Real Birthday Stories – The Birthday One

Tea

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Him, For Him or Her, For Teens, Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

*Tazo Tea is one of the tea brands I enjoy. I like to share the different types of teabags (which are individually wrapped) as mini-gifts.*

Why are tea a good choice for Her, Him, Teens, and the Elderly? Tea makes wonderful gifts for the Birthday One whom you know enjoy drinking tea! There are a variety of teas – green and black, organic, decaffeinated, herbal, iced, fruit, etc. It makes a great drink for the Birthday One to get some caffeine or calm down after a long day, or just enjoy on a stress-free day. The packaging of most teas are nicely wrapped and its nice to grab a few and put it in a gift bag. It’s a simple and nice gift for anyone. If you know of a certain type of tea or brand the Birthday One likes, then it would be nice to get those for the birthday gift.

For ladies and gentlemen, it is great to have a variety or more beverage options for oneself and for guests in the kitchen cupboard. For teens, it can be somewhat useful for getting some caffeine while doing homework or studying. Teens may also like trying different types of tea. For the elderly, most elderly likes something hot for a beverage so they will most likely love it.

*One of my coworker/friend loves this tea so I get this for her birthday from the Asian supermarket.*

*This tea is from Lavande brand that I got from the farmer’s market. The tea leaves smells wonderful.*

Where can you get tea? Like many other food products the grocery or supermarkets have a variety of teas available. It is the easiest source to grab some teas. If you like to gift international teas for the Birthday One, try Asian markets like the Chinese or Indian/Pakistani supermarkets.

There are also special online sites that sell only tea. Some are specialty. Search google online for some Tea websites. Subscription services also provide different types of specialty tea. Here is a list of subscription tea brands. You may also find specialty tea at your local farmers’ market.

*This is a mini pack of teas my friend gave me for Christmas. I also like to do the same and give this as mini gifts for birthdays, Christmas, or a random surprise mini gift.*

If you are on a budget, you can check your kitchen or house to see what teas you may have. Grab a few individual wrapped teabags from some tea boxes, and you can make a cute little pack to give away as a birthday gift or other gift. Sometime grocery stores do have sales, so you can check for sales as well. You may also consider treating the Birthday One with a cup of tea at Starbucks or chai at an Indian/Pakistani restaurant.

*One of my coworkers gave me this tea. Quite fruity!*

**NOTE OF CAUTION: Be cautionary about any allergies or health issues that the Birthday One may have.

Books – Real Birthday Gifts

June 2, 2020May 31, 2020Tagged Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

Below are some real birthday gifts I gave to my friend and some I also received as birthday gifts.

Young adult series are popular and *The Hunger Game* series by Suzanne Collins was definitely a must-read. I got the series for my friend for her birthday since she likes reading.

Another popular fiction series, *Crazy Rich Asians* by Kevin Kwan, was definitely a fun read. I got this for my friend since it was a fun and drama filled read that I think my friend would enjoy reading.

My friends got this book for me because they knew I am a big fan of the *X-men*.

My friend got this cookbook for me since I had mentioned that I wanted to start cooking more.

Birthday Cake

April 28, 2020April 26, 2020Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Him, For Him or Her, For Kids, For Oneself, For Teens, Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

Why are cakes a good choice for EVERYONE? Birthday Cakes are the *PRIMARY* traditional birthday gifts since forever! It’s a good way to celebrate and share with a group of people at a party too.

There are so many different types of cakes that it may be difficult to pick one that the Birthday One likes. It may be helpful to ask around to see what type of cake the Birthday One likes.

*A Hello Kitty Cake from Six Ping Bakery in Houston Chinatown*

Where can you get cakes? There are many local bakery shops that specialize in making cakes that you can probably find on Google or Yelp. Some Asian bakeries make the most cutest or gorgeous, and tasty cakes, but they are also very pricey.

If you are a good baker, you can also try making a cake. A Real Birthday Story example is when my good friend baked a chocolate banana cake for my birthday the last two years! It was so yummy and tasty. It was also a very sweet gift since it took her time to make it.

If you are on a budget, try grocery stores like Walmart, HEB, Kroger, etc. They usually have nicely designed cakes at an affordable price. Go for the ones that has the latest ‘good until’ date – those are usually the freshest.

If you are the Birthday One and are looking for some free cake, some restaurants and bakery stores offer a free piece of cake for dessert as birthday freebies for dining there or being a customer. Two notable ones are La Madeleine which offers a free pastry in the birthday month if you sign up for their app and Nothing Bundt Cakes which offers a free bundlet in the birthday month.

Another Real Birthday Story experience – My boss wanted to save money so instead of ordering cakes for employees on their birthday, he opted to get a birthday cake quarterly and all those with birthdays in that quarter would have their birthday celebrated. It’s quite a unique experience but I guess late cake is better than no cake.

