To not buy friend a birthday gift?

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DP and I are friends with another couple. Every birthday we buy each other a gift. Usually, a £40 bottle of champagne.

This year, the couple forgot to buy me a bottle or a gift. That’s fine life’s busy. They bought DP a bottle for his birthday.

We forgot to buy one for one half of the couple on their birthday. It is the other half of the couple’s birthday this weekend and we are seeing them.

DP wants to buy both of them a bottle of champagne. So that’s £80. I said, well seeing as they forgot to get me something, we’re probably ok to only buy a bottle of champagne for the person whose birthday it is.

AIBU to not buy friend a birthday gift who we forgot to buy for and also did not buy for me?

Presents aren't tit for tat, if you like the person and you want to celebrate them get a present.
If you didn't see the other person for their birthday / they didn't see you for yours then no present needed surely. Or get a less expensive present itf you resent the cost.

YANBU
The whole exchanging bottles of champagne seems a bit pointless to me anyway.

I think two bottles in one go is a bit overkill. Just buy the one. Then work out whether you need to keep the arrangement going at all: it’s a nice idea but if you’re keeping tabs on who bought who what rather than giving for giving’s sake, and not always actually seeing each other near enough to each other’s birthdays to give it in time, it’s a bit of a redundant gift giving arrangement.

I think if you are friends and they, once. It would be petty to buy only one.

But also depends on the gap between birthdays. If one of their birthdays was last week and the other this week I would buy one for both. If one was this week and the other January. Probably not.

Then if they are mainly fps friends I would let him make the final call.

But also how are you deciding which one you will not give a present to? Surely it’s both of their responsibility to remember your birthday?

But also money. Can you afford £80 in one go.

Just swapping bottles of champagne back and forth seems very transactional. No one is giving any thought or care into these presents. Just mindlessly adding a bottle to their weekly shop.
But if they forgot one, and you forgot one, I'd say you're all square. Just go ahead and buy a single bottle for the current birthday person.

Doesn't that all get a bit boring? Isn't there anything else you can think of to get each other, what if one or more of you stopped drinking?

I wouldn't bother at all, then everyone gets the himt to just stop buying.

Perhaps they'd like the habit to die?
Perfect opportunity to let it go.

One bottle is fine. Two looks silly.
As I've got older it seems to have become more normal to only get a present for a friend if we are actually meeting up to celebrate. Otherwise it's just wishing a happy birthday by text/ social media.

It seems like a very mechanical exchange of gifts rather than any thought going into it given that you all get the same gift every time - if anything, they might be glad to let this tradition peter out! Why not break away and get something different? Otherwise, you’re just giving champagne because you received champagne.

I'd just leave it, as it's quite disappointing as gifts go.
Sorry, probably just me!

I mean I wouldn’t continue this type of gift giving as it just seems silly and unnecessary given it’s just passing the same gifts back and forth.

I agree with others though that gift giving is not transactional. I give gifts I have thought through to people to show I care enough to acknowledge events in their lives.

My youngest DB and SIL will often forget birthdays, they just aren’t overly organised people, it isn’t personal. I have still ordered flowers to be delivered and will send a card for SIL birthday at the end of this month.

All sounds a bit petty tbh. Just get one bottle and stop counting who got what for whom and when

I'd just get one bottle and make sure they know the 'arrangement' has run its course. It sounds exhausting and expensive. Blame cost of living or something. Once someone forgets a person in the 'chain', it's done.
If it was thoughtful, timely gifts for a friend with no expectations, that's different.

Why not keep the bottles unopened and just swap them backwards and forwards between you?

£40 bottles of champagne going back and forth all seems a bit shallow show-offy to me. Break free of this nonsense and get them something cheaper but more personal.