsakes
There are some people who hold onto ticket stubs, brochures, special feathers, leaves, or even discarded paper wrapping from a trip with their bestie to somewhere remote. If this is you then you have the ingredients to make a scrapbook journal narrating your friendship, as a special way for you and your friend to remember the funny, serious, silly and wild times.
You could also memorialise your friendship through personalised art, jewellery, and quilts. You may already have the skills of a painter, seamstress or photographer, but if you don’t, commission an artisan to turn your idea into a treasure. Take inspiration from their special places, pets, family and of course… you!
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No matter what gift you decide to give, making memories with your friends will always be the most cherished treasure. Ultimately, the experiences we share, and the ways through which we demonstrate our love for our friends, is what strengthens our bonds. But with these unique and impressive birthday gift ideas for the friend who has it all, you’re sure to give something that will really put a smile on their face.
