A Christmas gift for your best friend: the story of your duo

Long friendships have everything a novel needs: an often unlikely meeting, years of complicity, one or two memorable fallings-out, reunions. They're rarely told, because there's no holiday for them, no wedding, no anniversary of the day you met. Christmas is the chance to put that right.

The book features her with you, as equals, in the story you wrote together. That's what sets it apart from a gift bought for her: it's about the two of you.

Start with how you met: the first day of college, the internship, the school bus. Then pick four or five moments that are truly you. The trip where everything went wrong. The night that ended at dawn in a car park. The 3 a.m. call when things weren't okay. The jokes only the two of you get can become lines in the speech bubbles.

You don't need to say everything. A good book makes choices, and you can review and adjust the text before approving.

• ✦ The rigged Secret Santa where you drew each other
• ✦ The Christmas market, two mulled wines and a forgotten scarf
• ✦ The shared flat, its plastic tree and battery fairy lights
• ✦ Christmas Eve with friends, when families were too far away
• ✦ The station platform, every December, to meet again

For a friendship born watching anime, manga is the obvious pick. For a duo who don't take themselves seriously, American Modern will turn it into an action-packed comic. For a tender, long-standing friendship, watercolor. The illustration preview is free: try the style on both your faces before choosing.

The digital edition (€39) is ready in about 2 hours, perfect if she lives across the country or the world. For print (€59 for Signature), allow 48 hours of review, then 5 to 7 days for printing and delivery: order before December 12. A gift card, emailed as soon as you pay, remains the very-last-minute solution.