Gift ideas for 80yo mum

[jocktamsonsbairn]

It's not Christmas it's for her 80th just before Christmas and I'd love to get her something really special. We always seem to do nights away and my brother is suggesting that but I feel it's too same. We've done lots of experience gifts for her and dad over the years as they have lots of stuff.
She does not need jewellery or perfume. Has enough toiletries to open a shop. I will get her nice wee special chocolates etc.
she likes good quality, well made things and would prefer something beautiful and small than something mass produced and showy. Loves flowers and her garden but has everything for gardening and is struggling with doing it now - won't get a gardener. Hates technology. Have tried the bird watch feeder things but her friend saw a rat in hers so she won't put it up!
I am stumped! Any inspiration gratefully received!

A gorgeous wool printed scarf or throw over from One Hundred Stars.

Would she enjoy something like the Chelsea flower show if she loves her garden? I know it's not until a few months after her birthday but you could gift her a nice day out or night away to something like that? Or maybe a class? I took a nice class in a local florist- made a floral centerpiece and drank alot of wine.

If she likes beautiful handmade things then
https://oschaslings.com/a/search/scarves?filter_collection_filter=Mainline (I added the mainline filter to exclude the Lord of the Rings themed shawls and scarves). I have a shawl and it is a magnificent thing.

I bought mine a longish trek on a camel for her 80th (we were somewhere where there were camels at the time) ... but maybe that's not quite the sort of thing you were thinking of!

More sensible suggestion: extra-special cashmere cardigan

A piece of art for her home?

The electric throw is a good idea. Especially the fleece lined ones. My mil loves hers.

It depends on how much you are able to spend, but for my Mum's 80th birthday I took her on a day trip on the Orient Express. It was a complete surprise to her - I just told her to dress reasonably smartly and that we would catch the train from her local station to Victoria. She was very confused when we got to Victoria and didn't leave the station but her face when we walked to the Orient Express platform was something I'll never forget. It was a really expensive day, but I stuck it on my credit card, and she enjoyed it so much, it was worth every penny.

I did this for my Dad’s 90th. With a chauffeur driven car to take us from home to Victoria station and back again at the end of the day. He absolutely loved it and felt very special.

Thank you so much for all the ideas - those shawls are beautiful so will run that past my brother too!!
I'd love to take her to the Chelsea Flower show or the Abba voyage show but we live in Scotland and my parents are not up to the travel of getting to and around London any more. They are away quite a lot with birthday things over the next few months and have said they are starting to feel it's too much. So as much as the experience idea is great it's been our go to for the past 10years or so but now they've said no more we were struggling.
I am now thinking one of those beautiful shawls and a brooch as she loves them! Budget isn't set in stone but probs around £200. Keep the ideas coming though as they are fab and can help for future birthdays and Christmas ideas!

Ask her what she’d like.

Did you fall out with your Mum? Riding on a camel is uncomfortable and rather scary! Not sure I’d appreciate a longish ride after my experience in the Sahara!

I was going to say that

I got my mum a bean to cup coffee machine, a trip to London, some very fancy chocs and a bouquet of flowers for her 80th.
She's 83 soon and wants slippers!

A beautiful silk scarf, I have one and even if I don't wear it I still look at it.

Did you fall out with your Mum? Riding on a camel is uncomfortable and rather scary! Not sure I’d appreciate a longish ride after my experience in the Sahara!

@Bignanna No, I hadn't fallen out with my mum at all! I also went on the camel trek. We were both a bit nervous, but it was OK - not scary, and I didn't think it was all much different from riding a horse, really.

I don't like presents of flowers. My daughters have sent very expensive bunches of flowers which arrived in a poor condition and I had to watch them die. A plant in a pretty pot is better IMO.

I know you said she hates technology, but my mum absolutely loves her robot vacuum cleaner, it's like a pet and has made life easier for her, so although it seems practical and boring it's something that gets used daily, not just brought out for special occasions.

Oops sorry @ rocknrollstar, didn't mean to quote you!

Same for my aunt's 80th. Big hit.

I bought my mum (in her 70's) a cashmere 'kidney warmer' and she loves it. It fits around the waist, from hips to ribs. I think it was about £80. My mum is very tall though, and finds there's often a gap between her tops and bottoms, particularly when bent over gardening.

We're currently looking at a digital photo frame where the family can all send photos directly to the frame so it'll regularly update with photos of the grandkids etc, and then also commissioning a painting of the whole family together. There are artists on etsy where you can send a bunch of photos of the fam and they'll paint it looking like you're all together. We live all over the world so it's unlikely we'll all be in the same room again tbh, so this was a nice way for her to have all of us together on the wall. The painting was £90 (it's kind of cartoony, I think proper portraits are more pricey) and the frame is about £140 I think.

For my Mums 80th I asked all her friends and family to write down their favourite memory of her then I put them all into a scrap book. She loved it!

I got my mum a flower subscription last year from bloom and wild, and I don't think she's ever been so pleased with a present. Every month she'd send me a photo of her flowers, she told everyone she met about them, and every time I spoke to her she'd mention her beautiful flowers. She loved it.

How about a flower arrangement delivered by a local florist every month for a year? My MIL loved that.
cross post with PP.