Need Ideas for 40th Anniversary

[siena_avila]

Hi, everyone! My parents are celebrating their 40th anniversary next month, praise God! :extrahappy: All the kids and my sister’s kids will be in one spot that weekend (my brother’s graduation and brother-in-law’s birthday are the day before), and we wanted to do something really special.

So far, I’m looking for good food places in Orlando for a family dinner.

The “stone” is ruby, which is awesome, as my mom loves red things. But I’ll let my dad take care of that.

But I’m also looking for ideas for meaningful gifts. My cousins put together a simple album for their parents’ 50th, but us kids are spread apart and far away from the photo albums.

Anything else we can do?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ravemacneil]

This is just a small gift idea, but you could put together a scrap-album of sorts that is a time capsule from 1970, the way things were the year their wonderful marriage began.

This could help give them a strong sense of just what they have achieved, as it will make it clear how many years have indeed passed since that great day.

Perhaps print out or cut out images from then, tv’s and telephones, new car ads, fashion, newspaper headlines, big news events, academy award winners, top songs…

You could do this as multimedia, too, I think images are powerful and seeing what the world looked like the year they began their marriage journey might surprise them both in how fast the images are remembered and in the statement it makes of the distance travelled.

Your blessed to have parents with a marriage such as this!

Peace of Christ,
RMN

 

[LaLucia]

I think a Ruby red silky/satin type of comforter would be nice. Plus the pillow cases, sheets, etc.

This is why I have thought about this idea… because eventhough it is summer… people sleep with the air-conditioner on. Plus, they can use it in the winter too.
Everytime they use it they will know it was a gift with love.

Mothers like personal things as gifts so I would give her jewelry. Sterling silver is not expensive.
Department stores have beautiful selections.

Don’t buy them practical gifts like for the kitchen.

Have a bouquet of flowers delivered to their home when they are home.

I am a senior lady and that is what I would want because I have everything I need that is practical.

You can find the comforter on-line.

 

[Lightbee]

You can make some awesome photo books online. If you shared the website link and password with your siblings you could all upload photos from different parts of the country and put a book together based on that. My favourite site is snapfish.com.au, but there are others around too.

Or what about a collection of memorabilia from the year they were married - newspaper, songs that were in the charts at the time etc. etc. Again - heaps of stuff online. E-bay is great for that!

 

[puzzleannie]

But I’m also looking for ideas for meaningful gifts. My cousins put together a simple album for their parents’ 50th, but us kids are spread apart and far away from the photo albums.

Anything else we can do?

Thanks in advance!

we have done this and asked everyone to scan the family photo and send it to DD, she had them printed in a way that goes on fabric to make quilt squares, with the family names added. She sewed also on each square an applique of their state and a colorful button or patch representing something unique about the family or state and put the quilt together (this took a year, obviously but she initiated and planned the whole thing, as she always does). This was for her grandmother’s 80th birthday, and it was the last time all of us were together in one spot, as she can no longer travel to see her grandkids, so she does treasure this, and it is the one thing she moved with her to assisted living. DD makes a new patch for each new addition to the family with a glue-on back which MIL can apply herself.

For their 50th they specifically asked for no gifts but contributions to their parish building fund. The church restored stained glass windows from the first building for the new one, which were donated by her family 100 years ago and still have the family names on one panel (used in every generation) so that also is a lasting memory.

the girls send her fresh flowers now for gifts, but they coordinate with each other so they are delivered a week apart for a month or so. She has no room for any material things so do keep that a consideration.

We have 8 boxes of “family” stuff I simply do not know what to do with when we move. I took all the photos out of the frames and send them to DD, my organizer, with all the other photos and stuff, she is going to somehow put them all on a CD. She has already done this with the photos and stuff from my mother’s house when she died. My kids know not to give any gift that is not consumable so they are rather predictable: puzzle magazine subscription for me, golf balls for their dad.

the girls also no longer send actual photos, but over the internet, to her and to us, which makes things much easier. so we can get what becomes a “video” of a first communion or other event. Just got the grand-kids talent show performance that way which was a scream–they did Who’s on First and won a prize. We also got pix and details of DGD1’s winning state science fair entry that way.

 

[bjj]

I don’t know what all was suggested, but I love the idea of getting your parents a hot air balloon ride. I realize the whole family will be present, but maybe allowing them that special time alone and then getting together for a informal dinner to talk about what the experience was like for the two of them. It sounds like there will be more than enough of you to pitch in for the cost. All could gather and send them off with a small picnic basket of wine (or sparkle juice), cheese, crackers and maybe some cold shrimp. How intimate and thrilling!!!

 

[siena_avila]

Hi everyone! Thanks for the ideas!

My mom has, erm, particular tastes, so it’s very hard for me to pick things out. A hot air balloon ride might be cool (Mom gets motion sickness - would that affect her?) I’ll have to check with my sister. Since it’s also the weekend we’re moving my brother out of his apartment, I don’t know that there will be time.

I’m musing on the memories idea. A friend was talking about San Francisco and that reminded me my parents went there early in their marriage. I wish we kids could afford to send them back!

Open to any more suggestions…