AnnieP Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Help! My Mum and Dad are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 2 weeks time. I can't think what to buy them....they have everything they need and they are sooo difficult: Don't drink, smoke, go out, don't drive, etc. On top of this, my 3 brothers have all gazumped me for ideas (and I have had my mind on other things and left the thinking shamefully late). They have bought them tickets for the theatre, meals out etc. Poor Bu**ers can't go away for any length of time as they look after my 96 year old grandma!! Ideas welcomed! Thanks! Oh, and they won't want chickens before anyone suggests the obvious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Blimey, we've got the same thing with the outlaws in December! Hard, isn't it! If I think of anything, I'll let you know but I think we're all clubbing together for a meal out ! That'll be fun ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 One is...is it feasible for you & 3 bros to have a meal all together with them & give the presents from all four, rather than individually? May not be possible to do or arrange, of course. We did this for 80th birthdays...no partners or offspring, just their own children...very special. Or, do they have a garden which could take a tree or shrub or rose...something with golden leaves, golden fruit or Gold in the name? For my parents Ruby (19 yrs ago!) we bought presents jointly from 5 siblings, one of which was Japenese Maple/Purple Acer. I had resposibility of buying it & realised I hadn't found out if it was to be a shrub or tree, it could be either. So, I bought both & gave them the choice, they had the shrub & I have a beautiful tree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 If you can stretch to it, or combine with sibs, how about one of those fab icecream makers that does the freezing bit as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 There are a lot of roses available with Golden in the name? We made 8 years on Tuesday 13th - i wish someone would buy me one of those Ice-Cream Makers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 You didn't say anything Lesley! Congratulations !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 I told you last week - my Mum was coming and I had to check that Carl hadn't arranged anything? Age dear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 Ooops! Must have read that one too quickly - habit of the young ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Would there be anyway you could look after grandma for a weekend so they can go away - even if has to wait till half term or christmas they might like the idea of a break? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 I'd second Mel's break idea. Another idea, and I don't know how easy it would be, would be to make a sort of s"Ooops, word censored!"book/ photo album of their 50 years together, collecting photos etc of their big day and then photos or mememtoes of other significant times during those years and gathering them all together. Over that length of time I'm sure that they & friends/ family have accumulated lots of photoos, but often there's so many that you just don't get to weed through them all to look out for the special ones. A word of warning about Golden Roses..... a friend wanted a "Golden" rose for his parents 50th, typed a name of one he'd heard of into google, and found an awful lot of sites that he really hadn't been looking for . He had us all in stitches telling us what he found.......... but he was shocked, and it certainly wasn't a rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Off topic I know - but also don't type in The White House' before visiting America - the White House we all know, it most definitely wasn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 That's why I'm sitting behind the boys when they do their homework research on the internet! You put in something absolutely innocent and the results - ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 I agree, the internet is a fabulous resource, I'd really hate to manage without it now, and it's great for schoolwork......... but I do worry sometimes about the children using it. I "supervise" schoolwork linked internet searches & try to guide them in the right direction, but they don't always want Mum at their shoulder, and truth to tell as Seb's getting older and his homework is getting more demanding I can't always spare as much time as he needs to do it properly. We have the computer in the front hall though, so anyone moving from one room to the other can easily see what's happening on the computer, so I do leave doors open a lot, and spy regularly . They moan about not having the privacy of computers in their bedrooms, but I'm not ready to budge on that one yet. Downside is though that everyone can see how long I spend on the forum too. I get some complaints about that too But a couple of years ago now one of them was doing a WW2 project, and I helped them research about the leaders, Churchill, Chamberlain, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin et al, and we stumbled upon this pro-Nazi, "Hitler was a good guy/ had the right idea" style rant. Whichever child it was was all ready to download it- it's on the internet so it must be right kind of logic. I tried to put them both right at that time, using that as an example, and the "we all have different opinions but.............", and just because someone has expressed their opinion on the internet it doesn't mean that it's right kind of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amythefoxslayer! Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Iknow what you mean, Google image search can also be very dangerous to use! Innocently I search for Romans or Egyptians for a school project or something and end up with some very suspect images I thought we had a child lock or something for God's sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If your looking for an interesting and unusual present for your parents try www.thedoghouse.com and go on gifts. It will be my Grandad's 70th on Monday and it was my Nanny's about a month ago so we had the same problem of them having everything and apparently having no interests! I think we're going to get them a decent T.V because there current one only plays about 3 channels in awful quality! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Back on topic...............!! My parents recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, and we clubbed together and gave them a short break on The Orient Express. They loved it, and as hardened caravanners, it was something they would have never thought of doing! They were treated like royalty, and have been dropping (not so) subtle hints about their 50th anniversary ever since! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 I was thinking about Christmas (the sprouts are doing nicely on the top of the stove - should be ready by 24th December..... ) and I am sure I read somewhere that you can give prsents via Oxfam or something similar - i.e. buckets / tools / bikes etc. Did I dream this or can anyone help - we have a number of friends who are rich in money and possessions and presents are a nightmare because they have everything and I kind of get fed up trying to think of something they might like - this way we can actually get somethign useful. If anyone out there knows what I am talking about (unlikely I know) can you point me in the right direction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Oh yes, I think the Oxfam gifts are a great idea. I gave my sister's partner a goat for her birthday, and the children gave their form tutors 100 school dinners each at the end of the summer term You can buy a limited range of gifts from Oxfam shops, or a greater variety from their internet site. I'll try and post a link, but will have to check the address, it's oxfam unwrapped, and will come up on a google search. There are some other similar schemes around as well, I'll try to find the info, or maybe Lesley will be around later, I know she's been posting about buying bicycles for midwives for christmas . I don't know if that's Oxfam again, or if it's another scheme. Anyway, basically what you do is choose a gift, pay for it, and then they send you a gift card with a little picture inside to show the gift and on the back it says something like I bought you a ......... but I've given it to someone who needs it more than you, and goes on to describe where the gift will be going to (country, not person) and how it will be used, and how it will benefit the people recieving it etc. It's a great idea for people who already seem to have everything they need Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 (edited) Hi - we use World Vision for gifts. We really got into it when my sister moved to the Cayman Islands and postage there is very high and also gifts are opened and the recipient is made to pay tax on the gift www.oxfam.co.uk www.worldvision.com I wasn't able to open the Gift Catalogue in World Vision's site today but it does list others to try. Edited September 17, 2005 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 www.oxfamunwrapped.com should do it I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Thanks Kate - that's the Oxfam site I was looking for. (Brain gone AWOL again ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 I know the feeling Lesley. My brain seems to be AWOL more often than it's at home these days . And I am definitely too young to be having senior moments..... honest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Thank you for the links! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
