Dad bought her as many pink roses as her age, every year — until someone worthy took over his legacy

As contradictory as it may sound, only 11% of Americans consider gift-giving their love language. “It takes a lot of mental energy,” says Professor Julian Givi of West Virginia University. A study by Business Wire showed that 62.4% needed help buying gifts for their loved ones during special occasions. On the other side of this statistic, fathers of today’s world are setting their new normal with higher standards. Every year, Instagram influencer Alice Long's father would send her as many flowers as her age on each birthday. This inspired her husband to follow this exceptional routine with their daughter.

Long, 35, who goes by @happilygiftedbyalice on Instagram, shared that this tradition started on her first birthday, which was long before she could even realize the meaning behind such a thoughtful gesture. “Growing up & still at 35, every year on my birthday, my dad sends me a bouquet of pink roses in the amount of the age I turned that year — no matter where I am or how old I am turning. It has been the sweetest tradition, one I look forward to every year — even though I told him he could cut it out when I turned 2 dozen roses old,” she captioned the video.

The video featured her husband carrying on the tradition with their daughter on her first birthday, “I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotion. It’s amazing to see how these gestures, these tiny moments of love, create lasting memories and the impact a tradition can have.” Her daughter received the same flowers that her father used to give her, “Pink roses—just like the ones my dad sends me—now mark the beginning of another chapter in her life. Full circle.”

What makes these roses even more wholesome is the fact that Long’s business stemmed from it. She runs an online business, Happily Gifted by Alice, which started in December 2023. It is a full-service gifting concierge business dedicated to providing a comprehensive gift-giving resource for individuals seeking thoughtful and memorable gifts. As loving as her gift-giving story may sound, life has a plan of its own, Long has also been suffering from breast cancer, as shared by her in another post on Instagram.

She self-examined a lump in her right breast in February 2025, got it diagnosed, and it turned out she had invasive ductal carcinoma. Full of life, Alice thought it could not be cancer: “I am only 35, no family history, and I feel the best and most healthy version of myself,” she shared. She got the news minutes before she sang Happy Birthday to her daughter on her first birthday, the day when her husband carried on her dad's flower legacy. “We did our best to smile through our daughter's first birthday. The moment we found, we suited up, found an amazing team of doctors, and came up with a plan, “ Long penned. 

Her husband's quick notice of their small ritual built an emotional connection with people on the internet. "My dad was the same with me, my birthday, the number of roses. Till my 22nd birthday, on July 17th, he gave me more roses, he didn't explain anything. On September 16th of that year, he passed away. Enjoy your dad, your husband, AND your sweet little girl," wrote @laazcanito. @faith_n_caffeine shared, "My dad wasn't there for me most of my life, my step-dad was awful. But watching my husband be not only an amazing husband but an amazing dad is constantly healing my inner child. He takes our kids out, buys our daughter flowers and chocolates, and takes her shopping for sparkly accessories."

Another user @the_adventuring_taylors commented," I love this! It just gave me the memory of my dad doing this for me and my sister, but on Valentine's Day. He always got us pink roses. He passed when I was 12, but it’s still one of my happiest memories of him." "My favorite gift to receive ever is flowers. I don’t get them often though lol. I would love it if my husband would do this for our baby," shared @alovesherdoggie."I love this!! So sweet! I want to start this for my boys… roses? Or what else could grow in years to come?" @razonsita chimed in. 

You can follow @happilygiftedbyalice on Instagram for more content around gift-giving.