Personalised birthday gifts

The origins of birthday celebrations: where do birthday traditions come from?

The tradition of placing candles on a birthday cake dates back to antiquity. In ancient Greece, on each birthday, people would go to the temple of Artemis to honour the goddess of the hunt and the moon. They brought with them a round cake to symbolise the moon, surrounded by candles to imitate its glow. Their custom dictated that after kneeling before the cake and offering a prayer to the goddess, the candles should be blown out. Over time, this tradition evolved, and today it is commonly believed that one should make a wish before blowing out birthday candles.

However, during the Middle Ages in the West, celebrating a birthday was frowned upon—it was even considered bad luck. This interpretation stemmed from the fact that the only three mentions of birthdays in the Bible are associated with death. As such, in the Middle Ages, people preferred to celebrate their "patron saint's day" (linked to their baptismal name) or the anniversary of death (seen as the day of resurrection) rather than their birthday.

Birthday celebrations reappeared over time, often encouraged by the Church in an effort to divert attention from saints' feast days, which had become overly venerated. It was only from the 19th century onwards that celebrating one's actual date of birth gained popularity—first among the bourgeoisie and later the working class—eventually becoming the modern celebration we know today, complete with a cake, candles, the "Happy Birthday" song, and birthday presents (along with the stress of finding the perfect birthday gift idea).

A birthday gift for little ones and grown-ups alike!

Whether it’s their first, twentieth, or seventieth birthday… no matter the age, a birthday remains an important occasion. For the youngest among us, it’s a symbolic milestone, often marked with a fun-filled party with friends. As we grow older, birthdays become more like rites of passage, especially those milestone ages. Ultimately, what matters most is spending the day with loved ones—perhaps sharing a lovely meal, a good bottle of wine, and receiving thoughtful birthday gifts from those who care for us (and whom we care for)!

We offer gifts for all ages and styles in our various birthday shops, organised by gender and age. If you’re looking to treat your dad or mum, check out our selection of Father’s Day gift ideas and Mother’s Day gifts. For baby or children’s gift ideas, explore our dedicated birthday gift pages for a baby or a child.

Many of these gifts are suitable for both young and old—for example, a personalised jigsaw puzzle with your chosen photo, a custom-printed cushion, or a personalised mug—all timeless gifts sure to delight anyone in your circle. Risk factor: 0%! Success rate: 100%!

How to choose the perfect birthday gift?

To give the perfect birthday gift—which is the ultimate goal of any birthday present—you need to come up with original gift ideas. That’s why we created this “Birthday Gift” page, which filters through over 3,000 items to offer you our best selection of unique birthday gifts tailored to your recipient’s gender and age.

What matters most, according to Amikado, when choosing a memorable birthday gift is finding something that aligns with your recipient’s interests. By picking a present based on someone’s tastes, preferences and personality, you’re guaranteed to delight them. But how do you find a unique gift idea that no one else would think of—something that will surprise your recipient when they open their birthday presents? While some may call us biased, at Amikado—experts in personalised gifts—we believe that if you’re looking for something unusual and one-of-a-kind, a personalised gift is your best birthday gift option.

At Amikado, we’ve expanded our gift shop around two key themes: the uniqueness of the gift itself and the originality of personalisation. You can personalise a one-of-a-kind gift with a name or text (like a robe embroidered with their name), or give a more classic gift with an original twist—like a mug personalised with one of our specially-designed motifs.

In both cases, you’re guaranteed a wow effect—whether it’s for a baby, child, teenager, man or woman.

Finding the perfect birthday gift for a woman

Not everyone finds it easy to come up with birthday gift ideas for a woman, so we’ve put together a helpful little selection of birthday gift suggestions for women.

Here are our top 5 birthday gift ideas for women:

1 - The embroidered women’s bathrobe with her name. The ideal birthday present for a woman who enjoys a relaxing bath—she can snuggle up in her personalised robe, in the colour and style you’ve chosen especially for her.

2 - Another excellent gift idea is the engraved birthday wine glass. A perfect present for a wine lover—she can enjoy her drink in a beautiful glass engraved with your chosen design.

3 - For something practical, we suggest the personalised multi-use pouch. A cotton pouch available in a variety of designs to suit mums, best friends, sisters, wives, daughters, or grandmothers.

4 - The personalised candle also features in our list of women’s birthday gifts. Choose the scent and customise it with a name, age or message. The best part? The engraving lights up when the candle is lit!

5 - Our final suggestion in this top 5 list is the engraved photo keyring. One of our all-time bestsellers, this is a thoughtful everyday gift suitable for anyone. Simply choose the photo you want laser-engraved on the keyring.

For more ideas, don’t forget to browse our full women’s gift selection.

And what about birthday gifts for men?

How do you find the ideal birthday gift for a man? Many people rack their brains trying to come up with a unique idea and end up feeling stuck. If that’s you, don’t worry—you’re in the right place. To help you find a gift for your dad, husband, boyfriend, brother, son, stepson, best mate, or anyone else, we’ve hand-picked some top gift ideas to help you choose the perfect birthday gift for a man.

Here’s our TOP 5 birthday gift ideas for men:

1 - The engraved Laguiole knife with design. A hugely popular gift idea for men of all ages (though obviously not recommended for children). You can customise the blade with a name or message of your choice.

2 - The engraved rotating cheese board: the ideal birthday gift for a true foodie who loves French cheese. Perfect for family dinners or entertaining friends.

3 - For a unique birthday gift, we suggest the retro-style personalised leather car document holder. Choose your colour (some people like to match it to their car), pick a design, and add your personalised text.

4 - The embroidered kitchen apron with name might just be the original birthday gift you were looking for. Customers love the quality, colour and design options—making it a top choice for anyone who enjoys cooking.

5 - And last but certainly not least: the engraved birthday beer glass. A pint glass personalised with the recipient’s name and age or birth year—ideal for enjoying a cold beer at home.

And what about birthday gift ideas on a budget?

Not everyone wants to spend a fortune on a birthday gift—even for someone very close to them.

D.I.Y gifts can be a great low-cost option. But if you’re not very crafty, here are a few affordable birthday gift ideas instead:

1 - The personalised mug—a classic choice. And if you’re after something more unique, we have plenty of alternative motifs and custom designs for mugs.

2 - Personalised soap also makes a fun and useful gift—but be careful, your recipient might think you’re hinting that they need to wash more often! Then again, maybe that’s exactly the message you’re sending?

3 - The engraved ecocube. Not sure what that is? It’s a wooden cube filled with dried seeds for a plant of your choice. One side is laser engraved with a message, name, or motif. A 2021 customer favourite.

4 - For under €15, you could go for the personalised deluxe classic tote bag. Just like with the mug, there are many customisation options—add a photo, a message, or a fun design. It’s one of our most practical and best-loved gifts.

5 - And finally, our last affordable birthday gift suggestion: the engraved whisky glass with name. A brilliant choice for any whisky lover—just be aware it’s best to handwash to preserve the engraving.

How to send a birthday gift in 2021 during the health crisis?

The COVID pandemic disrupted our routines, and we’ve all had to learn to adapt. But in times of lockdown and cancelled family gatherings, how can you give a birthday gift?

You can choose to have the birthday gift delivered directly to your recipient. Don’t worry—no prices will be included in the parcel. We send the invoice by email to the address provided when ordering and include a delivery slip with the product so the recipient knows what’s inside and who it’s from.

We’ve had this system in place for years and regularly work with customers who want to send birthday, Christmas, baby or other gifts directly to their loved ones.