I do not think this thread is necessary. You have a friend, he knows about bitcoin, he knows how bitcoin is valuable. Then how will he feel if you give him something valuable like bitcoin? Definitely good.

I don’t know what response you’re hoping to get since you asked this question in a bitcoin forum, the responses are going to be the same. Also there is a similar thread created just a few days ago, the only difference is the amount of bitcoin and birthday date. I don’t think the opinions on the subject has changed since, so OP the answers you’re going to get will be repetition of what’s been said on the other thread. Lock this topic if you don’t want a spam thread.
Bitcoin as a gift
What If she receives bitcoin as a gift

What if you suddenly receive a gift from someone in the form of Bitcoin?
Of course the answer will be the same, pleasure cannot be hidden especially at the same time you really need money for other needs in real life. You will not find a different answer here. Bitcoin is another form of money, someone who has just received a salary from his work in a month will be very happy, let alone receive Bitcoin for free.

Individuals expect getting a gift on their birthday. How about receiving a gift at an unexpected moment, would it be surprising? Yes, ofcourse.

But, if you give him something he like but at an unexpected moment, he will undoubtedly be surprised. Bitcoin is a good one.

That's a beautiful and creative idea for a birthday present IMO! If your friend is interested in Bitcoin, then receiving some as a gift could be a unique and exciting experience for him It's also great that you're considering their financial situation and finding a way to give them something they enjoy without putting a strain on their budget.
As for the amount, 0.03BTC may not seem like a big amount of money but it's still a valuable and significant gift. Plus, the value of Bitcoin can go higher over time and that gift may get more valuable with time. There are some companies that offers plastic cards but be carful as the incident happened here in bitcointalk

I agree with some of the members who pointed out that we already have topics like this and that everyone should use the forum search option more - but for me, the fact that someone wants to give something to someone as a gift is not a very important issue here - I would first ask myself how to do it on a safe and appropriate way so that everything is not in vain.

In my opinion, it would be appropriate to first gift a hardware wallet to a friend or teach him how to use a non-custodial wallet, and only then consider a gift in the form of BTC. Of course, all this in order to prevent the surprise from turning into an unpleasant surprise in the future.

Bitcoin has monetary value and people always love, accept and appreciate valuable gifts, so he will appreciate it. Since you mentioned that your friend already has an interest in bitcoins and has always wanted to invest in it, it makes your gift even more of a thoughtful one for him. However because people who invest are to invest in bitcoins are encouraged that it be an amount that they can stay without, the investment you have started for your friend can go two different ways. Your friend due to hardship and the difficulty he is facing may decide to sell off the bitcoins after a while of keeping it to sort his needs, or he may take your first investment for him as a push for him to start investing any amount he can get and spare into bitcoins.

If you know that your friend is facing a lot of challenges and would probably need fiat to solve some of them, then give your friend cold cash, and not BTC, if your friend is faced with a lot of problems and you go ahead to gift him BTC, he may not hold it longer than the moment you gave it to him, so you can make things easy for him by giving him cold cash.

I feel you shouldn't even be asking strangers what you should gift your friend, you should know what your friend likes and would appreciate. But if you decide to ever gift anybody BTC, make sure the person knows how to use it, if not they would lose your gift eventually.

if your friend needs money (FIAT liquid money) I would give it away directly and not waste time.
If he has not experience to exchange he can waste a % while changing ....

I think the real gift for a bitcoiner would be something related culture likewise "understanding the power of a product like bitcoin".
I'm sure a good book and a few satoshis are always the best gift for a bitcoiner.
It could also be interesting to give a bitcoin collectible as a gift.
With 0.03 you can definitely buy interesting objects

As a good friend, I know that receiving such a gift will be one of the most incredible experiences of my life. If you think your friend deserves such a gift, make sure that he or she is aware of the fundamentals of bitcoin, including its value, security, and how to keep it safe, so that, despite your best efforts to help him, he or she doesn't become a victim to scammers.