The Gifts of Friendship

Friendship is a gift in itself. Isn’t it nice to have someone who will there to share your good and bad times? It would also be nice to show wih a gift, once in a while, how much you appreciate your buddy. And what better time to give him/her a present than on his/her birthday? The real question is : what to give your pal? The following article might give you some ideas.

“It’s the thought that counts,“ goes a saying. Who says you have to give your mate an expensive gift? You do, however, have to put some thought into choosing the right thing. Pick something that your best friend can use instead of something that’s only pretty to look at.

Hand-make a gift.

Giving something that you make with your own hands is a good way of showing how much you appreciate your pal. It takes a little more and effort than just buying the present, but it can be cheaper and a lot more memorable. If you’re a handy-crafty person, you can scrape up a scrapbook (or a scrap-video) that contains your memorable scenes together and funny comments. String some beads and present a friendship bracelet to your bud. For those technologically inclined, desingning a web page for the friend is also an option.

Give your bud a treat.

Usually, the person who’s celebratin birthday pays for the celebration. Why not do it the other way around? With the others in your posse, chip in for a day out together. Eat out or rent a mini theater and watch your favorite movie together. Or how about this: spa day for the whole gang! It surely beats beauty care day all by yourself.

Give a tree/an animal to adopt.

Is your pal an enviromentally aware person? Maybe he/she would like to participate in minimizing global warming. Well then, you can give your buddy a tree to adopt! These days, a lot of organizations provide a program called Adopt-a-Tree. All you have to do is donate a reasonable amount of money to one of the organizations, and you’ll receive information about the tree’s growth over a period. For example, Green Radio 89,2 FM. And GEDEPAHALA Consortium have a just launched a program that allows everyone to adopt a tree at Mount Gede-Pangrango area for only Rp 3.000 a month over a period of three years.

If your buddy loves anmals, you can present him/her with a pet-a hamster, a rabbit, a fish, a puppy, or a kitten. 

Buy him/her something you like.

These common rule is to pick something your friend likes. How about choosing something you like? Go for something that you’d want for yourself-a book, a CD, a pair of shoes, or even a piece of batik material. It’s not being self-centered. Best friends usually have something in common, share the same interests, so chances are your buddy will like what you like.

Buy your chum what he/she needs.

Take a closer look at your best friend. Is your best friend’s wallet old and battered? Or maybe his T-Shirt is so faded that you feel uncomfortable to be seen hanging out with him? Maybe she needs a new flash disk (the old one having been wiped off by viruses).

There is always something your buddy needs which is within your budget. The trick is to find something unique, say a wallet that looks like a pair of jeans, or a T-Shirt that says “Hottie available”. You can also have an item customized, like having a cap embroidered, “The world’s best chum”, or a mug printed with your friend’s picture.