Gift Idea for Great-Grandmother Turning 100!

Doreon
Make a photo album with pics and notes from each member of her whole family or a coupon book to spend time with her ie go out lunch, go for a walk in the park, trip to the zoo or museum . you get the idea..

J. O

I suggest restoring an old photo of her and her siblings, parents, or her wedding in a beautiful frame. Even finding something of her past that wil spark some sort of warm spot within her. Maybe get the family to take photographs by generations I think that would be the most heart felt gift to look at all of her off springs with pride! Place them all in a nice frame and present them to her this is a gift that is priceless and timeless.

Does she still write? Perhaps some beaa=utiful stationary and pen. How about a lovely silk scarf to keep her neck warm, or fuzzy slippers...I would love to see what the moms write. Edit: I was just reading what the other moms wrote and those are terrific responses, but I was just remembering my great aunt when she was "ripening" and she loved getting something just for her. Perhaps these would be fun on top of a beautiful album or something.

How about collecting favorite memories about Grandma? For our great-granddad, I sent e-mails and notes in Christmas cards (sorry that won't work) and asked relatives, friends and neighbors to put short tales on strips and squares of colored scrapbook paper (you can send them outwith the requests)I also made some put them on paper at a superbowl party. I put them in a clear plastic jar with a cover and a bow. We made a label "Special Stories about Granddad". Because I put them in, I knew some of the funiest, and pulled them in an envelope and read them when we gave him his container. I learned so many things that he had done, and we got to celebrate and laugh while he was alive. He died a year ago today, and I was just reminiscing about that with my daughter. It was a great project! Good luck!

when my husbands grandma turned 90 and they had a party I was drafted to make a collage of all the kids and grandkids in a large frame. I used different plaid papers to put around the pictures (just put the rectangle picture on the plaid and left a 1/4 inch edge around it.) It turned out really great and she loved seeing her whole family in one place.

Super!!!!! Find as many pictures of her as you can and put them in a scrapbook - ages and stages. Label as many as you can and then have her help wih any you can't after you give it to her. Before my grandmother died - we started work on our geneology. We found some amazing things going thru her boxes - my great uncles itinerary from Denmark to Canada, lots of old pictures from Denmark - it was great for us cause we got her to talk about her life before she came to the States. You are creative. many great ides - just let yourself go. And give a hug to Grandms from all of us

I suggest a 'gift certificate' for a Mystery Trip and pick a day to pick her up and take her to lunch and to a museum, for a manicure, to a botanical garden, or something else she enjoys. My grandparents are 90 &, they too, have "everything" and don't need another tricket or knick knack, so I give them a 'gift certificate' & I bring a meal to them, or when they were both a little more physically able, I would take them on a Mystery Trip, as described above. I truly believe your great grandmother would want a memory that you could give her rather than some 'thing.'

It's wonderful to have a Great-grandmother around that long. Can you imagine the things she's seen in her life? I used to have an embroidery business and we sold a number of things for an occasion like this. One year I had a lady bring in material and I embroidered everyone's name on it and they cut out the squares and made a quilt. I did one square that said "we all love you Grandma" on it with a design for the center. Then one square had the date. Then every year they brought the quilt back to have new "names" added.

A less costly idea is to have a Grandma's Sweatshirt embroidered; you'd be surprised at how many names you can get on a shirt. My mom's had the grandkids and the great-grandkids names done in different colors. She loved it because everywhere she went people would comment on it and she could talk about the family!!!

Did you get her name on TV for being 100? Also the President of the United States will send her a Birthday card!! Good luck with whatever you choose and tell Grandma Happy Birthday!!!

Is there something she has always wanted to see? A place that she has always wanted to visit?

Maybe you could get together with a group of people and put together tickets to a play or orchestra?

Maybe buy her airline tickets, hotel stay and tour package for some place cool.

I'm pretty sure that at 100 years old there's very little she needs, have you considered a charitable gift? changingthepresent.org is a wonderful website where you can browse all kinds of charitable gifts. You could choose a project that would be dear to your Great Grandmother's heart and give a donation in her name. I did this for most of my family members this Christmas and not only was it fun to choose something which I thought would stike a chord with them, but every one of them was thrilled with the gift.

