Parents 50th anniversary gift ideas

[jrejhkids]

My parents 50th anniversary is coming up next month.  Due to costs of plane tickets and all they (my siblings) have planned, I can't be there with the rest of the family when they celebrate it this coming weekend.  I have been trying to figure out what to get them or even make them and give it to them later when they come to visit us.

Does anyone have ideas or suggestions?

[crazyeights]

When we found out my dad had cancer I sent a 10 inch square of plain white material to all his friends and family members. I asked them to turn it into a quilt square any way they could. It was amazing what I got back (I included stamped self addressed envelopes so they could send them back) Some embroidered on them, some painted them, some air brushed them, some cross stitched on them, some ignored the white square and sent a patchwork square back, my dad's last elderly aunt still alive sent 4 patchwork squares made from the material of his other aunts blouses, etc. I even got one back from Croatia!! I made one from us, from my mom (after all she couldn't do one with him sitting there since it was a surprise!), and from his grandchildren. In all I got about 60 squares back! I think I asked them to send it back within a month.

When I got them back I made sure they were all square, added black strips between them and sewed them into a "love quilt". I didn't have time to quilt it so I did a tied quilt. Someday maybe I'll sit down and quilt it.

I gave it to my dad for Christmas. It was his last Christmas with us. When he opened it he was stunned!! He was speechless, and believe me, I'd never seen my dad speechless before.

Perhaps something like that? If you don't have enough time to do a full quilt then just get family members involved and do a smaller lap quilt. I'm sure your parents would love it!!

My dad took his, and it fits on a king size bed mind you, to all his doctors to show it off, to the hospital when he went for radiation to show it off, and in the end it hung behind his casket at his funeral. I now have that quilt and it means the world to me knowing how much love was put in it by not just me, but all those who knew and loved him also.

Debi

[sbdriver]

Debi what an awesome idea!

Laurie

[natesmom]

Sorry that I don't have a wonderful idea to contribute, but I just have to say to Debi that your quilt story is the nicest thing I've heard lately.  How touching that you managed all of this while your dad could still appreciate it.  What a meaningful and enriching gift.

Nate's Mom

[lovn_my_boys]

Debi that is amazing!!

For my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary, we did throw them a party but what we gave them for a gift was we dug through grams cedar chest and found her marriage certificate and the picture taken of them on the day they married, they didn't have a wedding per se, they got married on a wednesday I think and it was just them, the preacher and her parents because I think they had to sign as gram was only 16 at the time, anyway he work a nice suite and she wore a navy blue dress, it was in the 50s so it was a short skirt dress thing I still tease her for showing off her sexy legs way back then its a big deal because gram only has 1 leg now due to a motorcyle accident anyway for their gift we had the certificate and their wedding day picture framed and it turned out really lovely, we did it ourselves so it was just he cost of the frame.

[jamiesmom]

If your parents are anything like my parents, they have more than they could ever want or ask for. They asked for no gifts from family and friends. But the children made a quilt for them. My sister actually made the quilt, but we all had part... Each child, grandchild and great grandchild had a hand print (the babies had little foot prints)that we cut out of fabric and those were embroidered with our names and the date that we became a family member (birth dates and marriage dates). The prints were appliqued onto fabric which became blocks in the quilt. The smaller hands and feet were put together on several blocks. The middle block had our family last name and est. April 11,1959 underneath the name.

My parents were planning a trip that year to some of the west coast states. Some of us gave gift cards for gas and other extra items, that they might would have needed or wanted while away. They liked this, since 100% of their fuel costs was paid for.

To this day, my mom shows that quilt off to everyone that visits them. She says that it was the best present she had ever received.

I know it's pretty much too late to do this, but someone else may be able to use the idea.

[jamiesmom]

What about making a DVD with old family photos and some of their favorite music?