Gift suggestions please.

Drez

SI, one of my best friends is leaving the country. I want to buy her something.

Criteria:

- Small. She has no luggage so it has to fit in a pocketbook or something.

- Something I can buy in person, in NYC. It's too late to order something at this point.

- Sentimental. Something that says "I love you and I wish you weren't leaving but I understand why you have to and I wish you well and I hope this bloke you are marrying treats you well and maybe we could Skype or FaceTime together and oh god please don't leave just stay don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go."

I was considering having that exact message etched into the inside of a ring or something but some friends have told me that's a bad idea and that it probably wouldn't fit anyway.

Any thoughts? I have no idea what makes a good "Bon Voyage" gift.

see317

You have any electronics stores nearby that sell novelty thumbdrives? You could get one of those and load it up with whatever sappy sentiments you feel so your friend could read them whenever she feels like. You'd probably want to toss on some games/music/e-books or the like to take up some space, maybe a photo album of the two of you hanging out together. Also, the install file for Skype as a not so subtle hint that she should hit you up some time.
Depending on time (and talent) constraints, you could modify a regular thumb drive into the kind of unique keepsake reminder that it sounds like you're looking for.

It's kind of hard to offer person specific ideas without knowing the person. If you and she had a favorite hang out or something that you did together maybe a souvenir from there?
I don't know what kind of budget your looking at, but maybe you could find a rare (or autographed) copy of a favorite book?

Esh

Is this a girl you have feelings for or is she just a best friend? Be careful what you give her, because you might end up weirding her out if it's the former.

I like See317's idea though. Load a thumb drive with mixes, maybe some eBooks, etc...

tapeslinger

Thumb drive mix tape with photos, etc, is a good idea

do not do not do NOT make it a romantic statement, you will regret it

basically, you want to be remembering the good times as friends and keep it upbeat

edit for clarity: not trying to sound mean etc., just trying to be really assertive that it needs to be appropriate to the person and the friendship, you want to stay positive and keep it from being too down, etc

Pentaghost

Having a ring engraved with the words "I love you" on it when she's leaving to marry another guy doesn't sound like a great idea. Could make things a little awkward.

I do think having something engraved is a good idea though, especially if you are really good friends and aren't going to see each other for a long time, which I'm assuming will be the case; it's something she'll want to keep forever and remind her of both you and home. When I came home from living abroad for a few years my friends had a pocket watch engraved with their names and a sentimental message on it. It's something that'll be with me for my entire life.

I don't really know what kinds of things can be engraved though.

Drez

Thanks, some good ideas here. I think I'm going to put a photo album together. That's a great idea.

As for the ring: I was joking. Of course I won't do that.

As for how I feel about her: I guess it's irrelevant at this point.

Drez

Well, thanks guys. I was going to do the photo album thing but it turns out she was lying to all of us about still being here and actually left days ago while telling us she would have dinner with us tonight.

So, uh, whew! Confusion over what kind of gift to get her totally averted! What a load off my mind!

Sir Landshark

Drez wrote: »

Well, thanks guys. I was going to do the photo album thing but it turns out she was lying to all of us about still being here and actually left days ago while telling us she would have dinner with us tonight.

So, uh, whew! Confusion over what kind of gift to get her totally averted! What a load off my mind!

Sorry man. That's a pretty shitty thing to do but maybe a clean break will be the best in the long run.

Drez

edit: Forget it. Too personal for here.