Any ideas for a colleagues 21st

[notacooldad]

A new colleague joined our very small team a few months ago. It is her 21st next Thursday and she is taking the day off.
I'd like to get her a gift but have absolutely no idea what to get.
She is quite outdoorsy but seems to have everything she needs for kayaking, orienteering and the other sports things that she does.
Any suggestions would be very welcomr

I think it’s a bit odd to get a present for a colleague at all let alone one who’s been around for five minutes! But lucky her having generous colleagues!

IMO a nice gesture would be Friday breakfast croissants or afternoon cupcakes - maybe as part of a whip round from the team - maybe with a nosecco or Buck’s Fizz toast depending on what’s acceptable in your office

Yes, we’d do a team collection for a 21st.

In my team there are only two permanent staff, one of which is me and the other is off on long term sick from two weeks ago.
The other 5 are blokes who are permanent casuals. 3 of which only for a few shifts a month plus this colleague.
I work closely with her and would like to get her a token gift.
A collection isn't really feasible.
I dont work in an office with her. I meet her on site and we soend the day together

It's actually very sweet of you imo! If you don't know her super well, I'd stick to something more or less generic, like biscuits or a box of posh chocolates, maybe a notebook and pen gift se, maybe a cute desk calendar (you can make a personalized one for her that would highlight her birthday and have some inner jokes from the workplace if you've already developed some).
Since she's taking a day off, you can make a birthday video for her, just ask everyone to record themselves saying something nice and then you join these videos together (here is a tutorial for that if you need one) and send it to her on the actual birthday, and once she's back to work you'll give her the present. It can be a start of a nice tradition in general, especially if people tend to take days off or be on vacation for their birthdays.

If she drinks, I would get her a bottle of fizz don't tie yourself in knots trying to get a personal gift.

If you're on site do you know if she drinks hot drinks? I think a travel mug with a lid would be a great present, maybe some chocs and teabags to go in the gift bag! Xx

I think a bottle of fizz is fine if you know that she drinks. I remember having lots of jewellery and keepsakes for my 21st. I don’t think o ever looked at any of it again and most of it went to charity shops or landfill.

I think I'll get some nice cakes she can take home on Wednesday. It was a good idea when biscuits were mentioned, I remembered she does like cake! She doesn't drink alcohol and only drinks water, even in winter when we are outside. I'd be lost without coffee!

I did like the idea of the voice recording but between now and next Wednesday I'll only be working with her and one other colleague. I'm working with the others the following week.
We dont have an office, we just sign in and out of different buildings daily so no desk space for us.