A birthday is one of the few occasions where buying for a best friend feels harder than buying for almost anyone else. With a couple there is usually a shared milestone to work with. With a best friend, the expectation is that you know them well enough to get it right, and a generic card and a bottle of wine starts to feel a bit thin. Here are three birthday gift ideas from A Year of Dates that are personalised, posted free, and actually feel like they came from someone who knows them.
What makes a good birthday gift for a best friend?
The best friend gifts that land well tend to share a few things. They feel personal rather than grabbed off a shelf. They say something about the friendship itself, its history, its sense of humour, the things only the two of you would understand. And they are something the person would not have bought for themselves.
Personalisation takes care of most of this. A gift with your friend’s name on it, or something that gives them something to do or enjoy, moves it out of generic territory. It does not need to be expensive. All three gifts below are £19 and include free UK delivery, so you can have it posted straight to your friend without even wrapping it up yourself.
Birthday gift ideas for a best friend
Three options from A Year of Dates. All personalised, all free to post, and all different enough to suit different kinds of friends.
Birthday gift for a best friend
Dates With My Best Mate
A personalised gift box with 12 sealed envelopes, each one holding a different activity for the two of you to do together. Activities are a mix of nights out, days out and things to do at home, so there is always one that fits the week you are both having. There are also 2 blank cards to add your own ideas into the mix. Choose a black or Kraft box, your print colour, and personalise the lid with a name or short message in your choice of font. Letterbox-sized, posted free, and can be sent straight to your friend with a gift note at checkout.
Shop Dates With My Best Mate
Birthday gift for a best friend
Happy Birthday Sweet Box
A retro sweet box printed with “Happy Birthday” in big, bold, colourful text and personalised with your own message across two lines. Inside you will find 2 retro sweet bars and 4 bags of pick and mix favourites: think pear drops, cola cubes, fruit salads, rhubarb and custard, and Wham bars. The exact mix varies by availability, but a full allergen list is included with the order. Available in rainbow, purple or green. Once the sweets are gone, the box is reusable as a keepsake tin. Personalised in the UK studio, free delivery.
Shop the Birthday Sweet Box
Birthday gift for a best friend
Personalised Sweet Box
The same retro sweet box as above, but with four design options to choose from: Happy Birthday, Home Sweet Home, Sweet Day, and Sweet Dreams. Good if you want something that does not shout “birthday” quite so loudly, or if you are giving it for a reason other than a birthday. Same contents, same personalisation (two lines of text in your choice of colour scheme), same free delivery. All four designs come in rainbow, purple or green.
Shop the Personalised Sweet BoxBuying a birthday gift for your best friend does not need to involve much thought about price. All three of these come in at £19 with free UK delivery, and all three can go straight to your friend’s door if you add a gift note at checkout. The one that suits best comes down to the friendship: whether it is about spending more time together, giving them something they can eat while they open the rest of their cards, or just putting their name on something that shows you thought about them specifically rather than picking something generic at the last minute.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good birthday gift for a best friend UK?
A gift that feels personal tends to go down better than something generic. At A Year of Dates, the Dates With My Best Mate box gives the two of you 12 sealed activity ideas to work through together, personalised with your friend’s name. The Birthday Sweet Box and the Personalised Sweet Box are both filled with retro pick and mix favourites and printed with your own message. All three are £19 with free UK delivery and can be sent straight to your friend.
What is a thoughtful gift for a best friend’s birthday?
Something that reflects the friendship rather than the occasion. A personalised activity box that gives the two of you things to do together says more than a bottle of wine, and it is something they would not have bought themselves. The Dates With My Best Mate box from A Year of Dates is one of the most popular gifts in this category: 12 sealed date ideas, personalised with a name or message, and posted free to their door.
Can I send the gift directly to my friend?
Yes. All three gifts above ship in plain packaging and post through most letterboxes. You can add a personalised gift note at checkout, and the order goes straight to your friend without needing to pass through you first. Order before 12pm on a working day for same-day dispatch, or choose express next-day delivery at checkout if the birthday is coming up.
Do the sweet boxes work as a birthday gift for adults?
Yes. The retro sweet boxes are a good fit for anyone who grew up with pick and mix, which covers most adults. The sweets inside include pear drops, cola cubes, rhubarb and custard, Wham bars and fruit salads. The box is personalised with your own message in bold, colourful text and reusable once the sweets are gone. A full allergen list is included with every order.
Browse all gifts for friends at A Year of Dates. Personalised, posted free, straight to their door.
