He keeps the list himself and is still meant to be surprised

Max turns forty. He writes down his wishes himself, sends the link to friends and family, and afterwards would rather not know what has gone. The guests, on the other hand, have to see it, or the same book ends up on the table three times that evening.

That makes the birthday the one occasion where the owner and the person being given to are the same. A list that simply shows everything takes away exactly what you unwrap a present for.

wishes

switch for the surprise

days until the party

Why here of all places

The contradiction only one setting resolves

Two requirements that rule each other out – without a plugin, at least.

The guests need the view: Without a state on the wish, two of them buy the same thing. That is precisely why the list is shared
Max does not want the view: He wrote the list. If he saw every purchase, he would know the evening before what is in every parcel
The surprise guard: One switch per list. After it Max sees "a gift was bought" in the activity instead of "espresso machine was bought"
Nothing changes for the guests: They still see every state. Taking that away from them would defeat the purpose of the list

The guard only affects what the owner sees. After the party Max switches it off himself and looks up who contributed what.

The list itself

Nineteen wishes, right across his interests

A birthday list is less tidy than a wedding registry: it follows a person, not a household.

Wish	Quantity	Price	State
Espresso machine	1	449.00 €	Gifted
Forged barbecue tongs	1	39.00 €	Gifted
Cookbook, signed edition	1	54.00 €	Currently reserved
Running shoes, size 44	1	159.00 €	Available
Whisky glasses	4	18.00 € each	2 of 4 available
Tool case	1	189.00 €	Available
Shop voucher	6	25.00 € each	4 of 6 available
A weekend in the mountains	1	not in this shop	Already taken on

What Max gets to see of this table is the wish column and nothing else – the state column does not exist for him as long as the guard is on.

What this occasion turns on

Where the gifts go

The second decision, and at a birthday it often falls differently from a wedding.

To me: Masked delivery to his home. Sensible if Max lives far away or not all guests are coming
To the giver: Everyone gets their gift themselves and brings it along in the evening. For a party at home that is usually the right one
Why it counts here: A birthday is an evening, not logistics. Parcels arriving one by one beforehand give the surprise away before the guard even applies
Per list: The same person can have the wedding delivered to themselves and the birthday to the givers

What you set up for it

Three places

Two of them are the customer's decision, one is yours.

Surprise guard: In the options tab of the list, set by the customer – see Creating a list
Where the gifts go: In the recipient tab, also the customer's
Allow reserving: Your setting. So that two guests can share a bigger gift without buying it right away

← Back to the start page

Andere Anlässe

A new flat, 23 wishes

Housewarming list

The list where the gifts are better off with the givers until the party starts.

Ansehen → A team of fifteen, 23 wishes

Secret Santa

Colleagues, a budget, and the question of who already has what.

Ansehen → One family, three children

Christmas list

Several lists under one roof, and grandma sees at once what is still free.

Ansehen →

Common questions

Can you create a gift registry for yourself?

Yes, and at a birthday that is the normal case. The person being given to creates the list and shares the link. So that the surprise survives, there is the surprise guard.

What exactly does the surprise guard do?

It takes the names out of the activity for the owner. Instead of "espresso machine was bought" it says "a gift was bought". The guests still see everything.

Can the gifts be delivered to the guests?

Yes. Per list you can choose whether delivery goes to the owner or to the giver. With the second, everyone gets their gift at home and brings it to the party.

How does the list prevent double gifts?

A bought wish disappears from the list as soon as the order reaches the configured status. Reserved wishes are blocked before that.

What happens after the birthday?

After the date the list accepts no more gifts. It stays in the account, with the thank-you notes for every gift.

Does a guest need a customer account?

Not for giving. Only for reserving, because a reservation has to belong to an account.