96
votes
Accepted
How to imply that the gift is meant for the two of us
Don't give the tickets, give an invitation to go to the concert together.
That way you will be making it clear what your gift is: attending the concert with you. Also, this leaves you still holding ...
- 4,931
62
votes
Accepted
It's my birthday! How do I tell people who don't know, who might want to know, without being awkward?
For work, I bring in donuts for everyone and let them know I brought them in to celebrate my birthday. This is a pretty common gesture at many workplaces in the Midwest US. Alternatives are cupcakes,...
- 2,377
44
votes
I forgot my friend's birthday, how can I convince him to forgive me?
You don’t.
You will find in life people forget things. Usually as people get older and more mature (past their teens) they care less about the occasion of their birthday. If as a grown man he’s ...
- 1,070
31
votes
How to avoid wishing my coworker on her birthday?
Birthdays are not something you can believe in or not. They are a matter of fact. A person is born, and once a year this day repeats.
What you can chose to practice or "believe in" is celebrating ...
- 1,075
31
votes
How to avoid wishing my coworker on her birthday?
I think the only thing you can do here is 'be polite'.
If your co-worker is that excited about her birthday, she obviously attaches more value to it than you do. That's okay, people are all allowed ...
- 33.9k
28
votes
How to imply that the gift is meant for the two of us
It's delicate, but I'd roughly say the following.
I've got two tickets to see this band, want to have one? Don't worry about the price, consider it a late birthday present. We can try grab a third ...
- 481
24
votes
How to imply that the gift is meant for the two of us
This is not a date, we would go as friends.
I'm sure she won't reject my invitation (as we been to concert before).
She does have a boyfriend, so she might think the tickets are for the two of ...
- 1,071
22
votes
How can I communicate to friends and family that I don't want a specific type of birthday gift?
What I've often found is that people find gifts that "work" and they fall back on those when they don't know what the person actually wants. We often have this expectation that all of our friends and ...
- 14.2k
19
votes
How to imply that the gift is meant for the two of us
Do not give her the actual tickets. Instead, make your own ticket (either arts/crafts or graphic design depending on your skillset) that says something like the following:
Awesome Band
Admit one
One ...
- 15.2k
19
votes
Accepted
How to convey (non-awkwardly) that its my birthday?
Yesterday a colleague of mine had birthday and I didn't know about it until later that day where she brought in some food and sent an email to everyone. I felt pretty embarrassed, as I already met her ...
- 1,809
18
votes
Accepted
I forgot my friend's birthday, how can I convince him to forgive me?
Short answer: You can't.
There is no such thing as convincing someone. You can display your arguments and that is all. The part of actually believing what you said/demonstrated is up to him.
...
- 688
17
votes
How to invite people to an event who don't get along?
Option 2 sounds like the safest and most honest way to handle it.
If Person A is likely to be uncomfortable, but you still want them to show up, it's probably better if you give them a chance to ...
- 54.8k
17
votes
Accepted
How can I make it up to my best friend after I forgot her birthday?
I'd like to try a small "frame challenge" with you. Try to help me answer this imaginary question:
How can I tell my friend I was wrong to over-react when they forgot my birthday?
I have a friend ...
- 44.4k
15
votes
How to politely turn down my surprise birthday celebration at work?
Seems like people hasn't known about your belief before. If they had known before, they will respect you by leaving you alone that day (well, perhaps with extra, but subtle, kindness, although they ...
- 8,478
15
votes
How to avoid wishing my coworker on her birthday?
You don't believe in birthdays, or in celebrating them? Hard to deny this person was born?
Jehovah's Witnesses also don't celebrate birthdays because they think only God is worth celebrating. I used ...
- 1,214
15
votes
Accepted
How can I tell my brother to stop giving me condoms for my birthday?
There are three ways that I've tried to get people to stop doing stuff. The first is to ask them to stop. That sometimes works; more often than not the other party says "Hey, that bothers ...
- 32.3k
14
votes
It's my birthday! How do I tell people who don't know, who might want to know, without being awkward?
While I personally think there is no social obligation to tell people, I find that most people love the opportunity to celebrate something like a birthday if given a chance.
If it were me I'd say,
...
- 149
14
votes
Accepted
Is it OK to wish someone who's terminally ill "Happy Birthday"?
It's actually not common at all to have 5 years left to live. A few months, a year or two, or "there's nothing we can do" are the usual diagnoses. That said, whether a person is dying or not, their ...
- 44.4k
9
votes
How to politely turn down my surprise birthday celebration at work?
Just say:
Hey, can we talk? I might have overheard you were throwing a surprise party. Can you do me a favor and not organize one. I don't believe in birthdays for this and this reason. Thanks. (...
- 1,214
8
votes
How to stop buying presents?
I think you should stop feeling guilty.
People are not entitled to your gifts. Your money is yours alone to spend on your friends. If they are not yet in your inner circle (of gift), they can't force ...
- 8,478
8
votes
How to avoid wishing my coworker on her birthday?
There are a couple of things for you to pick and choose from. Let's begin with:
I like her
The choice that I would ask you to make is this....
Is your hard-line take against not celebrating ...
- 376
8
votes
Accepted
What is the etiquette for hosting your own birthday event? Who pays?
In my personal experience:
If you invite people, you're the one paying
Unless you invite people and clearly state on the invitation that you're expecting people to contribute.
A befriended couple of ...
- 1,617
8
votes
How to invite people to an event who don't get along?
I find "A" and "B" a bit impersonal, so I'll call them Alice and Bob.
Invite Them Separately
Invite Alice at an earlier time than Bob and most of the guests, and tell Alice that Bob will be coming. ...
- 4,931
8
votes
Accepted
How to reassure my mother about the fact that forgetting my birthday does not mean I'm mad at her?
How to reassure my mother about the fact that forgetting my birthday does not mean I'm mad at her?
Crazy thought, but ... don't do anything at all, don't take any intiative. My mom sometimes thinks ...
- 33.9k
7
votes
It's my birthday! How do I tell people who don't know, who might want to know, without being awkward?
There are lots of ways to let people know that your birthday is coming up or is occurring. I'm a big fan of birthdays, regardless of their importance. My son's first birthday is coming up in a couple ...
- 14.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Do I need to go to a family member's birthday, when they never come to my birthday
Social tip: You never have to do anything
It is quite common that people see invitations as demands rather than just...inviting them. Its also pretty common for them to be seen as a quid pro quo "...
- 1,562
7
votes
How to reassure my mother about the fact that forgetting my birthday does not mean I'm mad at her?
Explain that your text was a joke
It can be very difficult to convey a joke through text. You said that you tried
Telling her (both on the phone and by texts) that it was okay, that it was not a ...
- 9,052
6
votes
How to avoid wishing my coworker on her birthday?
I think we need to understand a little better what the problem is. Is it that you don't want to say anything birthday related? Are you afraid there's going to be a party and you mustn't go? Is ...
- 5,955
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible