Idea for Gift for Surprise 80th Bday Party

Parent Cafe
1

<p>H and I are invited to a surprise 80th birthday party for H’s aunt (his mother’s sister). We have not seen her in about 5 years and haven’t really been in contact, but we always were fond of her and are pleased to be included.</p>

<p>Now, she is not “an old lady” by any stretch of the imagination. She was a pistol in her day (was a member of the Communist party when younger, giving her capitalist-business-owning-rich-daddy major heartburn), ran off and did some world adventures, has always been interested in more avant-garde music and art (though I can’t be specific as to what they are). She and husband have retired to an artist’s colony type of area. I can’t say that I could really identify her specific tastes in art and music, but my point is that she’s not a stereotypical little old lady with a lace handkerchief. She wrote a combination cookbook / memoir that is full of hysterical stories only a radical Jewish girl from Hyde Park could come up with. She did trompe l’oeil painting and my D has a painting she did in her bedroom. All in all, she’s just a very “young” 80 yo in all ways other than physical. Very creative, very liberal. She has three grown children, 4 grandchildren, and 2 ggchildren. </p>

<p>Anyway, we need to bring something – and I am completely drawing a blank on something that would celebrate the spirit of this very cool lady.</p>

2

<p>How about a gift certificate such as: dinner for two at her favorite restaurant. Throw in some tickets to a show.</p>

3

<p>No junk. </p>

<p>It sounds like books about adventures might work.</p>

<p>Or art supplies?</p>

<p>New music?</p>

<p>Dinner at the Plaza (or your local equivalent)?</p>

<p>A stack of magazines?</p>

4

<p>I like the dinner/show idea. Also, how about some kind of donation to a cause that’s dear to her? Or one she might not know about, but would like learning about?</p>

5

<p>our family has a great aunt who just turned 85. we got her a nice box at Pier 1 and put a bunch of note cards in it (for you maybe 8 would work since she’s 80). on each note we wrote a special memory of a time we spent with her or something particularly funny that happened or a quality about her that we appreciate or enjoy. photos with the notes are nice too</p>

6

<p>Buy her a coffin. </p>

<p>Sorry to be potentially rude but it seems like she’d appreciate that, given her artsy personality.</p>

7

<p>If you tell me what sort of painting she does (water color, oil etc?) I would be happy to recommend an expensive high quality brush. I’m a painter. WE LOVE EXPENSIVE BRUSHES.
I’ve never met an artists who didn’t swoon over a nice kolinsky brush. Many of them come in beautiful presentation boxes. [Kolinsky</a> sable-hair brush - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolinsky_sable-hair_brush]Kolinsky”>Kolinsky sable-hair brush - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>If she does watercolor “on the fly” she would enjoy one of these: <a href=“http://www.cheapjoes.com/art-supplies/24901_winsor-newton-pocket-plus-traveler.asp[/url]”>http://www.cheapjoes.com/art-supplies/24901_winsor-newton-pocket-plus-traveler.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>I’m not sure where the aunt grew up but there are several books about the Jews of Brooklyn, Who We Were Then, and some books on the Histradrut, and Labor Zionists. (Can you tell that my mother and grandparents were part of those movements?). </p>

<p>If she grew up in an interesting area there are a series of books by Marc Wannamaker (check for spelling) that chronicle cities as diverse as Beverly Hills, Palm Beach, Chicago (and some suburbs), Brooklyn. </p>

<p>Can you tell that I love social history? Or cds of albums that she may have enjoyed when she was young.</p>

<p>Or a more modern twist: a day at a spa.</p>

9

<p>I like the day at the spa idea. My mom just had her first massage, and she is 82!</p>