30th Birthday
Thirty is the birthday that everyone is indecisive about. It’s special enough that you don’t want to get it forgotten toast slide number forty-two from Costco. But you also don’t need to make a day of it when your friend turns thirty. They’ve figured out what they like by now. They know good taste. Which is helpful for you if you’re the one purchasing, because it means that off-brand stuff is out, and they’ll know if you half-arsed it.
This is why we created this list. Getting thirty gifts right is tough. You’re at an age where you’re not requiring grand romantic gestures but you’re also not a teenager that wants silly gag gifts. You’re at an age where you’ve got your life together. So we started brainstorming about what kind of gift is actually appropriate for the occasion. Something a little special without being too cute about it. Something that shows you put some thought into it, and that you know them. Because that’s the kind of gift it should be.
All of our picks on this list we vetted through asking ourselves would I feel comfortable giving this to someone for their thirtieth. Not just any thirtieth, but the ones that feel like they truly matter. For that cool friend you grew up with and somehow became adults with. Your sister that you joke has one foot in the grave but won’t stop making amazing memories. Your boyfriend or girlfriend that you’re going to spend the next decade with. We wanted each gift to cater to the heaviness of the occasion without trying too hard.
We’ve included some experiences here. Things you wouldn’t have appreciated at 20, but will at 30. We’ve got some goods too. Well-made and curated items that you’ll want to last. And we’ve got some things that we think your person would hate themselves for not buying but will think of anytime they use for the rest of the year. We love you guys the most if you buy something from the latter category.
We didn’t want to overwhelm anyone with an overabundance of choices. A curated list of things we love is much more valuable than a giant list filled with things we weren’t sure about. Thirty is too important of an age to receive a TedTalk on why you shouldn’t use their gift filter.