Gifts: Milestone birthdays
Several friends turned 50 and 60 recently, so I though it would be fun to ask them what were their most-appreciated gifts, and urge them to reveal the dogs, too. But one friend is too nice.
"Rachel", recipient of your pick, the Simon & Ruby "Foxwood" necklace, declares it tied for very favourite along with another handmade necklace from her friend Avril.
Yesterday, she wrote:
"I continue to wear your beautiful necklace–and pearl earrings–with great pleasure. The colours are absolutely perfect and match nearly all of my tops."
High fives, readers!
I had to wrench evaluations out of her; she kept dithering and saying sweet things like "Really, being surrounded by all my friends and feeling their love was the best gift ever."
Rachel finally copped to enjoying "a bottle of good champagne" and "a gift certificate for the liquor store". She clammed up when asked to name the dogs, but I suspect some of the 'inspirational' books might not be cracked open. Even though a decade birthday is important, a woman doesn't necessarily want to be motivated.
Fortunately, the acerbic Penny, who turned 60 last fall, was more than willing to dish. "The plush bedroom slippers with big 60s on them? Trashed with the empties!", she wrote, and, "I haven't been a 36A since the moon walk, so my daughter grabbed a really hot bustier."
.
She gave herself a pair of classic nude Manolo Blahnik pumps, a departure– I've never seen her in heels higher than kittens. "For once, I didn't think so sensibly" she said, "I just indulged."
An aside: Penny's husband organized the party and had written, on the e-vite "No gifts, please". When Penny found out, she said, "What?!" He corrected the error.
Other friends and acquaintances contributed these favourite milestone gifts:
- A subscription to a professional journal ("OK, I'm totally into my work, but I loved this!")
- A visit to a psychic, I went with the friend who gave it. (Why are visits to psychics always prefaced by "Normally, I would never do this"?)
- A rescue dog, "then I went back a week later and adopted his brother"
- An antique chair of (my friend's) that I had long admired
- Singing lessons
- A girlfriend getaway to Vegas; seven friends chipped in for my ticket and showed up at the gate dressed in wild outfits
- A friend made my favourite dish and served it to me at her beautifully-set table
- A mural painted on our garden wall by my children and their friends
- A quilt made of sentimental swatches and photos printed on fabric, made by my sisters and mother
(Note: I've seen the quilt. There's Andrea as a teenager, sitting on a neighbour boy's lap: Ted Nugent!)
- A baby-blue vintage MG (combination 50th and MA graduation gift)
What are your memorable milestone gifts?
Yesterday, she wrote:
"I continue to wear your beautiful necklace–and pearl earrings–with great pleasure. The colours are absolutely perfect and match nearly all of my tops."
High fives, readers!
I had to wrench evaluations out of her; she kept dithering and saying sweet things like "Really, being surrounded by all my friends and feeling their love was the best gift ever."
Rachel finally copped to enjoying "a bottle of good champagne" and "a gift certificate for the liquor store". She clammed up when asked to name the dogs, but I suspect some of the 'inspirational' books might not be cracked open. Even though a decade birthday is important, a woman doesn't necessarily want to be motivated.
Fortunately, the acerbic Penny, who turned 60 last fall, was more than willing to dish. "The plush bedroom slippers with big 60s on them? Trashed with the empties!", she wrote, and, "I haven't been a 36A since the moon walk, so my daughter grabbed a really hot bustier."
.
She gave herself a pair of classic nude Manolo Blahnik pumps, a departure– I've never seen her in heels higher than kittens. "For once, I didn't think so sensibly" she said, "I just indulged."An aside: Penny's husband organized the party and had written, on the e-vite "No gifts, please". When Penny found out, she said, "What?!" He corrected the error.
Other friends and acquaintances contributed these favourite milestone gifts:
- A subscription to a professional journal ("OK, I'm totally into my work, but I loved this!")
- A visit to a psychic, I went with the friend who gave it. (Why are visits to psychics always prefaced by "Normally, I would never do this"?)
- A rescue dog, "then I went back a week later and adopted his brother"
- An antique chair of (my friend's) that I had long admired
- Singing lessons
- A girlfriend getaway to Vegas; seven friends chipped in for my ticket and showed up at the gate dressed in wild outfits
- A friend made my favourite dish and served it to me at her beautifully-set table
- A mural painted on our garden wall by my children and their friends
- A quilt made of sentimental swatches and photos printed on fabric, made by my sisters and mother
(Note: I've seen the quilt. There's Andrea as a teenager, sitting on a neighbour boy's lap: Ted Nugent!)
- A baby-blue vintage MG (combination 50th and MA graduation gift)
What are your memorable milestone gifts?
Comments
kristien62: The gift of an instrument holds such promise (and work)! Did you find it difficult to pick it up again?
LPC: A charming and enduring gift, terrific idea!
hostess: Roses, of course- so "you"!
Anon@10:23: That's a magical moment, a lifetime memory. Goosebumps.
frugal: You've been circling a good bag for awhile; hope you find one that sings to you. Roseau is actually a line, and I
find them simple and beautiful, especially the crossbody. (I can't carry big leather bags for more than a half hour or so, comfortably.)
Swissy: Illumination, an apt metaphor! And champagne- any birthday is a good excuse. That's what I asked for, for my 50th: to have an icebucket with champagne continually available for family and my visiting gf.
C.
For my sixtieth birthday, my favorite gift was a long weekend in Santa Fe with my husband. The weekend included dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, a bit of jewelry shopping, another dinner with friends, and massages at Ten Thousand Waves. All is a very good memory of that milestone.
C.: Perfect, I'm cloning that!
Susan: Love the combination of your beloved, your friends- and a special piece of jewelry. Giving me ideas and dreams!
However I've had many wonderful and memorable birthdays, and these were too - in a different kind of way.
We were going to do something special for our 10th anniversary, and now my daughter is due with my first grandchild very close to the date. Well - best gift ever!
kathy: What a profound and precious anniversary gift!
No, I've made this mistake before. This blog is not materialistic.
Sometimes, the donor is fully aware of the gaffe, like my friend D.'s husband, who gave her a Swiss Army knife for her 50th- she cried, not from joy. He's been teased about it for years by her and their friends, so for her 60th he had a Swiss Army knife cake made and gave her diamond earrings in the shape of Swiss cross. Big hit!