
Pop open the bubbly, and let’s cheers to all the ways that you can let your friends know that they’re appreciated.
World Friendship Day was proposed in 1958 in Paraguay, to celebrate those important people who are always there for us, time after time. It was first suggested in 1919 by the founder of Hallmark cards, Joyce Hall, and what was originally dismissed as a transparently commercial idea has now become something that we can’t wait to celebrate. And, after the disorientating year that we’ve all had, an excuse to reconnect with our favourite people has never been more welcome
Flowers and friendship? It just makes sense! Shower your best friends with cards, chocolates, and beautiful flower bouquets, because why not? Everybody loves a little gift to show you care, and it’s the least you can do to show your group chat gang just how much you appreciate their endless patience, comfort and support during a really tough time. To keep it sentimental, opt for a flower that truly represents friendship such as a yellow rose, a gorgeous iris, or some smiling sunflowers to really put a smile on their face.
Instagram has its perks, but you can’t beat the beauty of a perfectly framed print. Hop onto Snapfish and order some of your favourite photographs of you and your bestie, then pick out the perfect frame. Top tip: choose a frame that picks out the colours of the photograph or, if you want to rotate the picture inside, go for a minimal metallic frame that will compliment any image. Either give it to your friend or keep it for yourself to make your friendship part of your home. There’s no better way to make a memory last forever!
As the COVID-19 restrictions have begun to ease, we have been given a lot more freedom to socialise with our friends and family at different indoor locations. Dinner, cocktails, and gossip are an absolute must! Pick a restaurant with a great Happy Hour, dust off those high-heels and bring your besties out to play. Either make a booking at somewhere sentimental that brings back fond memories for you and your favourite friends, or treat yourselves to something a bit fancier to make up for lost time!
Don’t worry, we’re not trying to lure you back into the world of endless Zoom quizzes – we’ve all had enough of those to last a lifetime! Instead, organise for each person in your group to come up with a round of questions that will ultimately create your very own Friendship Quiz. From Picture Round to “Who Said This?”, there are endless ways that you and your besties can reminisce over the times that you’ve shared while injecting some healthy competition into the group! Make sure each person brings a prize and set yourselves some fun forfeits for anyone who gets a question wrong. Hilarious, personal, and a guaranteed way to reveal who knows the group better than anyone else!
While some of us feel comfortable with the prospect of visiting restaurants and bars with our friends that we haven’t seen in months, for others, it may not be the case. If you notice that some of your friends are holding back from making plans and socialising, don’t be quick to judge them. While it might be easy to assume that they simply don’t care to see you, you must also remember that, aside from the odd phone call, you haven’t spent physical time with some of your friends in over a year. A lot of things may have changed in their lives, emotionally and physically.
Be sure to consider who they live with and if these people are still vulnerable to the virus. In addition to this, they may be battling with some post-lockdown anxiety, which is a completely rational response to all of the changes going on around us. For these individuals, go one step further when checking in with them, and if they’d prefer to stick to Facetime to catch up rather than a face-to-face gathering, support their decision by respecting their boundaries.
When it comes down to it, there is no better way to celebrate International Friendship Day than by showing up for your loved ones when they need you. That’s friendship.
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