National Best Friends Day: Creative Ideas to Make It Special

 

(This post contains affiliate links)

Do you have a best friend or a bunch of best friends? I feel like I've made special relationships with friends throughout the years depending on where I have lived and worked. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a best friend as, "a person's closest and dearest friend." Aw! 😌 Today I wanted to share some ways to celebrate your best friend(s) for National Best Friends Day which is coming up - June 8th!

But before I share those ways, I wanted to talk a little about best friends I have had in my life. I'd say my first best friend in life was and still is my sister Laura. I'm the oldest of 8 kids and she is the 2nd oldest which meant we did of lot of activities together when we were kids, teens and young adults. Even to this day, she's someone I talk to every day and I try to visit her as often as I can.

Other best friends have not stayed best friends for my entire life like Laura has but I still consider them the best. The best for me at that time of my life. I remember 2 friends, Eliza and Jennifer, in elementary school. We would hang out during recess and have sleepovers and other play-dates. I reconnected with Jennifer on Facebook a few years ago but it's just so different now. We don't have that same connection we did when we were kids growing up in Woodland, CA. The other girl, Eliza, she and I eventually parted ways but I did reconnect with her within the last 10 years to say Hey but since she's not on social media much, that makes it tricky.

I made a best friend when I went to WCC (Woodland Community College), Andrea. She was a blast to hang out with and talk to and her family was really nice as well. I learned a lot from her about how to be a good driver, learned a little Spanish and we both thought of each other when we saw things we liked to collect (her, hippos...me, cherries). She and I had various classes together and knowing things would not be the same after I served a mission for my church (2003-2005) made it really difficult to leave her and not be able to see her while I was away in Portland, OR. She struggled with scoliosis and health problems that came from that and when I returned to Woodland in 2005, she was in a losing battle with it. I lamented the time I had been away where we did not get to hang out but relieved I could be there to continue our friendship as much as possible before she passed away in March 2006. I still think about her often and miss her so dang much.

Now that I am married, I consider Tony to be one of my best friends. We do a lot together and I tell him pretty much everything. I vent to him, tell him the detailed version of any story and enjoy helping him with house projects.

As I've gotten older and moved out of California to Arizona, the Utah and back to California, I've made some really good besties along the way. I don't want to leave anyone out so I'm not going to mention them but you likely know who you are if you are reading this post 😉 So now, on to the good part ~ some creative ideas to make National Best Friends Day special!

• Get your besties Amazon wishlist and surprise him or her with an item off their list with an included personalized note. It surprises me how many of my friends don't  have an Amazon wishlist. Everything is just sitting in their cart?! Come on...get those lists made!
  
  
  
• If you live far from your bestie, consider mailing a card or small package with items that remind you of them and if you don't want to spend money (less is more sometimes) then a phone call or text to let them know you are thinking about them, is gold
  
  
  
• Heart attack/decorate their front door with kind words. Be super quiet and try to avoid the doorbell camera! Dress up in a disguise if needed.
  
  
  
• Put together a snackle box with their favorite munchies and a note telling them how much it means to you that they are in your life
  
  
  
• Treat them to lunch or breakfast out. Either make it special at your house or go to your favorite restaurant together. One of my Utah favorites is Hash Kitchen but they are also in Arizona. The breakfast tacos are my go to!
  
  
  
• If you are the crafty type, make them something personalized like a hat, shirt or tote bag with their name, a favorite phrase or saying or image. For me, I'd love anything with an owl or cherries on it. I have a friend that says, "I can't be bothered" and it makes me giggle to think of making that on a shirt or a bag for her.
  
  
  
• Watch a movie or show together online. This works even if you are not nearby! Just get ready to hit "play" at the same time. Tony & I used to do this when we were dating and we'd stay on the phone with each other or type comments about what we were watching in Gmail chat or Facebook messenger. Great fun.
  
  
  
• Do a social media shout-out, your bestie likely won't be expecting it! Create a college of photos, a fun reel or TikTok featuring what you love best about your friend(s).

I hope these ideas get you thinking of what activities you could do or put together in time for National Best Friends Day. Let me know what you end up doing or what you are thinking of doing in a comment below. Thanks for reading!