2pink,
The idea of celebrating your birthday is to make YOU feel special. Giving to your favorite charity is a nice idea but it misses the point. Your friends want to do something for YOU. I asked my husband to take me to a nice restaurant. Do any of your friends have a talent for making crafts? Ask them to make you something special, something you can keep to remember them by. Remember there IS more happiness in giving than there is in receiving. Don't deny your friends their happiness.
Reopened Mind