# Present suggestions for 75th birthday **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449 "2011-11-10T00:34:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/1 "2011-11-10T00:34:00Z")
Goes to the gym, backpacks, sails, cycles, travels internationally, journalist, female, plays saxophone. A few hobbies off the top of my head there. She’s got a Kindle. I’m broke, and shipping is expensive so dopers please your fabulous cheap but thoughtful ideas. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/2 "2011-11-10T00:55:48Z")
Do you knit or sew or paint? Making something is a great way to show someone how much you care, plus it can save money. I don’t say cheap as my usual gift is a hand-knitted cashmere scarf and cashmere is not cheap. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/3 "2011-11-10T02:16:03Z")
A coffin ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/4 "2011-11-10T04:44:20Z")
At that age, most people don’t need much “stuff”. Might be good to try to think of some kind of event, trip, or experience that she would enjoy and use that as the gift. Best of all if it’s something you could do together. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/5 "2011-11-10T04:57:48Z")
When you say broke, does that mean so broke you can’t afford $10? If she’s got a kindle then a $10 BN electronic gift card requires no shipping and should allow her to get at least one book. It’ll be emailed to her so no shipping. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/6 "2011-11-10T20:50:41Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > A coffin Is that the best you can do dear? ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/7 "2011-11-10T20:53:02Z")
Thanks for the suggestions. I’m stuck really. The kindle thing is a good idea, just a bit impersonal, I’m a long way away from her, so doing something together is out. I can do handicraft things, but I don’t have the inspiration right now. Any sites to recommend with small fun gifts I could have delivered. To Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/8 "2011-11-10T21:22:31Z")
Years ago, my parents and I attended the fiftieth birthday party of one of my father’s friends. We gave him a gift that I can’t remember but also found, quite by accident, a copy of Life magazine from the week he was born (we were browsing in a used bookstore). Coincidentally, he was very much into photography and was absolutely fascinated with the magazine. I think the magazine cost us five dollars. (But then he tried to get the same thing for his wife’s fiftieth birthday, but couldn’t as she was born the week of the Pearl Harbor attack and magazines from that week were expensive and scarce.) So perhaps you can check a website to see if you can buy a magazine or newspaper from 1936, especially since the birthday woman is a journalist. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/9 "2011-11-10T21:38:05Z")
Hey, that’s a good one, I’ll have a look **Dewey Finn** ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/10 "2011-11-10T21:41:15Z")
Well, if a stripper is out of the question, how about a set of maps for a trail she’s never hiked before? ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-suggestions-for-75th-birthday/602449/11 "2011-11-10T23:52:22Z")
How about a heartfelt letter telling her how much you care about her, what she has meant to you, how she inspires you? I know many people who would be touched by a letter like this.