For my in-laws 50th wedding anniv I made them a photo quilt...it was a lot of work and my neighbor helped with most of the how tos....so if you are not crafty as I am not, and without a crafty neighbor....I have seem them on the internet for like 30 dollars... you give them the pictures and they make the quilt.

How about taking a picture of all the generations? Include her as great grandmother, then mom, then you and any other daughters... It would be priceless to see them all together. Or if the family isn't too big,have everyone have a picture taken for her. But I would include her in the photo, she won't be around forever, though she's lived this long, god bless her!

How about creating a family tree? Get a baby pic of everyone in the family or of just your own, get little mini-ornament frames (that are probably on sale now) to put the baby pics in them and I am sure there is some sort of mini metal tree you can hang the ornaments from and she can have it in her house to look at.

My hubby's grandma turned 100 last year, will be 101 on Jan. 3..we just had a big celebration (and her great-great grandson was born on her b-day last year too, so it was pretty cool!) and his family just had scrapbooks of pics for everyone to look at, including what life was like 100 years ago.

You are incredibly lucky. I miss my grandma every day and wish that I would have had just another day with her, let alone another 20 years. My goodness, what a lucky lucky girl you are!

For my Grandmother's 80th birthday, I got her 80 lottery tickets. She loved it. It gave her something to do and some excitment to her day. Plus, she got some extra cash to do with what she pleased.

Congrats on your grandma. Enjoy her while you can and know that you are truly blessed to have had her this long. Let us know what you end up doing for her.

N.

I agree with Mary C's advice, ask relatives for a letter about memories or what they think is special about her, but then instead of putting them in a box, make a scrap book for her.

If that's too much trouble ask everyone to send or email you photos and creat a photo album for her, but be sure its an album with room to write who's in the picture, where and when it was taken, etc.

Hi there, it looks like you've already gotten lots of responses and I didn't read through them all so I apologize if this is a repeat of others. You could do some sort of photo gift. If you have a computer and digital pictures you could get online and create a photo book (that might be easier and less time consuming than doing a scrapbook (which I saw in one of the other reponses) and having to put all the pages and pieces together by hand). Even if you don't have digital pictures, if you had a scanner you could scan photos and then upload them onto a website and create a photo album that way from the pix. I would suggest www.snapfish.com or www.shutterfly.com for photo books etc. Hope it helps, good luck and I would love to know what you end up doing :) C.

My mother is turning 94 and as you say, they don't need anything really. What she loves best is a framed picture of great grandchild or a family picture...Hope that helps!

I agree do a photo book showing her from a baby until now... ITs a lot of work but I know she woudl love it. My grandfather got a framed picture with several pics of him, his wife and his old army coat and he almost cried when they unveiled it!!

I do storybooks on Creative Memories I can email you one to view if you want. I know there are several different options out there but I have dound I like their options for styles of books and printing the best

We gave my grandmother a journal. It was from hallmark and had leading questions at the top of each page. "When I was a child I remember doing.... When we went to church it was... if she is not able to write anymore then maybe have someone ask her the questions and you write down the answers. we are loosing our history because so many of the people who are this age are not passing down memories. She will love this and so will you. The problem will be who gets it when she is gone. so maybe a win win for you would be to give this to her and record her answers. then make copies for all your family members. and remember to start this process earlier with the next generation of family members. have a wonderful party and enjoy her as much as you can.

For my grandmothers 80th birthday each family member made a photo/scrapbook page and we all put it into a homemade album ( favorite color)with some of her favorite pictures of her when she was younger. She LOVES it, 8 yrs later she still boasts about it.

I had the kids help make something for their great grandma. I think at that age edible or disposable gifts are best. Our grandma always says she is trying to get rid of things at this point.
Anyway, the kids made a paper chain with 100 links...we called it a chain of 100 hugs. They also made 100 pretend flowers with pipe cleaners and other craft supplies. They painted big popsicle sticks and glued wooden hearts on them(from Michaels)...100 sticks of love. They decorated a container and filled it with 100 hearshey kisses. Finally, my first grader thought she needed something to pass out on her birthday...like he does in school. So we went to the dollar store and bought 100 fun pencils. She lives in a retirement village, so she had a great time passing out the pencils and telling everyone where they came from at meal time.
Good Luck.
J.

What about a small gift from each decade she has lived through? I'm sure you can find ten sweet little items that will remind her of days gone by.

