What is a fun way to say happy birthday?

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Think about what makes them laugh
• Think about how much risk you want to take
• Decide how much effort you're willing to put in
• Work out what sort of thing they'll actually use
• What do most people buy?
• A few examples
• Does it matter where I buy?
• A summary

Overview

The best way to say happy birthday is to use humour. Everyone is different, but in most cases a bit of silly banter will be well received. Just make sure they’re someone who likes that sort of thing and you don’t go too far!

Think about what makes them laugh

Most people enjoy some sort of humour, whether it’s something silly or something much darker. If you know the person well enough you’ll probably already have an idea of what sort of jokes they like, but if not you can ask someone who does know them.

Alternatively, you could do a little experiment and try out a few different types of joke on them and see how they react. Of course you don’t want to give away the fact that they’re being experimented on so maybe try it on a group of people so they don’t suspect anything.

If you’ve really got no idea what they like then just play it safe and make fun of their age – that’s pretty universally acceptable.

Think about how much risk you want to take

Let’s face it, if you want to have a bit of fun there’s always a risk that someone will get offended, especially if it’s someone you don’t know very well.

So it’s up to you: do you want to play it safe or take a risk? This depends on what sort of person you are and what the worst-case scenario is if you mess it up.

If this is someone at work who could easily report you to HR then I’d say play it safe. But if it’s just some random person at your local pub then why not take a chance?

Decide how much effort you're willing to put in

Ok I know this doesn't sound like the sort of thing I should be saying but it's true: sometimes we just can't be bothered to put in too much effort when buying someone a gift! Maybe we don't like them very much or maybe we're busy doing something more interesting; either way we need something quick and easy.

In other situations, for example if it's someone we like or we're buying for our partner and want lots of attention (you know what I mean), then we probably want to put in some effort and get something good.

Work out what sort of thing they'll actually use

Many times I've received gifts that are just completely useless. For example once I was given one of those tube things for storing spaghetti; why would I ever need that?

Ok that's probably just me being weird but I'm sure you've received gifts that you've never used, so let's try not to be that person!

As well as thinking about whether it's funny or not, think about whether it's something they'll actually use. For example if they're the boring sensible type then maybe something for their kitchen would work best (like the aforementioned spaghetti tube thing).

What do most people buy?

The short answer is: candles.

If you've ever searched for birthday gifts you'll notice that almost every single product has candles on it. Why? That's probably because it's easy; as mentioned above many people don't put much thought into their gift so they just go with the most obvious thing.

It's also one of those things where there's little risk of getting something useless; everyone uses candles after all.

A few examples

I had a quick look around and found some popular examples; here they are:

• Candles (as discussed)
• Mugs (another obvious one)
• Socks (a good choice)
• Something for their bathroom (like bubble bath or soap)
• A notebook, probably with something funny printed on the front

The most common theme by far is making fun of someone's age; that's pretty much what every product does.

Does it matter where I buy?

I would say yes; many shops sell these sorts of things but they're all pretty much identical which means you're likely to buy something they've already seen before.

I think that's why online shopping has become so popular; there are thousands more options than you'd find in any shop.

The only problem with buying online especially from small businesses is that shipping can often take longer than you're used to from places like Amazon.

A summary

• The most common type gift seems to be candles or mugs; probably because they're inexpensive and easy.

• The main theme with these things is making fun someone's age which is pretty safe and suitable for most people.

• If you buy from somewhere like Amazon you'll have less choice than from smaller shops online but delivery will be quicker.

• If this gift is for your partner, it's best to get them something unusual and fun so they'll appreciate your sense of humour.