World Friendship Day, also known as the International Day of Friendship, has occurred on July 30 since 1958. It is a day to celebrate and cherish our friendships with the people that mean the most to us. While gifts aren’t necessary on World Friendship Day, it’s natural to want to show appreciation for your friends. Here are some ways to show your friends how much they mean to you!
Write them a letter
There are few things more heartfelt than a letter. Letters are a great way of telling someone how you feel about them without having to do it face-to-face. There are also many ways to personalise a letter, from the content to the look of it.
In terms of content, you could write down your favourite things about your friend. You could write them a thank you letter for things they’ve done for you. Additionally, you could write a letter about your favourite memories with them. There are so many possibilities.
For decoration, you could use different coloured paper or pens or doodle down the sides of the page. You could even print out and stick little pictures on if you can access a printer.
Organise something fun to do with them
What better way to celebrate World Friendship Day than to spend some time doing some fun with your friends? If you’re struggling to think of ideas of fun things you could do, here is a small list of some ideas:
- A movie and pizza night
- A road trip (if one of you drives)
- A game night
- A picnic or barbeque (if the weather is nice)
- A cocktail/mocktail evening (either homemade or at a bar)
- A quiz night
The only problem with this is that you might find it hard to work a meetup with your friends into your schedules. Especially if you’re trying to organise a meetup with friends that live in different cities or with friends that work, it can be tough, even with a group calendar! And as fed up with Zoom as we all may be, a group call could work in your favour if you want just to spend some time talking to your friends!
Friendship jewellery
If your friend likes to wear bracelets, necklaces or rings, a piece of jewellery to signify how important their friendship is to you could be a nice gift. Many places sell friendship bracelets that you can personalise if you want to give them something meaningful.
Alternatively, you could make jewellery for them if you know how to! You can make bracelets with string and can incorporate jewels or beads into them too. With the jewellery I have made in the past, I have found that Hobbycraft has excellent starter materials to make string bracelets, bead bracelets and rings. If you want to give handmaking jewellery a go but don’t know where to start, check out this step-by-step guide to getting your jewellery crafting started!
Bake them something yummy
Who doesn’t love baked goods? With baking, there are many possibilities, from smaller bakes like brownies, cookies, and cupcakes to a full-on decorated cake. Baking is something that everyone can do, so how about trying to bake your friend something delicious this World Friendship Day?
The wonderful thing about baking is that there is a recipe to satisfy everyone’s taste. Whether your friend requires dairy-free bakes, gluten-free bakes or just doesn’t like chocolate, for example, there is always something you can make them.
Recipe websites like Tasty and BBC Good Food offer thousands of recipes for hundreds of different baked goods, while Bosh and The Veg Space share vegetarian and vegan recipes.
Send them a care package
Care packages are a good gift for a friend who lives far away. It lets them know that you’re thinking of them and that you care about them, even though there’s some distance between you. You could include some of their favourite sweets or chocolates in the care package, or perhaps some pampering stuff like their favourite scent candle and facemasks. You could write a little note and explain the gift to make it extra meaningful. It’d be a lovely surprise for anyone to receive, especially on World Friendship Day!
Give them a call!
Sometimes, just talking to someone is something we really need. To let your friend know you’re thankful for them, you could call them and let them know it’s World Friendship Day and that you appreciate them. You could even call to check in with them and have a chat or catch up if you haven’t seen them recently. It’s a simple yet nice way to show your friends some love.
The takeaway message
You could do plenty of things to let your friends know how much they mean to you this World Friendship Day. Handmade gifts are always appreciated because they mean you have put thought, time and effort into them. If you’re into making things and are feeling creative, this could be your opportunity to make your friend something.
But sometimes, just spending time with your friends is the best gift you could give them! I hope you have an incredible day celebrating your friendships with your friends!