Also, what about a really nice family picture album full of all of the faces she loves? I don't think pictures ever get old. You could do old and new ones combined.

How special! Have a great time!
A.

I don't know about her living situation but maybe a gift card to the grocery store. When my grandmother was still alive and she was in her 90's that is what we would give her. We would also give her rolls of quarters to do her laundry. She was a woman that also had everything she needed. She did like to read so books were also good and she liked to do word search puzzles. It helped keep her brain sharp. HTH God bless her and happy birthday to her.
J.

Give her a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant. Mine is 86 years young and says the gift certificates are the only thing thaat make her happy. She already has everything she wants at her age. Or, maybe a family framed photo gift certificate from whomever is taking pictures (if no pro is taking photos for this auspicious occasion, you have someone there take 4-5 so you can pick out the best one of your family generational photos). You can give gram a nice card saying her generational rememberance will be ready in a week or so. Have fun.

hello
offer to do a video interview with her about her life and all the events leading up to now. It will mean so much later on and be an heirloom for the next generations. you and others may learn alot about her and your family! enjoy being able to have someone you love so long in your life

I didn't read other posts so I don't know if you received similar ideas...
When my grandmother turned 80, I had everyone in my family write down their favorite memory of her or their favorite thing about her. I then typed them up and compiled them in a scrapbook for her and she LOVED it! I asked that the responses be brief and that helped but it could be as creative or simple as you'd like. We had the little kids who couldn't write draw her a picture, added favorite photos...it came out really nice and was an awesome keepsake.

Just5 cell phone is a great gadget for seniors. My elderly mom has this phone and we cannot thank this phone enough for saving my mom’s life for over three times already. The phone comes with PERS features that allow my mom to call for help in just a press of a button. Plus, the phone has loads of senior friendly features such as bright display, loud sound, and big buttons. I read about this phone before at www.just5.com.

how about make her a calender with pics of all her family...just go to the site you have your digital pics stored and it's pretty easy!

Congratulations to your Great-Grandmother!! How wonderful for your family to have her in their lives. I would make a book of 100 things you love about her or 100 memories your family has of her. It will be easier that you think--you can include holiday traditions that she was part of, activities she shared with you, her special traits, her smile, her passions and things you admire about her (faith, devotion to family, life lessons she taught you). You can add funny stories or things from her childhood as well. If you can include pictures showing any of these things it is a nice addition too. Have fun making this one of a kind gift!

wow how exciting. i just received a quilt that was made for me and it had pictures (on fabric) of important events in our lives, children, weddings etc. it is beautiful. i know it can be done yourself and that there are places that will do it for you. i saw too there is a place where you can get important pieces of fabric made into a quilt like wedding dress material, baptism outfit, favorite tshirt etc. good luck do a google search of picture quilts.

Great ideas below. 2 more:

1. donate to http://www.heifer.org/ in her name - for example buying a goat for a family in need gives them nutrition and a way out of poverty, plus they have to pass on the goat's offspring to another family

2. I don't mean to plug our business, but it fits here. My dh makes life movies of people for just this type of milestone, using existing photos, video and can do interviews w/ the person and family (like montages, but much more meaningful and personal). www.reelmeaning.com

Do something that's not monetary, but is meaningful:

- Have one of those calendars made with pictures of her children and their families; or have it made with old pictures of her and her husband or her and her siblings

- Create a scrapbook - have one page of pictures on the left of certain members of her family and on the righthand page have those family members write things they love about her i.e. "you're a great cook," "I love the way you XXX," or "You've taught me XXX."

- Get a large frame - maybe 14 x 16 - and have family members write on a piece of paper great things about her, then frame it for her to hang where she lives.

- Create a family recipe book and dedicate it to her in honor of her 100th b-day. You can find places online where you add in the recipes and then they'll send you finished copies of the book.

For my mom's 60th birthday i sent out a letter to everyone she knew and asked then to write a letter of a special memory of my mom or a letter telling my mom what she means to them. I also asked for photos they could give me so i could make a photo album of her life. Then i also asked if they could enclose one word that describes my mom. After i received them i put all the letters in a nice bag (or box). I put the photos in an album starting from the youngest picture of her to the present and i also wrote the words people described my mom as throughout the album. It was fasinating to hear some of the stories especially from when she was a child. And the words were fasinating to to see how people saw my mom. She loved the gift and still pulls out the letters occassionally to read.

how wonderful! i think a great idea would be some sort of scrapbook. you could compile memories from family members as well as pictures, you could do world events that she has seen and lived through as well. if you have access to lots of family pictures you could show her throughout the years. just thoughts! i am a creative memories consultant if you need any help with supplies or ideas., email me back.

