what did you buy for 80th birthday gift?

[NotRainingToday]

Looking for inspiration, granddad's 80th birthday coming up.

When my Grandad was 80, I took him out & spent the afternoon having lunch, he had a couple of beers & I asked him lots of questions about the ‘olden days’ & just listened! I also bought him a scarf & couple of other bits but his fave was my undivided time! I could see on hi face how happy he was.

I think doing something they can remember is a good thing at 80, they usually have all the ‘things’ they need!

iPad.

Used all day, every day. Onto their second one now …

Bottle of posh gin

What do they use it for?

OP, my Mum still likes things for the house because she likes to have people to visit and it's nice to have a fresh new tablecloth or a lovely vase. She also likes a good bottle of alcohol for sharing with guests.

It so much depends on the person and what interests them.

I think at that age, unless there's something they specifically need/want, then experiences are much better than physical gifts. When my dad turned 80 we took him to Beamish open air museum for a trip down memory lane and he had a fantastic time reminiscing, followed by a nice meal.

What about a big gift hamper done up nicely with his favourite things?

@NotRainingToday

take him out for lunch!

We did this, the whole family chipped in for a Fortnum and Mason hamper. He loved it and still has the (huge) empty hamper with F&M on it.

Family got together and got him a hammock (and stand). It has has lots of use!

Oops, it has had lots of use.

I bought my mum concert tickets, to go with me & my daughter

What do they use [the ipad] for?

Newspapers, TV, radio, music, clothes’ shop browsing, interiors / decorating / furniture browsing, online groceries.

Oh, and lots of FaceTime!

And joining faraway family events via Zoom. That makes them very happy.

Certainly, ten years later, some of these activities, particularly anything involving card payments, are done with the guidance of whichever relative is around. But they’d happily spend hours and hours in communion with their screen. Apparently it was their best present ever.

I got my Dad an uber bright LED bedside lamp, so he could read in bed. It could guide planes into land it's so bright, and was around £90 but a worthy investment. And he's got a large display clock that tells him the day, date and time as well as the temperature. He loves that!

I had the same dilemma and posted on elderly parents. My friend is in a nursing home and won't come out of his room so it was a bit tricky. I got him a bottle of malt whiskey, and some other goodies that I know he likes. And some helium ballon's. That went down well.

I got my dad a Fitbit for his 80th. My sister bought a laptop for the two of us but somehow I misunderstood and thought it wasn’t going to get delivered on time. So I got a Fitbit from the airport. I have to say he was thrilled about it.

I bought my dad a really nice globe which you could plug in to illuminate, he loved it and it looks beautiful when lit up.

I would take him out and spend time with him. A meal/afternoon rea, pint and a jangle.

they don’t want anything at that age but time with you

IIRC, lunch out somewhere a bit special. Or cooking for a family birthday gathering for them. Probably flowers if a woman, and/or chocolates.

I once gave my DM a ‘special’ afternoon tea at home, followed by a theatre trip - IIRC to see The King And I on stage.

Unless you know of something particular they would like, from experience most old people absolutely do not want any more ‘stuff’.

Beautiful rose for the garden

I managed to surprise my dad with a trip tot he pub for a meal, when he got there there were about 30 of us from all over the country.

He' stayed recently and asked me about Alexa, he liked the asking questions.

My 80+ year old parent is also on second iPad and loves it.

For the 80th birthday we got a family portrait in polymer clay by a local artist. It was VERY well received, more than I could have imagined (lots of tears and happiness and genuine surprise). My family live all over the place so actual family photos (which were done for 70th) couldn’t happen. The clay portrait is very cute and beautifully framed -you can tell exactly who is who but they aren’t cartoonish

minimemodels.co.uk

I bought my mum a big amazon voucher as she is constantly buying & reading kindle books on her ipad. It's my mum's 84th birthday this week & I have bought her a power bank in case of power cuts, some slippers, pjs & money for kindle books.

I got a hamper for MIL. She doesn't want anything and doesn't like anything so she's getting generic stuff. We've tried everything over the years, everything, nothing is appreciated. So.

Bought my uncle a Kindle for his 90th. Je was thrilled with it.

For my parents I usually look around the house to see if anything needs to be replaced. Then I'll add something more personal.
For my mum i might add a scarf or a blouse.
My dad is difficult. He doesn't say what he wants, is no longer interested in his old hobbies and thinks that things cost a lot less than they do and gets hurt because we got him " cheap tat for a fiver". The item in question cost £52, I am guessing that the box itself it came in probably cost the company we got it from at least £3, which should indicate that it was not a cheap item, and we also gave him wine.