Present to represent every year alive

[Bluesprinkles12]

Hi all!

Hoping for your help. It’s my best friends 30th this year and hoping to do 30 presents each representing every year of her life. So either something personal, something that represents that age or an event that year.

So far this is what I’ve got (very early planing days) and looking for some more ideas!

1994- the year you were born card
1-95 milk bottle with a drink in it
2-96
3-97
4-98
5-99 Younger sibiling was born- picture of her brother

6-00
7-01
8-02
9-03
10-04
11-05
12-06
13-07
14- 08 First Marvel movie come out- get the DVD
15-09
16-10 paracetamol that you’re going to need tomorrow
17-11 Year you’ve learned to drive
18-12 drinking age/lottery
19-13 First time
20-14 Ice bucket challenge
21-15
22-16
23-17 The year you’ve met me- art of the both of us
24-18
25-19 year we went Italy- Italian desert, pizza making kit?
26-20 COVID- something covid themed
27-21
28-22 Year she met her other half
29-23
30-24

Oh lord please just buy her a spa day / special meal / theatre trip etc. Have a lovely experience together and create memories.

I find this bizarre for even a sister or friend who has been in their life since birth / early years, but seeing as you met at 23, how can you accurately represent 23 years out of 30 you weren’t present for?!

Very sweet thinking but just no.

Me too!

I realise it’s beside the point, but really confused why you need paracetamol for the day after turning 16?!

surely that would be to represent drinking age?

To be fair I was definitely sneaking around clubbing and drinking at 16, but the OP wasn’t there to see if that was the case….!

I’d hate this.

I wouldn't do this though, you didn't know her through her childhood so you have no idea what those years represented to her. It appears to be a sweet idea but she'll just end up with a load of crap.

Buy her a couple of actual nice gifts.

I don't understand the paracetamol one for 16..... surely should be for 18/drinking?
I'm afraid I agree with some of the others, it's a sweet idea but going to be hard to present without looking like a lucky dip of random bits.
I think I'd be temped to go more scrapbook. Lots of photos if you can get them, but you could also find photos of eg her first school. However given you didn't know her then and weren't part of this memories it is maybe a bit random.

Other ideas if you are sticking to gifts.
Is she too young to have been into Harry Potter? Or anything else she was really into and waited for it to come out?

I quite like the idea of things from the year/date she was born.
Must be a spirit or wine you could get that is from her birth year? And if she likes alcohol then it could be a really nice but still thoughtful gift.
Newspaper from the day she was born? I'm pretty sure that's a thing you can get.

Have to say I am also horrified at the idea of you commenting her 'first time' with a gift. The mind boggles 😅

Is one of the presents a bucket of ice?! 😭

Sorry but this is nuts 😂 A present to represent her first time?!

To go with a photo of her brother and some milk.

Sorry, op, but it’s just going to be a whole pile of tat.
Why on earth is the ice bucket challenge being celebrated, btw? .
As to her first time, words fail me.

I would hate this. Couldn’t you create something that represents a few things she’s enjoyed so far in her life, maybe a collage or a quilt? You could commission it if you’re not confident of your ability.

Why would she want something Ice Bucket and Covid Themed?

Surely she has photos of her brother and bf?

No
no
no
no
no

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

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

The mind boggles.

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.

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

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.

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 🤦‍♀️

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.

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.

Dear Lord 🤦‍♀️

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

Sums it up!

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