10 ways to show you care this International Friendship Day
Playlists, cocktail video calls, meaningful cards, and much more
Text: Rachel L
Time is the most precious gift you can give anyone and if there’s anything well worth our time, it’s putting time into meaningful connections. After all, having solid friendships contributes towards our overall mental health and wellbeing. This International Friendship Day, take time out to celebrate the ones who have laughed, cried, and walked beside you. Here are some ways to make a friend feel extra special.
Pamper them with a self-care day
With the rollercoaster of life and the pandemic, self-care is often neglected despite it being integral to our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. This International Friendship Day, remind your friends to remember how important they are by helping them to re-focus on their own self-care. Take a trip to the spa, get a facial together or go outdoors to connect with nature.
2. Cook for them
Enjoy playing hostess and have the culinary skills to back it up? Few things are as comforting as connecting over a delicious meal, and the knowledge that you’ve made the effort to prepare your friend's favourite foods, will make it even more special. Go all out and throw an elaborate dinner party or pack a picnic basket for a day outside.
3. Video call them
Meeting in person might not be an option for some for a variety of reasons. However, with technology and the increased connectivity it provides, physical distance doesn’t have to equate to emotional disconnect. Arranging a video call with your friends is a great way to check in and get each other up to speed on how you’ve all been doing. You can even get creative and make the occasion a little special - send a cocktail kit, unwind with a self-care routine together or cook.
4. Get together for game night
Perfect for providing endless entertainment, game nights always guarantee a good time. From Jenga and Scrabble to Exploding Kittens and Cards Against Humanity there’s so many affordable options that are bound to bring on laughter and bonding time. A personal favourite of ours would be We’re Not Really Strangers — a catalyst for great conversations that might lead to your night ending in a big group hug.
5. Compile a soundtrack of timeless tunes you both love (or used to)
The language that speaks to our souls, music has a way of bringing us together and they’re probably more than a few songs that have marked your friendship. Putting together a playlist of both your favourite hits can be a sweet and possibly hilarious (who had good taste in music when they were 13?) way to commemorate your bond as friends.
6. Send them flowers
Love, joy, affection or appreciation; flower-giving is an elegant gesture that manages to convey the deepest emotions. An ideal gift to brighten your friend’s day and decorate their home, sending your friend a beautiful bouquet of their favourite flowers, along with a few well thought out words, is a simple yet significant means to convey your love for the friendship.
7. Pick out a meaningful gift
While flowers might not be the appropriate present for everyone, there are tons of other gifts you can send your friends that will convey the same appreciation. Get a good bath soak for the friend you know has been struggling with poor sleep, a cookbook for the bestie who loves to experiment in the kitchen, or a bottle of wine for the one looking for a good way to unwind in the evenings. Whatever gift you choose, try to make it as personal as possible to show your interest in their hobbies and daily lives.
8. Write them a card or letter
With text messages, voice recordings, and Telegram bubbles being the faster means of communication these days, handwritten letters or cards demonstrate the recipient’s significance to the sender such that they would take the time to pen down their thoughts. A classy way to convey your appreciation, you'll find a wide range of cards that are delivered to your area online from platforms such as Etsy and Moonpig.
9. Create a scrapbook for them
The family that we choose, our friends, have been with us through the ups and downs of life. Few things encapsulate this journey better than a scrapbook or a photo collage. Tap into your inner artist and put together a physical one, filled with photos and meaningful messages. Or if you’re less confident in arts and crafts, online softwares, such as Canva, allow you to create digital scrapbooks as well. Putting these together will not only help you show your appreciation for your friendship but will also allow you to take a joyful trip down memory lane as you work on them.
10. Visit your favourite spots together
Take your childhood friend on a drive through the neighbourhood you both grew up in. Have dinner at the restaurant where you and your best friend met or hike together through a trail you both explored years back. Shared memories are a beautiful part of friendship and this will allow you and your friends to appreciate the many experiences that shaped your bond while creating new ones in the process.
