Ideas needed for 80th Birthday presents - Help!

[Jaybee]

Both of my dh' grandparents are due to celebrate their 80th birthdays soon and we are really struggling to think of something to get them both (well I am dh is useless), they recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary and I thought I did really well with a cake, bottle of champagne and arranged a family portrait sitting. But it appears I peaked too soon and I have no more ideas - well not really, my only current idea is an engraved pint glass or similar for grandad and engraved glasses or vase for nan any other ideas would be much appreciated plus any recommendations of where to buy personalised engraved glassware should all else fail.

We bought my grandpa a selection of ales - 12 bottles wrapped in a cardboard box. He loved it.

If they like things like the scratchy lottery tickets you could get 80 of the £1 ones. Someone we know did this for an 80th and the grandad loved it.

What we did for my dh's Grandmother is get her a copy of the Times from the day she was born. I would suggest going straight to the newspaper as the commission is probably less but it usually comes in a box and costs about £25.
The unfortunate thing is that you can only do this once!!

If they have a garden what about a shrub or plant as that's something they would see everyday so a permanent momento.

If there is an artist they really like (eg my DH loves Rennie Macintosh) get them a framed print each, one for each bitrhday to become a pair

Good Luck

Christmas is coming up and I hate having to buy so many in one go as I run out of ideas.

Debbie

A rose thats has alink to their name

www.classicroses.co.uk/search/

heres a site - manned by an eastender!!

For my Gran (who was 80 last November) we did the Newspaper thing with a difference. My uncle arranged to get copies of the local paper from important events in her life - so they gor the one from the day she was born, the one with her wedding picture in, from my mum and uncles birth and her grandchildrens births. The local paper seemed far more appropriate as she has read it all her life, and she knew so many of the other things in it. It went down a storm.
When dh's granny was 80 (10 years ago now) dh and BIL decided to make her feel young. So they took her 10 pin bowling, to Macdonalds and to the cinema. They also bought her '80' things - 80 loo rolls, 80 tea bags, 80 Ferrero Rocher and a can of 80/- beer! Not sure if any of that is appropriate and have no ideas for males as none in our family have ever reached that age. Hope you manage to come up with something.

an antique brooch(sp?)

how about you get a local artist to do a painting of their house? i did one of my in-law's house and they loved it

Thanks for the ideas so far - they live in a flat so the rose idea is out (I have used this too on numerous occasions) also, the painting wouldn't mean much as the block of flats is just that - a block - although they used to run a guest house in Cheshire - maybe a picture of that would be good - no idea how to get one though. Maybe I will have a surf!! The size of their flat limits alot of things - they sold quite a big house to but this flat - so they have alot of 'stuff'. Brooch may be an idea. Keep the ideas coming!!

We had my dad's 70th this year, and we did This Is Your Life on him, with a book, and a presenter (my brother) and a party with lifelong friends and long-lost friends. He loved it.

A variation on the rose idea, is planting a tree - try the Woodland Trust, who have a selection of woods round the country. You get sent a certificate with an Ordinant Survey grid reference (just in case you want to visit, although the tree itself won't be marked). It's not expensive (£10-£25), and the nice thing is that it is something meaningful that continues long after she is no longer here.

The other idea my DH used for his nanna, was tea at the Ritz. She loved the whole occasion.

Message withdrawn

how about buying a picture farme with space for several photo's and trying to track down some old pics of them (from dp's family?)......

For my Dad's 70th we set up an 'adoption' of a baby gorilla through the Dian Fossey fund. For about £20 he got a photo, certificate and T shirt and he absolutely loved it altho I appreciate it wouldnt be everyone's cup of teA. he even put the photo beside the ones of all the human grandchildren!

Love the idea of tea at the Ritz - she would too (she reminds me of Hyacinth Bucket) - her Birthday is on Boxing Day though so may be difficult.

I like that one too - book it!

you can buy a voucher for it!