100 Year Old Birthday Present

[snarlingcoyote]

My very dear great aunt is having her 100th birthday party the day after Christmas.

What do you get a 100 year old woman for her birthday anyway? She's in a comfy house with everything set up, has everything she needs, is okay financially. . .

I'm at a loss.

Any ideas?

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Flowers. Perhaps her favorite kind.

[WDWBarb]

I got my grandmother a digital picture frame, fully loaded with pictures of her life and family. It holds tons and she loves watching it.

[snarlingcoyote]

Thanks for confirming the flowers suggestion - I was thinking about that!

I have to admit I LOVE the digital photo frame one though! I could work with my mom on and get a lot of good photos scanned and loaded. My only worry is that some other folks will have the same idea - but we won't all have the same photos of her so if she got two or three, it would still be a good idea.

[DisMomme]

My Grampy loves to go out to eat so we get him gift certificates to his favorite restaurants. My mom got him a book from the Historical Society of his hometown. He loves looking through it and reminicing about growing up there. She also organized a small party (about 15 of us) with his former co-workers and some nearby relatives. (we even had a surprise guest from his hometown).

BTW, I love the idea of the digital photo frame. Wish I had thought of that!

[dzneelvr]

A lunch date with you would be just the thing! Seriously, make a reservation at a location she can access and will enjoy. I find that the perfect gift "for the person who has everything" is always a bit of undivided attention. Pick her up, bring along a few random photo albums for you both to reminisce over, and be prepared for a wonderful time.

[Cantw8]

a male stripper

[snarlingcoyote]

Originally Posted by dzneelvr

A lunch date with you would be just the thing! Seriously, make a reservation at a location she can access and will enjoy. I find that the perfect gift "for the person who has everything" is always a bit of undivided attention. Pick her up, bring along a few random photo albums for you both to reminisce over, and be prepared for a wonderful time.

I've found that the best thing I can give her is usually time. I've started making it a point to visit her when I go see my folks (they all live about 4.5 hours away). She's a blast to talk to, anyway!

I think I'll ask my folks if I could take all of them out somewhere next time I'm in town. (Not that there are many choices. . .small town.)

[snarlingcoyote]

Originally Posted by DisMomme

My Grampy loves to go out to eat so we get him gift certificates to his favorite restaurants. My mom got him a book from the Historical Society of his hometown. He loves looking through it and reminicing about growing up there. She also organized a small party (about 15 of us) with his former co-workers and some nearby relatives. (we even had a surprise guest from his hometown).

BTW, I love the idea of the digital photo frame. Wish I had thought of that!

Well, one of DGA's sons has organized a HUGE birthday party for her at a local hall. He was trying to make it a surprise party until my mother informed him that if he wanted the guest of honor to be in attendance in a lively fashion, he should probably TELL her about it. So he did and my DGA has agreed she will not pass before 2010 if she can possibly help it.

It's in her hometown, so I expect there will be a big turnout. (Her birthday is actually a couple of days later, but it was thought it would be easier for everyone to attend if it was held the day after Christmas.)

[Cheshire Figment]

For my mother's 90th, my sister and I paid for a luncheon of mom's 130 closest friends and relatives at a nearby hotel. Mom had to pick the guests, as she was the only one who knew them all.

We asked people to bring "memories". Some people brough newspaper clippings which featured her; others just got up and said a few words of how she affected their lives.

My sister's ex-husband interviewed mom one day a week for several months and ended up doing a book by her about her background and life. Several of her grandchildren got together and had the book (about 200 pages) printed in softcover and gave one to every person who attended the party.

[lfontaine]

My DH's Granny really enjoyed the cookie of the month club.

[I Love Pluto]

If she's a coffee or tea drinker - she'd love a cup with 100 on it.

Most malls have kiosks who will make them for you (if you can't find a ready-made one).

[shortbun]

Go visit her. Make the trip. She's 100 and she deserves it. Take a few flowers already in a vase that will not take much cleanup when they're faded. We've had a few 100 birthdays in our family and we all travel but not at the same time. My best friend had a party for her 100yo uncle about 3 weeks before his birthday so he could spend his birthday peacefully at his request. She asked him. Maybe you could do that; ask her.

[snarlingcoyote]

Ya'll must understand - DGA is not a friendless, helpless, lonely invalid, and it would raise her hackles if she knew anyone thought she was!

Yes, she does have some nice ladies in every day to cook and clean and drive her places now, but she lives in the same house she's lived in for the past 30 years (a nice 3 bedroom brick home, app. 2000 square feet), she still goes to her church (It helps that she's primitive baptist and the church only meets once every few weeks.) her painting club, still cooks occasionally (although she seems to feel that if she's paying someone to cook for her, why not let them?) etc. She went to the parish fair a couple of weeks ago and got an award for being the oldest person at the fair!

She's got a couple of sons, a passel of grandkids and great-grandkids, cousins, neices, etc.. We all visit, mostly, and take time for her. (I could name one or two who don't, but then I'm not catty like that.) She and my mom have been extremely close for a very long time.

If there's one sad point in her life, it's that she's outlived all of her dearest friends. She lost her husband back in the early 1970's, and one by one, her friends have all passed.

She's not the first in our family to be extremely long-lived. She had an aunt who made it well into her hundred-and-teens, so she might well make it another 15 or 20 years! (She finally stopped saying things like "I'm not planting a garden this spring because I don't know if I'll see it through" a few years ago when it was pointed out to her she'd been saying that for years! )

So really, all I need is advice on what you give someone who has everything, LOL, and isn't interested in adding to her jewelry collection or any other sort of collection. . .I know she loves to paint and raise african violets, but I'm not sure I know enough to buy her something worthwhile on those fronts.

Actually, after the digital photo frame one, I started thinking seriously, and I think I'm going to post an ad at Michael's or Hobby Lobby and see if I can commission a scrapbook for her or something like that. I do have a completely empty photo album from the early 1920's that has been hanging around the house for a while that would make a great base for it. The one thing I will refuse to do is get into a competition with other relations over who can get her the best present. . .