You get an invitation and find out that your friend will be celebrating his natal day in just a few days. A lot of people see this as an occasion to party and have fun. But if this is a friend whom you have built a close relationship with or perhaps, your best friend for a number of years now, you would want his or her birthday to be something more special than just being a regular party. You may take a big part in the planning and organizing process.

For a lot of people, celebrating a close friend's birthday also means giving him or her something special to commemorate it with; a gift that says thank you for always being there for you whether it be a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen to all of your stories good or bad, or just someone that you can share a good laugh with. Because this person means someone to you, a special person in your life, you would take time to think about what gift you can give him or her. You would not simply go to the store and pick something randomly. The choices, however, can be quite varied and very wide. So if you are all too confused, the following criteria may be of help for your selection process.

* Choose something he or she likes. Being good friends for some time now, you would have known a great deal about each other and particularly on what your friend likes and dislikes. With this information in mind, it would be easier for you to choose which gift is the best to give. Take note of interests and hobbies. If your friend is into fine arts, then a nice painting may be a good gift of choice. You can be specific or you can be generic. If your best friend for life likes the color pink, then you can get an item that is shaded in all colors of pink.

* Choose something your friend would use. Nowadays it is best to be practical. This stays true when it comes to gift giving. Gone were the days when gifts can be just pretty to look at and have no value at all. This time, functional gifts are in. A gift that your friend can use is one gift that would not go into one corner and be forgotten in just a few days time. A functional gift would be with your friend for him to use whenever he needs it.

You can also match his interest and functionality. A good example is that if your friend loves to play basketball, you may get him a basketball or perhaps a good pair of socks or gym shoes or shorts for him to use during practice. A friend who is into flowers would appreciate some gardening tools as a present. If your best friend is into making cookies and cakes, a baking set or cookie sheets would give her delight.

On the other hand, you can also give generic gifts like a bag to place all of her things in or a watch. A functional gift is something any friend would appreciate and value for a long time.