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80 presents for 80th birthday...help!

518 replies

tessiegirl · 14/04/2021 20:11

My nan is shortly turning 80 and I wanted to try and come up with 80 presents for her Confused
Is it possible?!
Presents can be small and cheap to some which can be more expensive...
Can anyone please help with ideas?

OP posts:
Ilovemaisie · 15/04/2021 16:06

denver I wouldn't give a bag for life. I might buy my mum a new pvc style shopping bag because she likes that type of thing and she always uses them. I would probably get one with cats on.
I probably wouldn't buy handcream either because I am not sure she uses it but bubble bath from a posher brand than she normally gets would be a treat for her.
If it's something that a person likes and uses in their life then it is a treat to have a slightly different version.

Ninkanink · 15/04/2021 16:08

Yes...8 books would also be a brilliant idea.

  1. Not 80.
Ilovemaisie · 15/04/2021 16:08

Greyhound because I think it's a fun idea. I wouldn't buy 'random shite'. Why on earth would I do that. I would buy a mix of things I know the person likes.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Ilovemaisie · 15/04/2021 16:08

I never said 80 books. It's one for each decade.

Ninkanink · 15/04/2021 16:11

Sigh.

Again the reason why people are talking about tat is because 80 presents would, ultimately, almost inevitably (I’ll be generous) become a load of tat. That is what OP intends to do, and that is what people are commenting on (in the main).

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/04/2021 16:12

@Ilovemaisie

I never said 80 books. It's one for each decade.
No, I got that. I said it was a great idea.
Clymene · 15/04/2021 16:12

A few nice items is a treat. 80 things, unless you spend a couple of grand, will mean that some of those things are cheap.

Children like opening lots of presents. Most adults don't.

Also I'm a gardener and I don't want random seeds.

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/04/2021 16:13

Nobody needs 80 anything. Even things that you like.

DarlingWithoutYou · 15/04/2021 16:14

LOL at the stroppy OP. 80 gifts is ridiculous. Do the 80 memories thing instead, such a better idea!

DarlingWithoutYou · 15/04/2021 16:17

"I asked for ideas not opinions" Grin

Tin of soup. Toothbrush. Shoe laces. This thread is the gift that keeps on giving!!

Ilovemaisie · 15/04/2021 16:34

Oh I give up.
I think it's a nice idea.
If you read back several pages I originally suggested having themed gifts and about 10 of that theme together. So it would be 10 gifts to open but it all adds up. Infact it could be less than 10 to 'unwrap'. A food goodie hamper of treats could contain 4 different 'themes' - chocolate, drinks, biscuits, fancy jams (or whatever the person likes). So potentially 40 items but all in one gift.
Here is what I would do. This is based on my mum and mother in laws tastes - they are similar.
1 × Cake (doesn't need unwrapping)
1 × Copy of newspaper from day she was born
8 × books one for each decade in a pile wrapped in ribbon (10 gifts)
Food hamper of treats. As I said 4 themes and 10 of each type (40 gifts)
Craft hamper (or just a gift bag no unwrapping) this can include craft kits, magazines, various accessories that get used frequently, new pens (they are always running out) (10 gifts)
Gardening bundle - as I said earlier a pot with the bits in. I wouldn't buy random seeds - I would buy what they grow. (10 gifts)
Toiletries bundle - posher versions of things they normally use. Again in a gift bag. No unwrapping. (10 gifts)
That's 80 gifts but presented in a simple way.
If I was about to turn 80 I would be very happy with that indeed.

NotSorry · 15/04/2021 16:35

How about 80 plants for the garden and a gardener to plant them for her

Caspianberg · 15/04/2021 16:37

80 books? How would you find 80 books that someone loves so much that they hadn’t already read half of them

Ilovemaisie · 15/04/2021 16:38

No one has suggested 80 books.....

Dundusting · 15/04/2021 16:40

I think you're completely insane 😂

grapewine · 15/04/2021 16:40

@LoosingTheChristmasBattle

I did something similar for my mum but rather than 70 presents, I did 70 memories. I asked her friends and family to write down their favourite memories and put them all in envelopes, she had such a lovely time opening them all and re-living the memories, she still goes through the bundle now.
What an amazing idea. My grandmother is 90 this year. Mind if I steal this?*@LoosingTheChristmasBattle*
HectorHalloumi · 15/04/2021 16:41

If the 80 year old is a keen gardener then surely she would have all the seeds under the sun already?

denverRegina · 15/04/2021 16:43

You'd think so @HectorHalloumi 😂

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/04/2021 16:46

Who would know or object if anyone steals their ideas Confused
They haven’t been copyrighted.

