Suitable gift for a lapsed friend

[Elpenor]

I’m seeing a friend next week I’ve been out of contact with for 5 years… anyway I reached out to her, we had an hour long phone call and now we are meeting for lunch at hers.

I’d like to bring a small gift to renew the friendship.

I’m not sure that booze or chocs are the right choices here, as she wasn’t really a drinker when I knew her as she’s rather religious. I was thinking something garden related but I don’t know if flowers are the right choice; and if they aren’t - what else to get?

Help me please Urban!

 

[killer b]

Flowers are always welcome ime

 

[mango5]

A small plant rather than cut flowers?

 

[bimble]

Has she got a garden? You could bring some spring bulbs, to stick in the ground and look forward to.

 

[moomoo]

A lovely pot plant.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Flowers or a plant are a nice gift I think.

 

[Elpenor]

She’s definitely got a garden, I’ll have a look at a garden centre over the next few days prior to meeting her

Spring bulbs seem a good idea as she could involve her kids in planting them, plus they won’t go bad in my car as I’m on the road for a few days now

 

[Pickman's model]

An electricity gift voucher

 

[platinumsage]

Outdoor bulbs or cut flowers. A house plant brings an obligation not to let it die and to have it on display, visibly alive, at future meetings.

 

[Petcha]

She’s definitely got a garden, I’ll have a look at a garden centre over the next few days prior to meeting her

Spring bulbs seem a good idea as she could involve her kids in planting them, plus they won’t go bad in my car as I’m on the road for a few days now

 

[Chilli.s]

+1 for cut flowers. Freesias, as not too big, not too much effort for the recipient to deal with, 2 or 3 bunches wrapped into one bunch.

ed...Freesia not fuchsia

 

[killer b]

Pot plants are a bit of a burden unless you're into pot plants, so unless you know she is I wouldn't go for that myself

 

[moomoo]

A puppy!!

 

[iona]

Cut flowers are depressing as fuck

 

[bimble]

Somebody gave me bulbs last year (tulips) and I forgot all about them til they came up in the spring and that was a really lovely thing. Look a bit crap when you’re given them though, compared to say a box of chocs.

 

[Callie]

+1 for cut flowers. Freesias, as not too big, not too much effort for the recipient to deal with, 2 or 3 bunches wrapped into one bunch.

ed...Freesia not fuchsia

My fav, love the smell!

 

[moose]

I find flowers a minefield - what will they like, do I need to think about feline-friendly ones if they've got cats, and have they even got a vase...

I'd go for a giant lenticular print of jesus. Or spring bulbs.

 

[Chilli.s]

My fav, love the smell!

Yeah, the smell is part of the attraction. A gift that will give even when not directly looked at!

 

[story]

Another vote for bulbs.

I’d suggest getting one of those little pots of bulbs that are already planted up. Then you’re not giving her a bag of dried bulbs that might sit on a shelf somewhere waiting til she’s ready to dig holes in the garden for planting them. They’ll flower and then she can plant them when they’ve gone over.

M&S often sell such things.

And while you’re in there get her a bar of their really good single estate chocolate. I prefer to give and also get one or two of those than a presentation box of chocs. Presentation chocs are overpriced, so even if I like them I’m highly unlikely to ever buy them for myself afterwards, whereas the single estate chocolate bars, while pricey, are not completely out of my reach if I do feel like I deserve a treat. If you don’t know if she likes dark or milk, get one of each.

 

[Elpenor]

Thanks all, think she’ll definitely appreciate anything garden related

 

[surreybrowncap]

Why not a scarecrow!!

 

[weepiper]

Another vote for bulbs.

I’d suggest getting one of those little pots of bulbs that are already planted up. Then you’re not giving her a bag of dried bulbs that might sit on a shelf somewhere waiting til she’s ready to dig holes in the garden for planting them. They’ll flower and then she can plant them when they’ve gone over.

M&S often sell such things.

M&S definitely have such things right now because I was in there looking at houseplants a couple of days ago.

 

[moonsi til]

Choice between flowers or plant I go plant however I have barely any room for a plant in my home now which makes me wary of buying them for others when I don’t know what space they have.

My other safe gift is a candle or if I know they like coffee a decent bag of coffee.

TK Maxx is good for candles but recently I bought someone a Neom candle as I also subscribe to buy what you want to receive yourself.

Or does where you live have a local delicacy that can be gifted?

 

[quimcunx]

British gas gift card.

 

[danski]

This is the best I’ve got-
If her name is Anne and you a have a mutual friend called Sue, for whom Anne wrote a song, you could buy some special tea to commemorate that. Lapsed Anne’s Sue song.
Needs work, I know

 

[Aladdin]

Cut flowers are depressing as fuck

I have to agree with this.
I hate getting cut flowers...because I end up watching them die.

 

[Aladdin]

Why not just treat her to her lunch?

 

[story]

I don’t like cut flowers because of the environmental damage and indentured labour that goes into growing them, but I confess that I do like to have them in the house. And I actually really like watching them fade and wilt and go over. I’ll change the water and curate them for as long as I can, being very delicate as they become more and more fragile. I love seeing the colours of the petals change, the confetti of them falling onto the table, and the leaves change shape and form, the stems emerge as structural support and their ribs and other details become more apparent.

Hate it and won’t abide it if it’s just a vase of rotting vegetation with stinky water, but if I pay daily attention and make sure the wter doesn’t go stale I enjoy every stage of having them. Seems to me the least I can do to honour their life and the work and energy that went into growing them, transporting them, and then the gift of receiving them.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Cactus or aloe Vera plant It’s what people Seem to give me

Hard to kill, cute, small, not smelly, no psychological triggers to deaths marriages illness’s or allergies, happily live in a shelf in the bog

 

[Aladdin]

If she is someone who was in your life and you have photos she might not have copies from ....why not put a few together for her? She might like that...