**NOTE OF CAUTION: Be cautionary about any allergies or preferences that the Birthday One may have. Some may not want to eat cakes made with eggs or gluten. *

Quarantine 2020 Bday Gift #2

April 22, 2020April 19, 2020Tagged Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

This is my quarantine birthday gift #2! My friend sent me this 2nd gift by mail also. This one I got after my actual birthday due to delivery delays, but I am very thankful for my friend’s sweet and thoughtful gesture to celebrate with me for another year! It’s so beautifully packaged that I didn’t want to untie the bow when I first took it outside the box. I’ve heard of Lush before but I have never gotten anything from Lush so this is my first time using their products, and it is a unique experience!

Made by various people, it is filled with sweet aromatic gifts!

Sukura Bath Bomb. The Comforter Bubble Bar, Rose Jam Shower Gel, Gorgeous Moisturizer, Dream Cream Body Lotion, and Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub. All inside the beautiful box! I love that everything is labeled with a picture of who made it, when it was made, and a use by date. The ‘Hello Gorgeous’ sheet lists all the items and the ingredients that were used to make each item. The fragrance is wonderful and makes the room smell so good! Everything here sure makes a girl feel special and relaxed indeed!

My favorite item is the Rub Rub Rub Shower which makes my skin feels so smooth and soft after using. The Rose Jam Shower Gel was my 2nd favorite because it smelled so good. The moisturizer, body lotion, and bath bombs does its job well. The only thing I haven’t tried yet is the comforter bubble bar, and I’m excited to see how it would fare!

Thank you to my friend again for this 2nd nice gift! I love everything, and it does help relieve the stress and being more clean after using the things everyday.

Quarantine Birthday Gift #1

April 21, 2020April 19, 2020Tagged Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

One of my dear friends sent me a few birthday gifts in the mail this year. This is the first one I got during the quarantine. I had received it a few days before my actual birthday. It was a decorated birthday themed box. One side says ‘BIRTH-YAY!’ and the other side says ‘HIP HIP HOORAY!” It is really colorful and certainly lights up the day!

Opening the box to reveal the goodies! So much is packed in this box! So exciting to reveal what’s all in the box!

Here is the first layer, also very colorful and birthday themed! The cookies and mini birthday cake were very delicious, and I was craving sweets after a long time of eating food from home. My favorites were the small coconut pretzel clusters which were sweet and salty (perfect balance of each taste).

This box is full of goodies! This is the second layer with more cookies, chocolate chips, gummy bears, and even candles!

I think I ate a majority of the sweets way before my actual birthday, but I really appreciate the first gift since one, I was craving sweets, and two, it really does make me feel special to be able to celebrate another birthday during this quarantine time. A big thank you to my friend for this surprising and cheerful gift!

A Birthday Card during Quarantine in 2020

April 20, 2020April 19, 2020Tagged Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

One of my dear friends sent me a birthday card for my birthday this year! It was a surprise since I was not expecting anything this year. I knew it would be a relatively quiet year, so this was a pleasant surprise. A nice greeting card can light up the day any day!

On the topic of greeting cards, Hallmark is giving free greeting cards out to show gratitude to heroes working during this quarantine Covid-19 situation. If you would like get these greeting cards, go to Hallmark.com to get it!

Collecting My Birthday Freebies 2016

February 17, 2017February 23, 2017Tagged For Oneself, Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

*This is a very late post.

It is extremely fun to collect birthday freebies during the birthday month. It is something you can do with your significant other, a good friend or two, or just by yourself. Here is my story for 2016. I did not collect all of these in one day, but it is over several weeks.

One of my first freebies I have collected is Marble Slab ice cream. My favorite is the strawberry with the oreo mix-ins. I got a regular sized cone so it was an awesome freebie.

The next freebie I got is Buffalo Wild Wings for snack size wings. This one is not necessarily free persay since it is dine in only, so even if you only get the snack size wings, more than likely you will leave a tip for the waiter or waitress anyway. However, it is good if you are eating with friends since if you are going there anyway, why not split everything?

I also got another ice cream cone from Maggie Moo’s. In the process, I discovered a new flavor the Maggie Moo’s freebie – the cinnamoo – which got me to visit the place 2 additional times and pay full price for this ice cream.

The Sephora Birthday Gift is pretty nice for this year. I got the Marc Jacobs eye liner and lipstick.

The next one is the free Grand Slam.The Grand slam is usually 4 items only.

Starbucks- a free drink! I got the Venti size!

Here is Zoe’s Kitchen with a free entree! I got the chicken kabobs. The hummus is awesome there.

I also got a free plate of flautas at Taca Cabana! It was a great meal!

Share your Birthday Gift or Birthday Stories!

March 31, 2016March 31, 2016Tagged Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

Our lives are filled with Birthdays of our own and of many people around us! Share your birthday gifts or birthday stories on this blog! It can be funny, memorable, heartwarming, embarrassing, angry, or just plain silly! Post in comments section, or you can share as anonymous or initials by emailing me at thebirthdayone@gmail.com

Real Birthday or Birthday Gift Stories

March 31, 2016March 31, 2016Tagged Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

This section will feature real birthday or birthday gift(s) stories.It would feature some of my real stories and birthday stories of others that would like to share.