Ninkanink · 15/04/2021 16:50

@HectorHalloumi

If the 80 year old is a keen gardener then surely she would have all the seeds under the sun already?
That’s true I guess! But then that goes for pretty much all presents, surely, by the time one is well into adulthood, providing one has money to spend. At some stage or another presents become quite redundant, I think. But people still (hopefully) enjoy receiving them as long as they’re thoughtful and not a waste of money.

I’m quite glad we’ve never been hugely into presents in our family, tbh!

And just in case the universe is keeping track, I’ll be expecting that F&M hamper on my 80th! 😉

Ilovemaisie · 15/04/2021 16:50

Don't you need new seeds/gardening equipment each year cos plants grow, die or get eaten and used up !!
Isn't that the point of gardening?

2bazookas · 15/04/2021 16:58

Everybody I know in that age group, says the same thing; they don't want or need any more stuff.

I'd go for a nice experience that she'll really enjoy

Take her to a favourite place for a special picnic with bubbly.
Make a gorgeous afternoon tea for her and a couple of her friends.
manicure
hair appointment with facial massage

HelpMeh · 15/04/2021 17:10

For most people a proper treat would be something that they wouldn't spend the money on themselves. So a drinker might get a vintage bottle of something with some nice glasses; a gardener might get a lovely established tree for their garden or a bench with an inscription from the family; premium theatre tickets; some technology to make keeping in touch with everyone easier - maybe with a pre-recorded video message from the family, talking about their favourite memories; a custom blended perfume. That sort of thing.

If you're having to ask around online for gift ideas for someone we don't know then it falls outwith thoughtful in my opinion. This is why everyone is saying don't do it. You won't think of 80 decent things and will be scrabbling around for crap to make up the numbers. Unless she has very niche interests she really doesn't want shoelaces Confused

wibdib · 15/04/2021 17:15

Go for it op - there are some really miserable people on here trying to impose their own misery on to you for this - if you think that your gran would like it the do it and enjoy it.

We did this for my mum’s 80th birthday and she was really touched by it. We also didn’t get her any tat or spend loads of money on it.

We decided on what our main presents were going to be (from me and said) - she likes expensive perfume so got her a gift set that had travel sizes of shower gel, cream and talc in a bag for free with it - so that was 5 presents, all used and appreciated and what she likes and would have been considered a normal nice single present. Also she had been dropping hints about some nice earrings and necklace she had seen so that made three more presents that would be considered one normal big present.

She plays golf so new balls, golf gloves, tees, golf pen and clip on towel made up another 20 or so things, easily put away in her golf bag, all used and appreciated because they need replacing.

She loves some chocolates that come in little bars (think like kinder bars or the Green and Black ones - two boxes containing 10 bars each - another 20 items that went by her bed and savoured one a night, would have lasted less than a month and been considered a treat as she doesn’t often treat herself to them.

A bag of 20 marbles. We have a long running joke that she’s worried about losing her marbles so this was to replace any when she starts losing them - maybe considered tat by some on the thread but provided lots of laughs and as she used to enjoy playing them when she was young, she taught her grandchildren to play against her and they all had a lovely time and made lots of happy memories together, they live in her games cupboard and still come out at family gatherings to be played by all generations so well worth it on several levels for the fiver they cost (making it more like 25p each for these 20 presents).

Another thing I got her was a penny from her birth year - they cost about a pound on eBay. Thinking of ‘see a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck’ - she was very touched, put it in her purse and was upset to lose it - to the point she asked for another one to replace it.

The last few bits were made up of some special bulbs for her garden, a rose that had a meaningful name, a glass nail file so she could have one for her bedroom as well as one in her handbag and some new nice biros - think a pound a time rather than a bag of 30 from Sainsbury’s as she had used one her sister had and really liked how nice they were to write with. All very much appreciated and used/planted and enjoyed.

Not saying to go for these things exactly but to show that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to do this, you can still get a nice ‘special’ present from you and/or your mum too, and have not involve tat or clutter but have a lot of fun and make memories with it too.

Mum was adamant she didn’t want a party which is what we had thought about doing initially (some people would love it I know but not all) so we all went away together, I took lots of photos and one of the presents was an iou for a photobook of the weekend which subsequently gave her lots of pleasure. So you can still do a book of memories or wishes from others - the 80 presents is completely different and can be enjoyed as much as the other.

Hope that you get 80 things you and your gran love and she has a great birthday!

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/04/2021 17:16

a lovely established tree for their garden or a bench with an inscription from the family
I love this idea.