Present to represent every year alive

I often see people on the Family Lowdown group on Facebook say things like "My mum's about to turn 60. Her name's Shirley and I want to buy her 60 things beginning with S".
I just think, "Noooo!!!". No 60 year old wants to receive 60 gifts. It's just so wasteful and I don't believe anyone wants loads of random tat.
My 14 year old daughter loves presents, but I think even she'd hate to get 30 gifts.

This has to be a joke for a boring Thursday. These '30/40/50 presents' threads are always entertaining, but this brings a whole new level to this hell.

You've only known her for less than a third of her life, but you expect to be able to buy representative gifts for all of them?

She will be desperately hoping you are no longer friends by the time 40 rolls around 😅

Most of it will go straight in the bin!

Sparkler for year 2000

A photo book is a great idea and much more reasonable. Please don't give her a load of tat.

It’s a kind thought OP but tbh it comes across as a little intense. I adore my BFF and we do spoil each other on our birthdays & Christmas, but I think this level of intensity comes across as a bit too much.

They were both mine! I agree odd but I was desperately trying to come up with something useful, not tat!

Pants and Sapporo are useful! Then tried to think what they could connect with. If you follow the logic it's less weird.

I've actually thought of a better idea. Donate the pants and sanpro to a food bank or women's aid.

Symbolic gift. Not actual gift and not tat!

I don’t understand this in so many levels. Ice bucket challenge? Covid?? Paracetamol? A dvd?
what is she supposed to do with it all? Non of it is beautiful or useful. Well, paracetamol, condoms, tampons and knickers are useful but not something you gift. Try starting a thread “Aibu to think my friend giving me a photo of my own brother and some condoms is a bit weird? I got her earrings”. and see what happens.
Get her a photo book, a 30yo bottle of scotch, a jar with 30 Lindt chocolates, a bracelet with 30 pearls, 30 books you actually know she will like, 30 scratch cards, 30 English pounds, 30 pounds of cheese…get almost anything but a bottle of milk and a dvd from 2008.

I might be a horrible person, with no heart, but a jar of scraps or a scrapbook also sound crap. I’d be polite about it, but would never look at it again.

This is the solution if you're really keen on the whole idea.

The lottery only became 18 in 2021 so she could have bought a lottery ticket at she 16.

😂

Happy birthday! Here’s 30 random bits of tat. No thank you, do a scrapbook and go out for a meal instead

Sums it up!

You don't need to quote the whole OP just for future info

Dear Lord 🤦‍♀️

I like the 30 theme, OP. Something like a scrapbook would be an actual keepsake though which she could look fondly at in years to come. You could also do a video montage of 30 memories from those who love her and have grown with her.

Also filling a nicely decorated jar with 30 messages that she can pick out when she needs to hear a kind word may be nice.

It’s a really sweet idea and obviously she’s your friend and you know what she likes more than us. Hopefully some of the suggestions to your original question on here will be helpful if you decide to go with your ‘30 gifts for each year’ idea.

Was this before there was decent stuff to buy?? 🤔

Seriously, £30 in a card is way less personal, but 30 quid more useful. Don't waste your money on pointless tat that she'll feel obliged to keep.

Some of these suggestions are as weird as fuck.
Sanpro to remind her of her first period. Knickers to signify potty training.
Christ on crutches 🤦‍♀️

My friend made a giant scratch card for her husbands 60th,( apart from his main present!) under each square, one for each year, was an activity, just something simple , like learn to say something in Spanish, or learn a simple craft, try a new food or read a poem. He found it fun to do.

Piece of art, jewellery, experience (gig, show etc), 10/20/30 years aged wine all such nice ideas! Or just write 30 memories in her bday card. Or give her £30. Or get her 30 chocolates from a chocolatier or 30 macarons or something whatever she likes.

I wouldn’t like a gift about my first time or Covid, personally 😬 I think it only really works if you can do the 30 gifts thing where they’re all really specific and personal and quality, eg if it’s your sister and you’ve known her 30 years

I would cringe inwardly if someone did this for/to me.
How about £1/£10/£100(according to your budget) for every year she's been alive?
I was gifted £1 for every day I'd been alive once. It was a large, very specific amount and I was challenged to work out why I had received that sum. I was bloody ecstatic with that present. Useless piles of tat, not so much.

What had you planned as a representation of her first time, btw?

The mind boggles.

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What a waste of money and time. Just buy her something nice or take her out,