Ideas for Giving a Car for a Birthday Present

Cars are far too large to be wrapped in the traditional method with wrapping paper, but that doesn't mean you have no creative options for giving a car as a birthday gift. Whether the car is for your teen's 16th or for a spouse or parent's birthday, choose from one of many ways to present the gift.

If you know the recipient is hoping to receive a car as a birthday gift, play a little trick on him by giving a miniature car first. If you can find a miniature replica of the actual type of car you purchased, that is ideal, but any kind of miniature car will do. Place the real car key inside the miniature car or tape it to the bottom. When the recipient opens it, say something along the lines of, "I know how much you were hoping to get a car, but I wasn't sure if I could afford it." Right when the recipient is starting to look a little disappointed, mention to look inside or wherever you hid the key and watch his face turn into a grin.

Decorate the new car with a large bow and signs taped in the windows instead of wrapping the whole thing. For the bow, purchase a long strip of fabric, open a car door on each side and thread the fabric through. Tie the ends together in a large bow on the top of the car. Create a "Happy Birthday" sign and tape it in the car windows facing where the recipient will be standing when he first sees the car. If the car will be in a garage, tape two strips of fabric across the garage door horizontally and vertically to look like ribbon on a large present and affix a large bow where they meet.

Make the car more festive by filling it completely with inflated balloons. As a fun alternative to handing over the car key, hide the key inside one of the balloons and make the recipient hunt through them all to find the one with the key. Get the key into the balloon by stretching the opening and slipping the key in before inflating the balloon. If you use helium to inflate the balloons, use ribbon to tie the balloons to the door handles and other parts of the car so the balloons do not float away when the recipient opens the doors.