If you are not sure and or short on time, be honest and direct, and ask the Birthday One what they want for their birthday gift. Some Birthday Ones may be humble, and others don’t really care, but then you will not know until you ask. You can see whether the Birthday One wants to give a Birthday Gift List, and if they do, then you can try to see if you can work on getting a gift(s) from the list.

There shouldn’t be any guarantee or pressure on your part to give but you can also list some criteria like the items on the list should be under $10 (kind of like White Elephant or Secret Santa so maybe you can call this The Birthday One List). You can also say you would only pick one thing to give from the list to give. If they ignore your criteria, or if you do not set a criteria, and they put only Burberry items on the list, it does not mean you are obligated to give a gift on the list. However, there may also be some level of disappointment for the Birthday One if you do not. It is best to set criteria and set a low level of expectation for the Birthday One if you use this approach.

If you are able to get a list, it is also something you can pass to other friends if they are also figuring out what gifts to give to the Birthday One.

If you are not sure where to start, you can download this Simple Birthday Wish List Template (same as above pic) to start! Email it to the Birthday One and get their Birthday Wish List.

Why getting a Birthday Gift list may be a good choice for everyone? 1) You would know what items the Birthday One wants or need without racking your brain to get something that you are not sure they would 100% like. 2) If you get the list, you can also surprise them since you are not likely to get everything on the list. Always set expectations low, and if you decide to surprise them and get more than one gift, then they can be surprise when you give it to them.

However, I would recommend you use this Birthday List approach with only close family members and close friends only because getting this list from the Birthday One means there is some level of expectation set for something on the list. If you fail to get something the Birthday One wants on the list, close family members and close friends can forgive you, with others, you don’t really know (unless you want to test them, that is).

Where can you find the Birthday Gift List?  You and the Birthday One have to sort it out. be direct and ask in person, on the phone, or by text. If you ask a few months in advance, it can also be more of a surprise since the Birthday One may likely forget about the Birthday list they gave you.

If you are on a budget, try to get the Birthday Gift List a few months in advance so you can check on sales and save for the purchase, especially around the holiday season.