Birthdays are the perfect excuse to let your friend, partner or family member know how much you love and appreciate them.
There are some things most of us do when a loved one’s birthday comes around: send a text, buy a present, attend a party. These are all great ways to celebrate someone, but isn’t there something a little bit special you can do? Even something small, but which will bring a little extra joy to their day?
Here are just a few thoughtful ways to make a birthday truly unforgettable.
The cake
Everyone loves a birthday cake: an excuse to indulge your sweet tooth and sing your heart out in celebration of that special person. But if baking is not your forte, you’re going to have to rely on your local supermarket to provide the goods.
Unless that is, you order them a freshly baked cake online. Desserts Delivered Bakery delivers gorgeous cakes within 24 hours of ordering. Make your friend’s inner child happy with a Kinder Surprise cake, or get a decadent chocolate truffle cake to make your mum’s day. The smile it’ll bring to their face will be one you’ll always remember.
Make a playlist
Making a playlist of their favourite tunes is a low-cost but thoughtful way to show someone you care about them.
Make the playlist a celebration of their life, from their first record and concert, through the embarrassing angsty teen anthems, to their favourite bands and guilty pleasures. You’ll all have a laugh remembering the good times and cringing at your past selves.
Take them out
Clothes, books, jewellery and tech are all brilliant gifts, but it’s experiences that are truly unforgettable.
Take them out to their favourite restaurant or café, or treat them to a spa day or silly activity like laser tag or a theme park. If you both have busy schedules, you can buy them a gift card to use when you’re both free.
Create a care package
Birthdays are hard for some people, whether they’ve had a tough year, it’s the first one without a particular loved one, or they’re just panicking about getting older. If that sounds like your birthday pal, create a special care package for them.
Fill it with their favourite snacks and tipples, a comfort DVD, some easy reading, or skin care products. Let them know that you’re here for them, and that they deserve a little self-care.
A gift on their behalf
It can sometimes feel like we buy birthday presents just for the sake of it, giving people things they neither want nor need.
If that sounds familiar, why not consider donating to a charity in your friend’s name instead. If they’re an animal lover, give to an animal charity that will send them updates and a cuddly toy. If they’re passionate about the environment, give to Greenpeace or a charity that will plant a tree in their honour.
It’s a thoughtful gift they’re sure to appreciate.
Letter parade
This is something which is perfect for milestone birthdays, but which will require a little coordination and organisation.
In the weeks leading up to the person’s birthday, secretly contact their friends and family, and perhaps some people they haven’t spoken to in a while, and get them to write a letter – as long or short as they like – to that person. They can send it by post or by email, but when you have them all, print them off, seal them in a box or envelope, and have them open it on the morning of their big day.
It might evoke tears, goosebumps, raucous laughter, or all of the above, but it’s a beautiful way to show a person how much they are loved.
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