Guide to Giving Birthday Presents – What to Give Different Age Groups?

When a special friend or loved one of yours is celebrating their birthday, you immediately may think, “What birthday presents can I buy and give?”

Now more than ever, there are many selections of items available from numerous stores, including online sites that you can choose from.   Birthday presents can come in the form of clothes, accessories, games and toys, tools, flowers, books, supplies, food and much more.

Sometimes it is difficult to decide what a person would like to receive as a present.  So here are some birthday presents ideas that we have put together to help you decide on what is best to give for your friend or loved one.  We have divided this guide based on the age of the person you are intending to buy a gift for.

Presents for Adolescent Teens

Here is an important tip in giving 18th birthday presents -  make sure the item is popular and is in style.  Young people usually appreciate gifts and birthday presents that fall under three categories:  clothes, digital accessories and cash.  For clothes, you can visit retail clothing stores and ask assistance from the salespersons in identifying gifts you think your young adolescent friend or loved one will enjoy receiving.  For digital accessories, excellent birthday presents include digital music players, laptops, and mobile phones.

Gifts for 21-year-olds

When it comes to 21st birthday presents, it is not so different from that of the young adolescent gifts we just discussed.  Guys, however, would rather receive accessories than actual clothes.  Birthday presents for men include wallets, shoes, or watches.   For girls, jewelries are popular options that can be given as gifts.  Money or cash is also a popular option—this way, you are giving the person the opportunity to pick a gift for him or her.  Store gift certificates are not as popular as they once were, as several major store chains went out of business during the recent economic downturn, and some stores no longer honored their gift cards.

For the Big 30

For your friends celebrating the big 30, here are wonderful ideas for 30th birthday presents:  instead of gifts that relate to the retail and clothing (textile) industries, consider giving more practical gifts like organizers, luxury pens and key chains, money clips, and other items that a busy 30-year-old will need and use in his or her daily life.

For More Mature Ones

Do you have a friend turning 40 soon?  Great 40th birthday presents include personalized or customized items like picture frames, mugs, portraits, paintings, and even scarves or similar clothing accessories.  Turning 40 is considered a milestone for many cultures, so feel free to give fun and humorous gifts as well like joke cards and handwritten letters that talk about your funny experiences and memories with the celebrant.  Cakes are also wonderful to give during this occasion.

Turning 50

What about 50th birthday presents?  Well, the safest birthday gift to give to a celebrant is a bottle of wine—it is classy, elegant, and quite luxurious.  Most people who are of this age do not really need any particular material item, so giving them a personalized gift to honor them or even making a handmade card are gifts that show that you honor, cherish and appreciate that person.

Remember, though, that the best gift is the one that the receiver has already informed you that they want.  While it does diminish the surprise factor, it also lessens the chance that the gift will be returned to the store.  One of the funny wise quotes to always consider in this matter, “Age is an issue of mind over matter.  If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” – Mark Twain.  Just because someone is older doesn’t mean they wouldn’t like a younger person’s gift, such as a state-of-the-art technological gadget such as a Blackberry or Palm.  These are ideal birthday presents for boyfriends or any close person in your life.