21st Birthday Gift Ideas for Your Best Friend

Twenty-one is the birthday everyone remembers, or at least tries to. The best 21st birthday gift for a best friend is fun on the night and still means something the morning after. These 12 ideas work on a student budget and up. Our top pick is a song about your friendship, because it is the one thing at the party nobody else could have brought.

Hear what a Songbond song sounds like

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry their name and your stories.

12 21st birthday gift ideas for your best friend

1. A song about your friendship ($39.90). Share how you met, the nickname you gave them and the story you tell at every party. Songbond turns it into an original song, ready within 24 hours, to play when the night gets going.
2. A cocktail kit. A shaker, a jigger, a strainer and a card with the recipe for their go-to drink. Usually $30 to $60.
3. Their first legal night out, on you. Dinner, a round of drinks and entry to wherever the night ends. Plan on $50 to $100.
4. An instant camera and film for the party. Everyone takes photos, and they go home with a stack of prints. Buy an extra pack of film, because the first one goes fast. About $70 to $120 with film.
5. Tickets to a concert or festival. Their favorite artist, with you as the plus one. Usually $80 to $250.
6. A good wallet or card holder. For the ID they finally get to use without worrying. Around $30 to $80.
7. A long frame with one photo from every year of your friendship. Pick the most embarrassing one you have for each year. About $30 to $50.
8. A weekend road trip. A cheap rental car, a playlist you both built and a town neither of you has seen. Split the cost, usually $150 to $400.
9. Party gear with an inside joke on it. A sash, a phone case or a t-shirt printed with the line only your group understands. Usually $15 to $30.
10. A brewery or winery tasting together. A grown-up way to spend the afternoon after the party. About $30 to $60 each.
11. The skincare or fragrance they keep hinting at. The one that has sat in their online basket for months. Usually $40 to $90.
12. A letter about who they are becoming. What you have watched them grow into since you met, and what you think comes next. Free, and it lasts far longer than the party.

How to choose their 21st gift

Think about how they want to spend the day. Some people want a big night, some want a small dinner, and some would rather skip the fuss altogether. If you are splitting a bigger gift with the rest of the group, agree on it early and let one person handle the booking.

• If they are the life of the party: the night out, the camera or the party gear.
• If they are a homebody: the cocktail kit, the skincare or the letter.
• If they are away at college: the song, the photo frame or the road trip.

Give it at midnight

The first minutes of a 21st birthday are a small tradition of their own. If you are together, hand over your gift at midnight, before the night takes over and while they can still pay attention. If you are apart, send it at 12:01 with a short message so yours is the first thing they open. Keep the message to one memory and one wish for the year ahead. A song works well here because it plays on their phone wherever they are. Order it the day before and you will have it in plenty of time, or use express delivery if you only remembered tonight.

Make a 21st birthday song for your best friend

Create a birthday song for your best friend. Share your stories, and the song is ready within 24 hours. If the party starts tonight, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: 21st birthday songs for the party and songs for long-distance friends.