As much as I would love to think about birthday gifts for my friends, I know I will always fail woefully because I can not pick gifts, I am not good at that, but the truth is I think the main reason why I don't think or choose to go for birthday gifts for my friends is the fear of rejection.
Well, not fear of rejection per se, more like the fear that my friends will end up not using what I got them as a birthday gift, and it is going to hurt badly. I have experienced it from two of my friends.
The first was once a one-time friend but we are currently not on the same page, more like strangers on one of her birthdays I got her a set of shoes, sandals and for years I watched her not wear those and it hurt badly when I got to her room and see that sandals laying around her room but she wasn't wearing them and the second of my friend I got a birthday gift for, also a very beautiful sandals, we are still friends maybe our relationship is a bit shaky now, I got her a birthday gift and she didn't make use of it.
I am not big when it comes to birthdays and birthday gifts, so I never think big about what friends will get me on my birthday, I'm short, and I am hardly the snapping pictures, or posting on social media about my birthday, just love a quiet thing and just love to have my friends around on that day, so I never used to care if they bought me something but that particular year, I just wanted to let them know how special they are to me and how grateful I am to have them but they actions put me off and made me killed the idea of ever buying anyone birthday gift.
The second friend of mine knows how much I cherish birthday gifts because she did give me a birthday gift a long time ago and she still acted that way, so it hurt me badly and I made a promise never to get anything for anyone when it comes to birthdays and birthday gift. I don't give birthday gifts to anyone and I don't expect birthday gifts either from anyone but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't make their birthday special. I always do and always try to make their birthday as memorable as possible as I can.
The best birthday gift I try to give my friends is being there for them on that particular day. I take out some amount of money and take them out on that particular day and this makes me more happier than buying birthday gifts they may likely never use for themselves. I never get gifts for people, I instead make myself available for them throughout that day and take them out to a special place, where we go sit and enjoy ourselves.
So, based on my experience, what I feel is the best birthday gift to give anyone or a fellow minimalist is availing myself for them all through the day and making that particular special for them by taking them somewhere special.
This is my entry to K.I.S.S. Blog Ideas - Week 97
All photos used in this post are mine.