Thirteen Things for Two Special Birthdays
January 22, 2021 1:16 PM Subscribe
I know two kids who are special to me - not siblings - who are far across the country, who are each twelve years old. They are turning thirteen in a few weeks, and I just got the bright idea to send them thirteen of....something to make them smile, for their birthday. But what!
One of them is a boy, and one is a girl. I wish my brain could have come up with more ideas after just that one, but no.
I don't particularly know what either one of them is into, right now, and neither one lives anywhere close to me, geographically. I don't want to spend like....an unlimited amount of money (like...thirteen video games or thirteen new novels would probably end up being a lot more than I would feel comfortable spending) but I was thinking somewhere around $100 per kid as an upper limit. Not Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Any ideas will be entertained and appreciated!
One of them is a boy, and one is a girl. I wish my brain could have come up with more ideas after just that one, but no.
I don't particularly know what either one of them is into, right now, and neither one lives anywhere close to me, geographically. I don't want to spend like....an unlimited amount of money (like...thirteen video games or thirteen new novels would probably end up being a lot more than I would feel comfortable spending) but I was thinking somewhere around $100 per kid as an upper limit. Not Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Any ideas will be entertained and appreciated!
I was going to suggest thirteen $10 bills, but that exceeds your limit.
posted by Juniper Toast at 1:22 PM on January 22, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by Juniper Toast at 1:22 PM on January 22, 2021 [4 favorites]
How about 13 cards sent on consecutive days, each different and with different small gifts or bills in them? I did this for a nephew's 7th birthday and we had a great time with it. Each card had a little story, game, list, or poem. It was really fun for both of us.
posted by pril at 1:42 PM on January 22, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by pril at 1:42 PM on January 22, 2021 [3 favorites]
Just some thoughts:
Based on pril's idea, if each day you increased the amount from $1 to $13 the total would be $91 which is less than your maximum. But I realize you might want other options beyond cash.
I suppose you could give them a clue each day to a gift you're sending them, and ask them to wait to open it if it arrives before all the clues (or until they've guessed it).
Another possibility would be to send them any gift you think they'd like plus a list of 13 things about them that you admire, or things they've done that you feel are extraordinary.
posted by forthright at 2:00 PM on January 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
Based on pril's idea, if each day you increased the amount from $1 to $13 the total would be $91 which is less than your maximum. But I realize you might want other options beyond cash.
I suppose you could give them a clue each day to a gift you're sending them, and ask them to wait to open it if it arrives before all the clues (or until they've guessed it).
Another possibility would be to send them any gift you think they'd like plus a list of 13 things about them that you admire, or things they've done that you feel are extraordinary.
posted by forthright at 2:00 PM on January 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
12 blows, 13 rocks! or 12 sucks, 13 rocks!
Send 12 blowpops or 12 lollipops and 13 pieces of rock candy or pop rocks.
posted by MadMadam at 2:04 PM on January 22, 2021 [4 favorites]
Send 12 blowpops or 12 lollipops and 13 pieces of rock candy or pop rocks.
posted by MadMadam at 2:04 PM on January 22, 2021 [4 favorites]
13 balloons, 13 flowers, 13 cupcakes, 13 bags of a favorite chip or cookie (easiest to do with grocery delivery I think!) - I think at 13, getting anything in the mail or dropped off at your door just for you would be so special! a fun idea!
posted by monster_a at 2:22 PM on January 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by monster_a at 2:22 PM on January 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
13 tony's chocolonely's chocolate bars. If their parents would ever forgive you.
posted by aniola at 3:18 PM on January 22, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by aniola at 3:18 PM on January 22, 2021 [3 favorites]
My parents still do this! Objects I have received my age's worth of in various years include chocolate truffles, dollar coins, secondhand paperback books, and roses.
posted by yarntheory at 4:03 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by yarntheory at 4:03 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
$2 bills(request ahead of time at your bank), packs of Juicy Fruit, juggling/hackysack balls, Reese's cups. Bakery cookies are a good idea.
posted by theora55 at 4:13 PM on January 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 4:13 PM on January 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
13 is a baker's dozen.
posted by aniola at 4:19 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by aniola at 4:19 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
Age Hams! Thanks to someone on this site who mentioned them, I've had such a good time ordering various tiny pink pigs to just hand out to people to make them smile. You can get an assortment of stamped hams, or just the number 13. I still have some because they are just fun stuff.
posted by annieb at 4:31 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by annieb at 4:31 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
Is that "thirteen of....something" supposed to be "thirteen of....the same thing"? Or just thirteen somethings (maybe along a theme or something)?
Thirteen different...
types of pens.
colors of polymer clay.
different dollar store odd toy things.
different sodas (though that might be over the limit once shipping is involved) but visiting a soda shop that carries a bazillion different sodas is hella fun.
different ethnic bags of candy for them to try.
different rolls of washi-tape type sort of things for their school notebooks (if they ever have them again).
different boxes of incense (piss off their parents). heh, different types of noise making devices.
My natural take is to send them different things to broaden their experience and maybe introduce them to at least one thing new that they might enjoy and use (with replacement) for the rest of their life (or at least a good while). But they'll still hopefully remember that that thing was one of those thirteen from that birthday.
posted by zengargoyle at 9:47 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
Thirteen different...
types of pens.
colors of polymer clay.
different dollar store odd toy things.
different sodas (though that might be over the limit once shipping is involved) but visiting a soda shop that carries a bazillion different sodas is hella fun.
different ethnic bags of candy for them to try.
different rolls of washi-tape type sort of things for their school notebooks (if they ever have them again).
different boxes of incense (piss off their parents). heh, different types of noise making devices.
My natural take is to send them different things to broaden their experience and maybe introduce them to at least one thing new that they might enjoy and use (with replacement) for the rest of their life (or at least a good while). But they'll still hopefully remember that that thing was one of those thirteen from that birthday.
posted by zengargoyle at 9:47 PM on January 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
If there's a subject they're interested in, you could give them a subscription to a relevant magazine. That would presumably be 12 issues over the next year, which you could bring to 13 by giving them a book that in some way contains highlights of previous issues. For example, a subscription to National Geographic along with a National Geographic book. Or a subscription to a comic book, plus a compilation of previous issues.
posted by yankeefog at 2:46 AM on January 23, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by yankeefog at 2:46 AM on January 23, 2021 [2 favorites]
From my daughter:
Vinyl stickers! Vinyl stickers are cool right now. You can get 13 within your budget if you look in the right places, and shipping costs should be low. Space/galaxy stickers, cute animal stickers, or nature stickers would go over okay with most kids.
Nthing fun candy or dollar coins. Just check about food restrictions first for the candy.
posted by mbrubeck at 3:59 PM on January 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
Vinyl stickers! Vinyl stickers are cool right now. You can get 13 within your budget if you look in the right places, and shipping costs should be low. Space/galaxy stickers, cute animal stickers, or nature stickers would go over okay with most kids.
Nthing fun candy or dollar coins. Just check about food restrictions first for the candy.
posted by mbrubeck at 3:59 PM on January 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
I understand the "13x" idea, but when my neice and nephew each turned 13, I spotlighted the "official teenager" angle and got them each a Leatherman Wave (whose tool selection I like better than the Wave Plus's, FWIW). $90ish.
8-13 years later they still have and use them, and which might last the rest of their lives.
posted by rhizome at 4:04 PM on January 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
8-13 years later they still have and use them, and which might last the rest of their lives.
posted by rhizome at 4:04 PM on January 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by wnissen at 1:19 PM on January 22, 2021 [4 favorites]