How to Make the Friendship Day Celebration Special

Friends — the beautiful people that make our lives easier and fill our days with light. Despite them playing such a big role in our lives, we do not get to say thank you often. That is why the July 30, the international friendship day celebration, is all more special.

As Helen Keller said once, “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.” It is a pearl of timeless wisdom that holds today, and that will be just as relevant in a couple of decades. We spend a lot of time appreciating romantic love, but not enough the friendship that in reality keep us going. It can be corrected. The friendship day is the best excuse for you to gather your favorite people around and thank them for being in your life the best way you can.

Looking for the friendship day celebration ideas that would make the day feel even meaningful? We know how to help! Here is our tasted and tried run-down through the things you can do to make the day even more special than it already is.

History of the friendship day

Friendships are incredibly important and it is not just an outdated thing to say — it is a fact. Many recent studies have proven that the strength of people’s relationships and life satisfaction metrics correlate.

While the celebration has been popularized in the recent years, thanks to the growth of the social networks and how easier they have made connecting with others, the first mentions of the friendship day celebration dates back to 1919. Since then, the idea of the Friendship day has stuck in everyone’s mind.

The day, however, became official only in 2011. It was not an easy fight. After the 30 years of lobbying, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared July 30 the International Friendship day. From that time on, the celebration became a tradition that took off in many countries.

But even though the UN gave the Friendship Day celebration and official day, many countries still honor the beauty of friendship on different dates. Many do it on the first Sunday of August like Bangladesh, India, and, of course, the UAE. Some others celebrate it on July 20.

Friendship day celebration ideas

There are thousands of things you can do with your friends to make the day a little more special. Here are just some ideas from our team. We have divided the list into two parts — for the home and for going out. Choose the one that fits your needs best.

If you would like to stay at home:

• Home party with a dinner
• Game night
• Picnic
• Crafting session
• Sleepover
• Cook something together
• Meaningful conversation and reflection of the friendship
• 36 Questions to deepen your relationship
• Donate to a charity from the name of your friends

If you feel like going out:

• Theatre night
• A BBQ with your closest friends
• A trip to somewhere
• Do sports: play volleyball, basketball, the game of catch, tennis or any other sport of choice
• Dinner in a fancy restaurant
• Visit the place you have met at (kindergarten, drawing class, school, or uni)

Friendship day celebration ideas that will make it extra special (and don’t cost anything):

• Check-in on an old friend
• Reach out to someone you wanted to befriend in a while
• Spend time with a co-worker or a classmate who does not feel comfortable
• Apologize to a friend if you ever felt like you needed to
• Create a memory box
• Look through the old photographs
• Write a letter

Friendship day gifts

We know it is not about the gifts. Your friends will probably do well without them too — but something small symbolic, will raise their mood and make the day feel truly special.

With a present, they will constantly have a reminder of the friendship day celebration and thus of yours. It will be there to comfort them when you are not around. It is always nice to have something like that around.

Here are some ideas that will fit any taste and budget:

• Home-made cookies or cupcakes
• DIY bracelets and other accessions
• A mug with a funny quote
• Custom fandom-related item Piece of jewelry
• Their favorite flowers A rare book edition
• Photobook full of mutual memories
• Funny socks or any other clothing item
• An online subscription (Netflix, Coursera, etc. — choose the one that says the most about your friend)
• Cool gadget
• A table or an online game
• Write a story or create a video, representing your friendship
• Funny gift card
• In other words, you have many options — as long as the present is authentic and reflects the relationships you are good to go.

The best time to say thank you

Despite all the magazines and traditions telling you to need to spend a lot of money on the celebration, you should not really. It is not about the things you a gift and even what you do, but they intend. If you want to make your friends happy, it is what you should go for.

A good friendship celebration day is the one that allows you foremost to spend the time with friends and have fun. It is the day that will you can spend continuously appreciating the other person and thank them for positively affecting your life. Do it how you know it best.

The friendship day celebration is not complete with a piece of wisdom, passed down to us throughout the generation. So many great things have been said about friendships throughout the years (which only shows how important and meaningful is the relationship), and we cannot end the article with one more quote about it. The Rober Louis Stevenson said it best, ‘ A friend is a gift you give yourself.’ And we would like to add that if you ever find one — it is worth treasuring.