Wow!!! What a wonderful milestone to attain in one's life, and that you will be there to celebrate it with her. And to be in good mental and physical health to boot. What a blessing!! The idea of a tree is not a bad one, especially if she is, or was a gardner. I understand your concerrn about it being memorial like, but I don't that ahe would see it that way...you know her best so go with your gut on that one. What about a collage or scrapbook with as many great family photos you can find, perhaps it could be a collabritive effort that you and some other family members could work on together. My grandmother will be 87 this March, and loves to have photos of family and friends around her. Her father, my great grandfather passed at 96 about fifteen years back, and the most important thing to him was to just be with his family. Just being there was enough. His baby sisters both passed a few years back, one at 100, and one at 101!! Everyone asked what was their secret, what did they think led them to such a long life, what had they seen in their time here, what did they love most about their lives, words of wisdom from a lifetime of living..? Maybe you could do an interview of sorts, and right down her thoughts, and present her with a memoir of sorts. Anyhow, hope this helps, and good luck with your decision.

Doreon,

Two suggestions:

1. Make a date with her to take her out to her favorite restaurant and spend some quality time.
2. Make a family album with older pictures. So easy these days with the technology we have available to us. Perhaps you can find pictures of what her hometown looked like when she was a child, young woman ect. and family pictures from her childhood till present day.

Honestly though I really think spending quality time is the best gift for you and her.

A Happy New Year to you Doreon, I had to answer your question on the gift for Grandma...the best gift you can give her is being with her and doing things with her...it will make her happy and happiness is the best gift you can give anyone...you can write her a note telling her how much she means to you...get her out of the house, if possible, and plan a day of shear laughter and fun...a play or show...anything that is fun and won't be too exhausting for her... I'm 60 and after awhile of even fun I get tired...what ever you can think of, will make her heart glad...your time is everything to a senior...I pray that you have the best day of your lives together...I was in my early teens when both of my grandmothers passed away...one was here and the other in Italy...the most precious time I had with both of them when I was alone with them...I can still remember that wonderful time...it was only once, but I cherish the memory...My prayers and congratulations go to you and your family...Jo

I haven't read the responses - but have you ever seen a quilt made of photos? Photos are scanned onto fabric (don't know how) and a quilt can be made from those. I think they might be pretty expensive, but if you get a big group together I'm sure it would be a great gift. I know a couple of quilters I can refer if you need a name.

Maybe a scrapbook of her and the family and 100 happy memories with Grandma...

How about a framed photograph of your family? Or maybe get her the frame and take a photograph of her with her great-grandchildren when you give it to her?

Happy New Year!
R.

How about a photo album or collage just for her with pictures from all the years of past fun. Also go to Cracker Barrel and get the book from the year she was born. It tell everything that happened in the year she was born. You can also contact the Mayor's office and they will send a letter or certificate to her. You can also check on getting a letter from the President of the United States and Govenor. They honor people who become a century years old

How about a framed canvas with everyone's handprint on it that is in your family? At the top you could write her name and birthday. Then using gold paint put all handprints on it. That way you can have the babies and young children's too. You can buy a nice frame and have it matted. Write each person's first name under it. You can buy rub off letters at Hobby Lobby so the printing is neat and consistent.

Another idea is just 100 of something she really likes in a nice container==chocolates, tea bags, etc.

Happy celebration! A.

Hi Doreon, I have read through pretty much all of your responses and they are all wonderful! Pictures are truely great gifts to give. But at your great-grandmothers age I'm sure she already has pictures of everyone in the family. One gift I know my grandmother liked when she was still here was a lunch/dinner out at her favorite place and then her hair cut and styled and her nails done. Usually it cost us alittle over $100.00 but it was well worth it to see her smile. My grandmother past away 4 years ago at the end of this month while I was holding her hand and she had lived a happy life with her family! Good Luck with whatever you decide. Happy New Year.