Birthday Gifts To Bring?

ailema4ever · Post by **ailema4ever** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:56 pm

Next week's Saturday, my hubby's cousin is having his birthday party in his house.

My hubby says that the common gift to bring is a bottle of alcoholic drinks. Is that true????????

Is it the norm to bring gifts to birthday parties, even for adults?

I heard that in Holland if the birthday boy/girl holds a party, the guests are supposed to bring gifts but the norm is that the gifts shouldn't cost more than €20.

What about the norm here in Finland?

AMEL

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EP · Post by EP » Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:19 pm

It is normal to bring a bottle of wine, but it doesn´t have to cost a fortune, you get a reasonable bottle with 8 €. We are not talking about 50 € cognacs here.

ailema4ever · Post by **ailema4ever** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:07 pm

Oh...a bottle of wine costs €8? I never bought anything so I don't know the cost.

THANKS for the info, EP.

This is VERY helpful!!!

AMEL

sinti · Post by **sinti** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:10 am

Hmmm... As much as I have been to birthdays here, people do bring presents to birthday girl / boy. If we are more than one going in a company we organise the gift together (Finns + foreigners). And then we might take also a bottle of wine or a drink you would enjoy during the evening.
It might be true that gift does not have to be expensive.

Xochiquetzal · Post by **Xochiquetzal** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:26 am

A bottle of wine for a male or flowers (cut or potted) for a woman. That's what we always get from my Finnish relatives.

Cris · Post by **Cris** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:44 am

Xochiquetzal wrote:A bottle of wine for a male or flowers (cut or potted) for a woman. That's what we always get from my Finnish relatives.

sounds pretty boring.
im a woman, i'd rather the wine.
HA!

Mölkky-Fan · Post by **Mölkky-Fan** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 12:40 pm

It sounds like two things are being confused:

1) present being given when your child attends a birthday party (normally limited to 10 - 15 Euros in our social cirles)

2) present when you go to someones house (flowers/ wine etc)

We never take two presents, and no-one coming to our house does this.

If you, as parents, are attending a birthday party which you are taking your kids to and feel a bit cheapskate, then just buy a nicer present for the kid.

Then just use common sense...Do not bring food, unless you ask first. Do not bring too expensive gifts, otherwise you make people feel uncomfortable, do not buy gifts which could offend blah blah blah

DMC · Post by **DMC** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 1:50 pm

tummansininen wrote:
> Yes but we're talking about someone you don't know

I find this strange. The original post concerned the poster's husband's cousin. Xochiquetzal's post was about presents received from Finnish relatives. I guess your family is different to mine - I know my family. Even with people outside the family your experience is different to mine. People I don't know don't invite me to their birthday celebrations.

As regards what present to take, and how much to spend, I always think that is likely to vary from family to family and even from person to person within the family, as well as on your own circumstances. Finding an interesting/personal present for a relative isn't that difficult, and I approach it from that angle raher than starting with the price.

ailema4ever · Post by **ailema4ever** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 2:44 pm

Tummansininen is RIGHT!!!

At least now I know that a bottle of wine is an appropriate gift for a male adult's birthday. The thing is, in my home country, a bottle of wine is definitely NOT an appropriate birthday gift, and I do want to know how much is considered appropriate as a birthday gift price range since I don't want to make anybody uncomfortable by bringing a gift which they consider "too expensive".

I don't even know for sure if the party would be a dinner party or not. I've never been to such a party before, so that's gonna be interesting.

THANKS for all the info, anyway.

AMEL

ailema4ever · Post by **ailema4ever** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:54 pm

THANKS, tummansininen. Will do that later.

I LOVE this forum!!!

AMEL

EP · Post by EP » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:03 pm

The thing is, in my home country, a bottle of wine is definitely NOT an appropriate birthday gift, and I do want to know how much is considered appropriate as a birthday gift price range since I don't want to make anybody uncomfortable by bringing a gift which they consider "too expensive".

That wine and/or flowers is not really a GIFT. People bring wine and/or flowers also when they visit a friend to have dinner in his/her house or just to chat the evening away, no birthday involved. It is sort of "thank you for inviting me, it was nice to come" thing.

People usually give birthday present only to children, girl/boyfriends, husbans/wives, and people who turn 50/60 and throw a party.

ailema4ever · Post by **ailema4ever** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:48 pm

EP, THANKS for rectifying it.

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