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  • Showing only topics with the tag "gifts". Back to normal view
    1. Gift ideas for online friends

      Hello there! A friend of mine has their birthday coming up, me being me, I actually don't care for birthdays much (especially mine) and gifts, in fact, I don't remember the last time I bought...

      Hello there!

      A friend of mine has their birthday coming up, me being me, I actually don't care for birthdays much (especially mine) and gifts, in fact, I don't remember the last time I bought anything for anyone, myself included.

      But lately, I have the desire to change that. I made a friend through a game and we're really close. I'd like to do something for them. Although my choices are limited and I want it to be a surprise, meaning, I don't want to give them hints that I'm doing anything, like asking for their address. This got me thinking of creating this thread here, if that's alright.

      So far, here's what I have in mind:

      • Hiring a digital artist to create an artwork about them
      • Naming a star after them
      • Curating a playlist for them
      • Coding a temporary celebratory website they can visit with cheesy stuff that reminds me of them

      With that said... Have you ever done this type of thing before? What would you do for a friend you've met online, knowing your choices are virtual and limited? Have you ever received gifts from online friends? What were they?

      18 votes
    2. What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item?

      My parents normally give all us adult kids money for Christmas, but this year my mom said she wants to get us actual gifts and asked for wishlists from us. Problem is: I don’t know what to ask...

      My parents normally give all us adult kids money for Christmas, but this year my mom said she wants to get us actual gifts and asked for wishlists from us. Problem is: I don’t know what to ask for!

      So, similar to the Gift Swap topic, I thought we could come up with a list of items that are very good/useful/satifying but also less obvious, for the purposes of making a decent gift idea list.

      Note: I don’t want it to be specific to me and my tastes/interests, since I want the whole community to be able to use it too. Share anything you like and think others might like!

      87 votes
    3. Christmas present swap ideas

      In lieu of individual presents this year, my family is doing a present swap/steal. What are things you may want to get in the $50-$75 range? Flying so all my typical ideas would be difficult....

      In lieu of individual presents this year, my family is doing a present swap/steal. What are things you may want to get in the $50-$75 range?

      Flying so all my typical ideas would be difficult. Looking for inspiration. Also a chance that it comes back home with me...

      • Chefs knife
      • Bottle of booze
      • High quality version of something common
        • Flashlight
        • Scissors/kitchen shears
        • Blanket
      • Simple tools
      • Pocket Knife
      19 votes
    4. What's on your Christmas wish list?

      I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet (for those in the US), but Christmas shopping season has already started. What gifts would you enjoy receiving this year? Large, small, fun, functional, or...

      I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet (for those in the US), but Christmas shopping season has already started.

      What gifts would you enjoy receiving this year? Large, small, fun, functional, or anything in between. I also acknowledge that some people try not to request anything as part of a minimalist or reduced waste mindset. In that situation, what do you request- money, donations to specific charities on your behalf, something else?

      35 votes
    5. How would you present a digital gift to someone?

      In one of my secret santas this year I have bought a digital copy of a solo RPG to give, however as it's only a PDF I'm not really sure what the best way to go about presenting this on the day of...

      In one of my secret santas this year I have bought a digital copy of a solo RPG to give, however as it's only a PDF I'm not really sure what the best way to go about presenting this on the day of the exchange would be. I want there to be something for her to open, I know that much. In an ideal world whatever she opens will link to a download of the PDF or something, so maybe a QR code situation of some sort?

      18 votes
    6. Need gift ideas for a seven year old girl

      My son got invited to a birthday party, which will be at a candy shop. I don’t know the girl other than she’s 7 and likes dogs and crafts. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Budget would be...

      My son got invited to a birthday party, which will be at a candy shop. I don’t know the girl other than she’s 7 and likes dogs and crafts. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Budget would be under $20 or so.

      Edit: thanks so much for all the suggestions!

      19 votes
    7. Have you ever had a gift of food? What was good or bad about it?

      It's winter gift-giving season and lots of people buy things like advent calendars or food kits as gifts. Have you ever had a gift of food? What worked, and what could have been better? Here's one...

      It's winter gift-giving season and lots of people buy things like advent calendars or food kits as gifts.

      Have you ever had a gift of food? What worked, and what could have been better?

      Here's one example of the kind of thing I'm talking about: SortedFood - Taste testing "luxury" advent calendars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7x-eStTfmE

      10 votes
    8. Sharing my DIY keyring ornament gift

      I want to share with all of you a gift I've been preparing. I love finding good gifts and seeing people's reactions when they get something that truly blows them away. But this is the one I'm most...

      I want to share with all of you a gift I've been preparing. I love finding good gifts and seeing people's reactions when they get something that truly blows them away. But this is the one I'm most proud of yet.

      First, some backstory! Early February 2021, something amazing happened in Belgium. The winter cold wave hit hard and all over the country, lakes froze.

      In the middle of an intense and frustrating lockdown, after a 5 months lull during which all ice rinks were closed and travel was impossible, Belgian skaters all across the country put on their boots and went to skate outdoors on lakes.

      On February 12th, that's exactly what I did with my (at the time) friend from the rink. I posted about it here before. We had a blast of a time; truly a day you don't forget, and it came at a time where both of us were seriously depressed.

      Today, that friend and I have gotten very close and she has become my skating partner. Recently, she moved in to her new apartment close to the ice rink, and I needed a housewarming gift for her! I settled on a keyring. It's very on-brand for a housewarming gift, and I myself have skate boots keyring ornaments kinda like these which are pretty cool. But this is someone I really like, and I wanted to personalize it a bit.

