80 presents for 80th birthday...help!

[tessiegirl]

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

Oh god I'd be so annoyed by 80 'fun' presents, just spend the money on something nice that she actually wants. Or get her a good present and 80 of her favourite flower or something.

@Redshoeblueshoe

Loosingthechristmasbattle that's a good idea.

It worked so well, I wrote the same letter to everyone requesting a memory (secretly borrowed her Christmas card address list as there were some I didn’t know) but got such a variety of responses, some included photos too which was lovely. So many memories that I had never heard so was lovely to share with her.

It was a bit of work pulling it all together but everyone (from the littlest person in her life who drew a picture to the oldest whose writing took a bit of deciphering) was so enthusiastic. I bought a bundle of nice envelopes from Amazon and tied them up with a ribbon.

Just remember if you go with this idea you need a good few hours to “open” the present!

Thanks for the help!

I agree that eighty gifts would be a pain to organise and a pain to receive. But if you're determined to stay with the number theme, maybe eight gifts would work!

Personally, I'd rather have one decent present. Many eighty years olds are trying to simplify and de clutter their lives, I know.

@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.

This is a much better idea, OP. Lovely ☺️

Another thing I did was in my final memory envelope I wrote about a trip to John Lewis that I remembered from my childhood, put £70 of JL vouchers in with the memory and said lets make another memory. So that covered her main present too.

I think the 80 pictures in a book is a stunning idea.
I'm stealing it for my child's 25th.

Photos and memories in a book would be lovely.

My nan would have LOVED 80 presents !
My dad's 80 this year im 32 so I www obviously a suprise present too my dad would also LOVE 80 presents ! He loves sweets and things so it's easy to fill 10 ideas with 10 different bags of sweet treats like toffees (he still has his teeth), mints , chocolate.

He loves reading and reads a book front to back in a day.

He also still has our family horses X 2 which he does everyday so new wellies, gloves , jacket, a broom , torch haha ! He would love this.

All depends on your gran! Not everyone's 80 year old granparents are living like a stereotype 80 year old !

How about some vouchers like ...

Afternoon tea with you
Clean her house for her
Clean her car (if drives)

Xx

80 presents?!

She'll be asleep before she's halfway through them...

I've done two 80th's. A nice family lunch with cake, champers and one nice thing they really want will do the trick. Neither of them wanted an extended family do either. Just me, bro, spouses and gc.

@Loosingthechristmasbattle

That's a great idea, thank you. I have some 80th birthdays (hopefully) coming up in my family and I will be nicking this.

Nice tissues for handbag
Jar of her favourite preserve
Favourite tea
New flannel
Jokey 80th tea towel, she’s bound to use tea towels
Hand cream
Photo frame with up to date photos of family
Her favourite shower gel or bubble bath
Nice soap
Some outside planters or hanging baskets planted up
Other things in a similar vein

@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.

That is a much better idea!!

My son chose photos of him and his Nan from when he was born up to this year, he then made a birthday card using the photos to create the number 80. He used his IT skills to make the photos fit the large numbers. It was a gift in itself filled with special moments with his Nan. She loved it.
I bought her a lovely bird table because feeding the birds is one of her pleasures.
I love the 80 memories ideas...I will def find a way of using that for another special birthday.

What about something like old fashioned sweets she liked from her childhood? Nice types of tea? Coasters with photos on them of places you’ve been on holiday together? Magnets with photos of shared memories or family members? Does she drink alcohol? (My grandma certainly did!) how about little miniatures of fancy gin and some nice tonic mixers? And maybe some posh snacks to go alongside a G&T? Cosy socks?

Happy birthday to your nan!

But if the average cost is £10, that's £800, and £10 isn't much considering something nice will be more than that, you'd need quite a lot of rubbish stocking filler type gifts.

I'd offer to declutter 80 things from her house!

80 bits of tat? No thank you very much.

80 nice messages, photos and memories all compiled into a beautiful journal? Yes please, how lovely.

@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.

This is the best idea!!

Who wants 80 presents... ??

Hi OP. A lot of PPs have said what I was thinking too. 80 presents is crazy! Unless you do a box of Milk Tray and each chocolate equals a gift so you can boost your numbers but reduce cost and clutter? It seems really ambitious and maybe not the amazing gift you think it will be. I am 40 on my next landmark birthday and would hate a 40 gifts theme from family.

However, you could do a present which represents each decade she's been alive. That's 8 gifts all within a nice theme. Maybe do:

• a memory or story
• a song
• 1 item to open which ties it in- clothes, book, style, jewellery, framed picture, keys from first house, Xmas decoration which symbolises first child being born etc...

Those aren't great ideas, but unless your relative expressed a need for 80 additional objects or treats then I would find a new way to work with that theme. It's genuinely a lovely idea but the execution might not be as spectacular.

Good luck!

Two of my friends did 50 presents for my 50th that began with the first letter of my name. I thought it was a bizarre present at the time and I still do now. Most of it went to charity or in the bin as it was tat. I dread to think of the time they spent buying it all and wrapping them up.

I know this sounds ungrateful and I think I am, in a way. I appreciated they put the effort in but sad they wasted time and money on something totally unsuitable and unsuited to me.

I really like the 80 memories idea. Much better option.

My mum is 82 and she is happy only having the things that are really special or useful around her. She’s tried to declutter as (morbidly) she is trying to make less work when she’s no longer here. She doesn’t really appreciate finding somewhere to stash the usual Xmas / bday presents and would hate 80! She likes stuff she can use, 80 food items would work for her.

Who wants 80 pieces of tat? Don't do this.

I've got a big birthday coming up next year.
Thanks for the reminder to let my family and friends know not to get me a lot of bits of tat.
Pointless, expensive and wasteful - I bet she would prefer just one nice present that you've put some thought into than be thinking how much money you've wasted on this....

The funny thing is people have assumed I mean 'tat'.
I do not mean this.
I'm going to go halves with my mum.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed ideas.

Ok, the "tat" was rude, apologies. But it will still be 80 things, it's really ridiculously excessive.