Birthday Party Favor Ideas

Everyone loves a bit of attention when birthdays come around, especially the invited guests. Birthday party favors, if they are well thought out and creative, can make your visitors feel special. Don't give gifts because everyone does so at birthday parties, and don't buy the cheapest things you can find en masse at sales. If you are giving and your guests are receiving just for the heck of it, what's the point anyway? Many people dislike giving goody bags as they feel they encourage a commercial mentality, in which case I feel, why encourage the populist mentality either and celebrate your birthday at all? C'mon, unless you are dirt poor or neck-deep in debt, you can be generous and big-hearted for at least one day of the year.

As you put up the birthday party decorations, take some time to think about the kids and adults you have invited and consider their likes. You don't have to go overboard with the expense, just make sure your goodies are fun and unique, perhaps even useful, although in practicality it shouldn't be an overwhelming concern. If you aren't a kid or young at heart, dig your ancient memories for those long ago days when you enjoyed receiving completely silly things that you really had no possible use for. You can come up with as many party favor ideas as possible, just as you can with birthday party ideas and birthday party themes.

Amusing Ideas for Birthday Party Favors

Party Themes Gear Up the Mood
Match your birthday party favors to the birthday party theme. So if the theme is 'Peter Pan', you can dole out goodies related to that theme. For the kids, you can have pencils, pens, erasers, balloons, stickers, band aids, hair bands, brooches, coloring boxes, etc., decorated with pictures of Peter, Wendy, Tinker Bell and the gang. You can also get small stuffed dolls of these characters as well as cartoon DVDs and picture books featuring them. For the adults, you can get movie DVDs of Peter Pan, music CDs, books, napkin rings, playing cards, crystalline and Chinese figurines.

Creativity is Fun
Organize an art project and get everyone involved. It doesn't have to be elaborate. In fact, keeping it simple will be more fun. Have your guests create prints on shirts or scarves, make colored candles, paint pots or make paper flowers. Whatever they make, they can take home with them.

Treasure Hunt Favors
Organize a treasure hunt on your property. Give your guests leads or clues (nothing that will take hours to decipher) to get from one point to the other and hide gifts en route for them to find. Each person can keep the gift they find. You can also have a 'treasure chest' at the end, so in case someone is unlucky and doesn't find anything, they don't feel left out. The gifts can include diamond-shaped paperweights, custom birthday cookies, crystal candle holders, candies, custom-made lavender sachets, colorful bandannas, miniature pipes, chocolate coins, and so on.

Gifts Galore
What party is complete without gifts! Just make sure you have some interesting gifts for your guests belonging to all age groups so that no one goes back disappointed.

Fragrant Soaps
You can gift your guest some beautiful designer soaps in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes. Soaps shaped like roses, daisies, mannequins, ornaments, birds, animals, stars, leaves, hearts, shells, horse-shoes, etc., are sure to intrigue and amuse both adults and children.

Dainty Bags
If you have the time, you can make tiny beaded or embroidered bags for your guests. You can also order such bags or small personalized tote bags. Put in a few candies before you give them.

Who's the Lucky One!
One of the simplest things is to set up a large basket filled with wrapped gifts and have each guest take a lucky dip. You can have expensive or inexpensive presents, anything from crystal wine stoppers, travel candles to strangely shaped key rings or else, skipping ropes, colored play-doh, crayons, rubber balls, Frisbees, stuffed teddy bears, etc.

The Book Club
If you and your friends like to read or you want to encourage the reading habit, consider a book exchange. Have everyone bring a gift-wrapped book to exchange with the other guests. Or buy inexpensive, remaindered books and pile them up and let your guests take their pick.

For All Keen Gardeners
Instead of goodies, gift flowering plants or fruit plants to your guests. Other options include creatively wrapped seeds and bulbs. Of course, such gifts will only be appreciated and not wasted if your guests have an interest in gardening. Enthusiastic gardeners or not, everyone might appreciate tiny porcelain watering cans, wheel-barrows, garden pails, and garden pots. Miniature silk plants, flowers, and butterflies also make great gifts.

Finish with a Thank You
You can give each one of your guest a mint or cookie tin with a personalized picture and message on the lid. Personalized messages are loved by all and is a great way of saying "thank you for coming". You could place a "thank you note", for that matter, and this gesture too, will be valued.

What you can also do is, welcome your guests with a red carpet and arrange for party hats too. And not to forget, a birthday party is incomplete without a delicious cake and party snacks for your guests. Spend some time planning these party favors so that you don't leave any stone unturned, and make a lasting impression on your guests' mind.