By: Fuyu Banno
Graphics Editor
Although gift cards are the holy grail when you don’t know what to get your friend for their birthday, it also is like typing “lol” at the end of a sentence when you don’t know what else to say. In other words, it shows you do not know what else to get them. Tsk, tsk, I know you can do better than that – although I am also a culprit of gifting my friends gift cards, I’ve slowly learned to transition away by giving them a gift card and a little something else. Through this process, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to up your birthday game … and also make it personal. No matter how broke you are or how little time you have, I’ll teach you easy ways to one up your gift-giving game.
Collage of 0.5 photos of your friend: All those pictures go to waste just sitting there on your phone, so why not make it a huge display! This is the perfect DIY for those who may be artsy and like to get their hands dirty. Get your scissors and glue stick ready to make those big forehead photos into a beautiful masterpiece!
Yearbook photos of them in fourth grade: A reminder to your friend that they cannot leave the past behind. Just imagine your friend waking up to a glorious photo of them and their awkwardness piercing through the picture. A quick tip is to make sure you print it in 24 by 30 inches for maximum splendor. Make sure you pair it with a nice sleek black frame from TJ Maxx.
Lifesize cardboard cutout of their crush: If your friend obsesses over seeing their crush for a whopping half a second during the day, make it so that they can always see them 24/7, right in the comfort of their room. A bonus is that it’s as big as the red flag that’s hovering over the crush’s face that your friend just can’t seem to see.
A plushie of YOU: This one I especially recommend if your friend lives on the other side of the world. A perfect reminder that your bestie is not alone. If they ever feel sad and depressed, they can hug you…even if it looks like someone photoshopped a picture of you into a Squishmellow. No more crying into a pillow, when they can cry into a plushie of your beautiful face!
Custom made M&M…with your friend’s face printed on it: Yearbook photos, life-size cardboards, a plushie…what else could we print photos onto? That’s right, everyone’s favorite chocolate snack…M&M!!! Perhaps when a picture of your friend is printed on, it will taste better than the artificial coloring.
If you ever take up my advice, I can almost guarantee that it will leave your friend speechless (not specifying whether in a good way or bad way). If you ever do see yourself reaching for the gift card and calling it a day, seriously; think again. You can do so much better.