Finding the right gift for even our closest friends can be a chore. Life gets busier, we get older, and it becomes harder to know what the people around us will treasure and make space in their homes for. The difficulty of this task is only further compounded when you take into account the wide swath of adult friendships we grow into. For instance, you have your co-workers, your kid’s friend’s parents, your nieces and nephews, your longtime family friends, your childhood friends who you’ve recently reconnected with, etc. The list goes on. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of custom gifts and personalization services available to “wow” friends of any stripe.
1. You Vacation Together: Custom Digital Frame
Be it a longtime family friend you see three times a year or just a close-knit pal you vacation with regularly, a custom digital photo frame is the right choice. The great thing about digital photo frames is that they are economical in terms of space: they shuffle through hundreds of pictures that you would never be able to comfortably hang inside the home and allow the recipient to relive memories they normally wouldn’t dedicate an entire frame to. You can load these up with photos yourself before gifting, so that the recipient doesn’t have to finagle their way around technology they might not be familiar with. This low effort gift is available in a wide variety of colors and finishes to fit any manner of decor, from classic wood framing to sleeker, minimalistic designs.
2. You Have One Inside Joke Together: Personalized T-Shirt
We all have that one friend with whom we share a longstanding inside joke. Maybe you don’t have much else in common, maybe you don’t even remember where the joke originated, but you will always have that one common thread between you to make you chuckle. A personalized t-shirt or tote is definitely the way to go! While this could be reduced to a gag gift depending on the nature of the joke, you definitely want to invest in something that looks good and lasts for a long time so no one can accuse you of putting little effort into the gift (which is totally true, but you don’t want it to LOOK like that!).
Search out a sublimation printing service in your area. Sublimation printing allows for high quality and recreations of images on polymer materials and retains its quality over time, unlike most other image transfer solutions. High quality sublimation ink, such as Cosmos Ink, ensures the durability and vibrancy of the finished product for years to come.
3. You Are Drinking Buddies: Custom Glass/Shooters
A coworker you meet at a tavern after work or a good friend you chat with over cocktails is a perfect candidate for custom shooters. If there is a particular type of beer your friend enjoys, find a glass from the best brewery in town specializing in that particular lager or ale and wrap it up! Better yet, order a small fleet of custom shooters with the person’s name or a reliable old inside joke you share. Cheers!
4. You Met Only Once Before, or a Long Time Ago: Personalized Coasters
Your spouse’s new boss’ housewarming party, your college roommate’s birthday, your sister’s sister-in-law, etc. The list of people you barely know but are expected to buy for could go on and on. It’s rude to show up empty handed, but sometimes wine feels overdone. A great alternative is personalized coasters: all you need to know is the person’s last name or an anniversary to engrave on the coaster–information which can be discerned from a quick Facebook or Google search.
5. You Are the Aunt/Uncle/Older Cousin: Custom Piggy Bank
As you mature, it’s inevitable that at least some of the people closest to you are going to have children. It’s a fact of life, things change, and the party girl you once knew to dance on a cop car at 3am is now a responsible mother of two. (Her kids are going to LOVE that story when they’re older.) So when you eventually get that invite to her kid’s fourth birthday party, buck up and bring something age appropriate. You want to show your friend you support these new changes in her life by putting effort into her child’s gift. Personalizing a cute piggy bank is a good gift to toe the line between fun and responsible. It teaches kids about saving their change, and it’s still fun because hey—who doesn’t love money?
6. You Are Sure They Are “the One”: Engraved Watch
It seems like an odd twist: the longer you are with a romantic partner, the harder it gets to shop for them every year! It’s tempting to get them something completely practical, perhaps something useful around the house, but that’s boring! Your special someone’s birthday gifts are supposed to be meaningful and romantic. A new vacuum cleaner is neither of those things. But you can still take the adult route in your gift giving: find a beautiful watch and engrave something sweet and intimate on its back. They will look professional and put together in their new gift, all the while knowing there is a special secret on the back for their eyes only.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