      I then thought about a skating figure ornament that could represent her. And what better than my absolute favourite photo of her from our day on the lakes?

      So I got to work, and a friend helped me trace the initial silhouette as vector since my tracing skills suck. I did clean it up in Inkscape, and I now needed somebody who could turn this digital silhouette into a real physical artifact!

      I found this shop on Etsy, but they did not respond in time when I asked them about cutting that figure for me. So I asked my ex girlfriend (who is doing a Ph.D in metallurgy, soldering and metal printing) for some advice. To my surprise and delight, she volunteered to do the laser cutting herself!

      And so we got to work. I turned the SVG into a DXF (thanks Inkscape for being able to do that!), and she helped me clean up some of the edges. We calculated dimensions, stress spots, and added an attachment anchor. Here is the final contour for the cut, and here is the first trial sample!

      So, after fixing a couple more minor issues, she gave me eight samples. We engraved her trouser's pink stripes into two of them; they're very representative of her skating attire.

      One final issue to deal with was the burn marks. The back of the samples had very burnt edges due to the laser. Today, I found a jewelry workshop which was able to polish that away. I then added a small chain and a cute little snowflake ornament.

      And so, here is the final result:

      Full album: https://imgur.com/a/SW7Sqdm

      She's currently sick and in quarantine. Once she recovers, we are having dinner at her house. I cannot wait to see her reaction :)

      Update: By a friend’s suggestion: Added a print of the original photo with a cute note on the back. Looking nice!
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/d5gvZEqx3eRZgN5dA

      11 votes
    9. What gifts did you give this year?

      Now that the holiday season is nearly over, I figured it is a good time to share the gifts that we gave this year. If there is a particular reason why you gave what you did, please share! Edit:...

      Now that the holiday season is nearly over, I figured it is a good time to share the gifts that we gave this year. If there is a particular reason why you gave what you did, please share!

      Edit: Going to plug USPS's Operation Santa. I plan to participate next year since it seems pretty direct with the giving. Found out about it way too late this year!

      15 votes
    10. What is a 'cool' birthday gift for a fifteen year old girl?

      Hey folks, since I'm completely out of the loop regarding trends but totally interested in being a 'cool uncle', I am asking you (maybe people having kids around this age) for help! What is a...

      Hey folks,

      since I'm completely out of the loop regarding trends but totally interested in being a 'cool uncle', I am asking you (maybe people having kids around this age) for help!

      What is a 'good' present for a 15 year old girl?

      I don't know much about her interests or activities and since she is quite new to the family, I haven't had the chance to talk to her.

      Is there anything 'universal' today that might work? 😅

      Thanks for your thoughts and discussion.

      21 votes
    11. Tildes' Steam Game Gifting Group is now open, with a holiday event!

      Not-So-Secret Santa Is Live! Sign-ups for the group itself will NOT close and will continue to be available on an invite-only basis. IMPORTANT EDIT: It is more than okay to join the group even if...

      Not-So-Secret Santa Is Live!

      Sign-ups for the group itself will NOT close and will continue to be available on an invite-only basis.


      IMPORTANT EDIT: It is more than okay to join the group even if you do NOT intend to gift games to others! Please join if you want to receive games. Gifters love to have an eager audience to gift to!

      For certain events (such as Not-So-Secret Santa) gifting is necessary for those choosing to participate, but these are always optional. Membership in the group and accepting freely given gifts requires no burden of gifting on your behalf.

      ALSO IMPORTANT EDIT: Not-So-Secret Santa has a buy-in of under $5 USD. Though gifters can certainly choose to gift a more expensive game if they prefer, each participant is including at least one game on their wishlist that is less than $5 USD in order to minimize the people who are priced out of participating.


      With @Deimos's permission, I have started the Tildes' Steam Game Gifting Group and am beginning its first event: Not-So-Secret Santa!

      In proper Tildes' fashion the group is invite-only at the moment, so if you would like to join, please reply here or PM me with a link to your Steam profile or your Steam username. I'll have to friend you to send you the invite, but you don't need to keep me on your friends' list after you've accepted it if you don't want to (I promise I won't mind!).

      I envision the group being used for specific events (like Not-So-Secret Santa), random giveaways, and group-limited lotteries (using the platform Steamgifts).

      40 votes
    12. Has anyone gifted you food or a kitchen / cooking gadget that you particularly liked?

      Coming up to Christmas and gift-giving is on my mind and I wondered if you've ever been given food or a food-related gadget that you liked? I guess we can also talk about the misses too. I like...

      Coming up to Christmas and gift-giving is on my mind and I wondered if you've ever been given food or a food-related gadget that you liked? I guess we can also talk about the misses too.

      I like chocolate, so small amounts of nice chocolate are something that I like.

      11 votes
    13. What do you gift a couch host?

      In a few days, I’ll be crashing on my friend’s couch for a week. If it matters, I can only buy from retail stores within Hong Kong and hand carry on the subway. Every time I see them, they’re too...

      In a few days, I’ll be crashing on my friend’s couch for a week.

      If it matters, I can only buy from retail stores within Hong Kong and hand carry on the subway. Every time I see them, they’re too quick on the bill, so taking them to eat is out of the question.

      Obvious choices are alcohol or fruit basket. I’m terrible at picking gifts for people, as I’m always worried they’ll be as picky as I am on my purchases.

      What are your go-tos for gifts in this situation?

      11 votes