What to get a 38yo friend who has everything?

[soupforbrains]

I am very stuck on what to buy for one of my best friends. I am on a very very tight budget for christmas this year and am making beeswax lip balms, chocolates and baked goods for a lot of my friends and family.

My best Friend earns a LOT more than me and also has next to no financial responsibilities (single, no rent/mortgage, no kids etc) so he has a lot of disposable income and generally just buys himself anything he wants. I know that the cost of the gift is not important to him, but as he always gets me something lovely I really want to get him something which he will like but I'm totally stuck.

My crafting skills are not very high aside from baking, and he doesn't really have a sweet tooth and won't use lipbalm either. He doesn't have any particular hobbies but enjoys films and PS4 games. He does read quite a lot but is into quite specific fantasy sub-genre books and not being into them myself I wouldn't know where to start with buying him books.

I can't buy him wine or a couple of bottles of anything alcoholic because he has a drinking problem which i am supporting him through.

Please help! any and all suggestions welcome!

Go with the dragon themed gift but also get him an advent calendar! And invite him for Christmas too. He sounds lovely.

I took these to a social event recently and everyone raved on about them. Would make a nice gift with some cheese and chutney etc. Very quick and easy to make (it’s an American recipe so uses cups etc; I just winged it a bit 😄) www.keyingredient.com/recipes/1760825043/sharp-cheddar-chili-cheese-crackers/

What about a selection of really nice (naice?) cordials if alcohol is a problem?

This may sound like a bloody ridiculous idea but how about naming a star after his mum? Then on top you could make him some nice crackers with a little bit of cheese or a print out in a nice frame (as previously mentioned).

Thank you everyone you’ve all been really helpful.

@Isadora2007 he’s already coming to our family Christmas. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t want to say ‘let’s not do gifts’ because then he will be just sat there when everyone else is doing the gift exchange. Also as I mentioned before he has previously said how much he enjoys giving me gifts at Christmas because he doesn’t have anyone else to buy for.

Are crackers difficult to make? I feel like I would struggle to get them thin and crisp?

Also my reluctance on the cheese hamper suggestion is less about sourcing nice/small cheeses and more about the ‘hamper’/container itself as I know from experience that presentable containers can be v expensive any more suggestions for that side of things??

Thank you all again. So far I plan something dragon-y, plus homemade edible something. You all make marvellous Christmas elves.

@WagtailRobin he’s very private about his grief and his sentiments for his mum so I think he might find that ‘intrusive’ in a strange way, it’s hard to explain. BUT he really loves space himself so maybe I could just name a star after him, how much does it cost?

You can get hampers etc from ebay or shops like b and m or the range . There are quite a few hamper kits to make your own .

Why not give him a gift voucher for a home made dinner by you?
Or a gift voucher for providing him with handholds whenever he needs it given his problems that you are helping him with?

@Starheart I will try b&m but bear I NG in mind that my total budget is about £20 a hamper for £6 +p&p significantly cuts into the money for cheeses etc.

@Honeybee85 I wouldn’t want to ‘monetise’ my support for him. He has depression, and is alcohol dependent and a self harmer. I support him in many ways all the time, I will always be there for him no matter what, a voucher for my support just seems a little weird considering...

Iced dragon biscuits nicely wrapped or boxed?

Findmeagift (on that website) is currently doing the "Name a star" gift for £8.99.

I posted that too soon;

Findmeagift (on that website) is currently doing the "Name a star" gift for £8.99 and if you subscribe to emails you get 10% off. You could get him a star constellation mug to go with it.

I wish I could think of better suggestions for you.

Hi OP nanoblock is your saviour. It's my fall back for my husband all the time. Seems to bring out the inner child and as it's so small it's challenging as well. Here is a dragon one and is well within budget as well so could maybe bulk it out with a nice cheese and crackers
Nanoblock NAN-NBC173 Dragon - Multicolor https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0166KM7JE/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_kL5XDbFXB9VA3

Thank you everyone. I feel like I have some ideas to work with within my budget now. Thank you all so much

Don’t do a star naming- it’s rip off and meaningless in real terms and if he likes space he is probably aware of that.

I would go for a book, given what you say about him - because they can be cheap without ever seeming cheap iykwim. Even second hand is good (i.e. World of books). So for your friend maybe Astronomy photographer of the year book, an illustrated War of the Worlds, or similar. Penguin cloth bound classics make gorgeous gifts but can be bought for under a tenner if you think any of the titles would suit.

I should clarify, he’s into reading but not books as such. (I personally love reading and love books). So I ‘naive’ edition of a book will be meaningless to him, additionally while he likes space a photo book would hold zero interest for him and he’s not into reading sci-fi (although he likes some science-fi films/shows) he reads fantasy and quite specific niche sub-genres which I don’t know well enough to be able to but him something I can be sure he would like/doesn’t already have.

I plan to find something dragon-y and then buy/make a cheesy gift.

Thanks again everyone.

I would find a really cool board game if he might like to play that, or a cool gadget he has not seen before.

I was going to suggest a board game too. Something you could all play at Christmas. Ticket to ride? Escape rooms are great but a bit pricey?

The best ‘crafty’ gift that I received last year were some homemade Beeswax wraps for using instead of cling film. Very good for wrapping up cheese in in the fridge!

In terms of making a hamper you don’t have to go for a posh container - I have made small hampers to celebrate friends new babies and just wrapped a shoe box in nice wrapping paper and then used clear cellophane instead of using a lid. There’s definitely no need to buy a posh basket unless you think it would be appreciated by the recipient.

If he likes dragons could you check his bookshelves to see if he has any of the Anne McCaffrey books about PERN?

If he hasn't....ooooo he's in for the most amazing treat! If he has, there are loads and you could get him the next in the series or even an Anne McCaffrey book from one of her other series.

She was a wonderful writer and I have loved so many of her worlds and characters.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonridersoff_Pern