40Th Anniversary Gift Suggestions Needed

In our families people that have been married more than 25 years do not need (or want) a thing..

So we give them experiences, time and fun.

Tickets to a concert, play, performance.

A trip. Weekend trips.

Dinner at a super special place. A tour of a winery.. special Private tour of a Museum, Art Gallery...

We have prepared a special meal and surprised them by inviting long lost friends or relatives.

I had a friend rent a Harley for her parents..

Rent a home in the mountains, on the beach.. for this fall so they can go and relax.. Pack up the food for them before the trip.. Help them pack.

My sister in law had a back deck built for her inlaws. She did everything. Got the permit, hired the decking company.. The other family members gave them gifts of Patio furniture, special lighting, grill, Hammock. All sorts of things. They LOVED this.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself.
You need to take care of your health. Everyone would want you to be
healthy.
-Could your dad go in a limo to a nice dinner? A place they would appreciate?
Would he be able to take his oxygen tank?
Maybe the driver could drive by some pretty monument to look at on the
way to dinner.
-You could have them go to a nice dinner with another couple. Some
close friends of theirs?
-Would your dad be able to see a play? Maybe you could take them out
to dinner then to a funny play in town?
-You could always invite a few of their close friends over to their house for
cocktails & dinner (catered) or light appetizers.
-Is there something on their house that needs to be done? Landscaping?
A patio? Poured concrete? Garden? Gazebo? Patio lights, etc?
-You could order a case of wine w/a special commerative (spelling?) label
honoring their anniversary & including a picture of them as a couple.
-How about having a chef come in & cook a lovely dinner for them & your
family at their house so your dad is comfortable?
-Recreate their first date in their home so dad doesn't have to leave.
Include the food they had, music, dessert etc.

I saw where you said the cruise and family portrait can't be done . . .

I like the cruise and the family portrait. I would do the family portrait at your grandmother's event and those that can't make it can't make it. I would get a photo (s) of the non participants and have them photo shopped in to the family portrait. (I have my family's photo as my screen saver. There are 32 of us in there. Now we are 45. We have 27 grandchildren.)

Some of the newest ships have real good medical facilities, but you should check with them first. I have been on several cruises where passengers pushed or pulled oxygen bottles. My wife and I did a Panama Canal Cruise for our 40th anniversary. Our 40th is actually the end of July, but the cruise was in April.

Good luck to you and yours.

For my husband's 50th bday, I was going to have a pencil portrait of our son done, but ended up buying a different gift.. However, in the future I still may use this guy..
here's his link http://www.miketheuer.com/pencil_portraits_gallery.html

Now, I can't vouch for him, but his work online looks really good..
Maybe a pencil portrait of your parents together would be really cool... do you have some photo that you really like? Also, his prices aren't over the top..
he does watercolors too..

good luck

We did a 7 course tapas dinner for my parents and 18 of their friends.

You sound hormonal. Give it a day and then try to get your siblings together for a portrait.

Get them theatre tickets with a car service both ways. No walking for your Dad. Maybe a sibling would throw in dinner at a restaurant very close to the theatre. I know where all good restaurants are in relation to what shows. You can always PM me,,

You can still do the family portrait. Just give them a lovely card and tell them this is what you are planning. It might not be done in time for the event, but it will be done eventually.
I'm sure they can digitally insert people if not everyone can be there at the same time...
Good luck!

C.:

For my parents 40th wedding anniversary - we did a memory book. We wrote letters to all of their friends, people from wwwwaaaayyyy back when, Navy friends, etc. and asked them to share a memory of our parents and a photo if possible. We had a GREAT number of responses!

We put the responses and photos in a large photo album that we had the outside specially made for them - and presented it to them at a surprise party in Las Vegas.

Since you don't have that kind of time - the digital picture frame - of your family, brothers, sisters, etc. and grandkids would be great! if your family would be willing to write a special memory they have of your parents, that might be touching as well!

Happy Anniversary to your parents!! Hopefully your father will make it to 45!!! and further!! Prayers to you!!

I guess someone didn't read where your dad cannot go out or do any physical things....

Hire a chef to come over to do a dinner of THEIR old time favorite foods. I am Southern Black--so my parents (now deceased) would have loved Soul Food specialties: cabbage, black eyed peas, fried corn, ham hocks...

Make it a night of nostalgia.

Do NOT LET GUESTS pack away plates. Have the chef freeze enough for your parents to have for weeks to come.

The digital photo frame would be nice. For my grandparents' 50th, I took one of their wedding pictures and a photo they had done for their 50th and got a holographic picture made and put in a nice gold frame for their golden anniversary. It's been 6 years since then and they still get compliments from people as the picture alternates when you move from a young picture of them to a current one. (Just an FYI if you didn't know, the 40th anniversary is the ruby one, so lots of red). Since no big vacation cruise is possible, what about a nice dinner cruise if there is one available in the area. Some offer early evening ones and the night ones can be nice to enjoy the night lights of the city or even fireworks if some are happening at that time.
A intimate family dinner might be nice since there's already a BBQ for family planned by your grandmother. Just your parents, you and siblings with your spouses and kids at a nice restaurant to relax and enjoy the time together and the food. Your parents could share the story of how they met and when they got married with the grandkids if they haven't already. Having it at a restaurant means someone else is cooking and cleaning so you can all enjoy.

In order to have 4 siblings work together you need to have one person in charge and 3 willing to give up the control. Hard to do.

I think that the digital photo frame is a great idea. Both of your parents will love it. You can also do a plain old photo frame and book, too.

Ask grandma if you can do something at her BBQ even to celebrate your parents. Do you think that's possible. It can be as simple as making a poster from shutterfly using their wedding photo (have it sent FedEx) and get a nice cake. If you hurry, you can let people know your plan so they get cards, etc. Do a fun cake too - like a cookie cake or pull apart cupcakes - and let it say Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa.

Anything to celebrate will be a good idea. Just have fun with it.