Appropriate Birthday Gift for Boss

[Wrenna]

Good evening, as you can see I am looking for an appropriate bday gift for my supervisor.

It’s a bit tricky. I work at a low key charitable institution, pretty informal. I am a 50+ woman, my supervisor is a 23 year old male. We get along really well, in fact I believe I’ve been instrumental in helping him up his image from a college student to someone to take more seriously. My own son is 19, so I try to keep thinking of a token gift that I wouldn’t think it weird him getting from someone my age!

He wears his hair in a man bun and I thought of making him one of those hats with a ‘hole’ in the top for the bun but that seemed too motherly lol. Birthdays to me are meh...but this guy really is looking forward to his birthday 🥳

Or should I just skip a present and get a cake?! Thanks :)

A cake or a few bottles of designer beer with a silly name or a bottle of wine. Like you say, it’s a token gift, not something you expect him to keep forever, but to enjoy in the moment.

If Birthdays are a thing for him you could get some bottles of beer for him personalised with his name and birthday? Or chocolate if he's a non drinker.
Personalised consumables are the way to go I think. They show thought but not that you expect him to wear/use/display items of your choice.
Or a present I got for a work colleague on promotion was a leather notebook with their name embossed. They loved it.

Hmmm good ideas. Alcohol is tricky, we live in Utah USA where you need to buy regular beer at a liquor store! I know he Loves sour candy, what about a glass dish filled with them?

If he likes sour candy then that’s the thing. I would try to think of something a bit quirkier to put it in than a glass dish though (no 23 year old wants a glass dish) what about filling a reusable water bottle with the candy, or a beer glass, or a burger box - unused, just ask for a spare one. :)