Birthdays can be difficult events to prepare for. There’s an innate desire to make sure they are properly celebrated, but that is something that can mean completely different things to two different people. While you might enjoy partying with your friends, other people might enjoy a quiet day with a more limited group. 

So, when you find yourself thinking about how to celebrate your friend’s birthday, it’s important that you internalize these issues and respect their preferences. However, once you do know what these are, you can get some ideas about how you can deliver gifts and celebrations that are finely tuned to what they want – making it an occasion that lives up to the hype.

For the Partyers


Partying might seem like something that is immediately identifiable upon hearing it, but even then, you have a huge range of different scales and events that this can encompass. Does your friend like to go clubbing with a large group of people? Or perhaps they just like to have a gathering with drinks at their home with your core group. The good news is, regardless of which way this ends up going, there are some options that can cover your bases. 

Alcohol is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a good place to start. Not only is this something that the recipient in question can enjoy with all of you as soon as they are gifted it, but there are also options such as custom liquor bottles available to you that can help to make it a more personalized present. 

An Experience


You may have concerns about giving someone a gift that comes in the form of an object. Chief among these might be whether or not it’s just going to end up cluttering their home and will go unused. This is why alcohol or food tends to be reliable, as it is consumable and therefore won’t last forever or be expected to. However, another option that you have here is to gift them an experience – something that they can do either by themselves or with people of their choosing that provides them with something memorable and unique. 

The risk here is gifting them something that they don’t actually want to do and therefore putting them in an awkward position. However, listening carefully to what they like and asking people around them could give you a good idea of where to go with it.

A Meal for Your Group


Of course, if the friend in question is someone who enjoys to party, you might consider throwing a party instead – either as a surprise or one where they have an active hand in how it turns out. If they don’t like to, though, and would prefer something quieter and more low-key, you might consider a meal for them and their close friends. This effectively serves the same purpose as a party but is more tailored to their tastes. 

The bigger question at hand is where you go. You have many options ranging from a tried-and-true restaurant that you know they love or perhaps something more adventurous that takes you to a different location entirely. This could even be something you host yourself; there is plenty of room to get creative with this option.