Wedding Etiquette Forum

Is this gift idea sweet or strange?

I am very close with my maternal grandparents. My grandmother is turning 80 this year, and I am trying to figure out a nice gift for the occasion. I have been recording our conversations for about a year now, so I can have an audio record of her life. I am working on writing a book about her and my grandfather. I've got a few different sections done. I also have some black and white prints of my grandparents from a photography series I did last semester. I was also going to photo copy some of the love letters my grandfather wrote her while in Korea, and put some pictures of them throughout their marriage. So it would basically be a book of her life, with stories and photos. Would that be a cute gift? Or is it strange? Do people want pictures and writings of/about themselves?

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Re: Is this gift idea sweet or strange?

  • I think it's sweet that you made the effort to collect her life's memories.
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  • I love it.  But im a sentimental sap.  Lol.  You are lucky to have those great memories and I think at 80, they have probably recieved every gift possible.  I think your idea will make them happy.
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  • I think it's unbelievably sweet and thoughtful.  It's also a gift to the rest of your family - how amazing that you've chronicled all these things for and about her.  She will love it!
  • Thanks Brookelyn. They have had really interesting lives. They were both born during the Great Depression. My recording started after I wrote a short story about my grandpa's war experiences. His best friend gave a nickel to a shoe shine boy, who was a human bomb. It's a really sad story to tell, but I don't want to lose those stories.
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  • Your lucky to have these stories about your grandparents. I, like most people probably wish they had these stories about their families history. I think your grandmother will be proud to have such a loving grandaughter who thought enough to put this kind of effort into her present.
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  • I'm very sentimental too Blueyed.  Are you a new poster? I've noticed your responses the last few days. (I'm hoping that doesn't come off as creepy lol)

    Thanks Ohwhynot!
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  • What an amazing gift!  I'm sure she'll love it, and it's a great keepsake.  Good for you for putting it all together.
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  • I really do owe her a lot KD. She took care of me all the time when my brother was sick. At certain points, she would have me for weeks, and I was not easy to deal with.
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  • I think that's an incredible gift. And it's not only something she can appreciate now, but a record for the rest of your family as time goes on.

    If you haven't already, I'd also encourage you to ask her tons of questions now about her parents, grandparents, and other family -- I've been working on family genealogy, but I didn't start till after all my grandparents were gone and it's amazing how many things we *thought* we knew about our family history that we really don't know. I wish they were around now for me to ask them more questions.
  • That's a good idea Ten. Thus far, we've really just talked about her life. I don't know much about her parents. Thanks!
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  • Love it Jasmine!  I just put together a family recipe book.  My grandfather died this past September of Parkinson's and we will never have his famous meatloaf again (at least he won't be able to make it again).  His passing made me realize that all these great foods we have during holidays and things will soon be gone if we don't write them down and save them.  I distributed the books/binders during Christmas and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.  What you're doing is so wonderful...my only suggestion is to visit scrapbooking stores or said departments within Michael's, Jo Ann Fabrics, AC Moore's, etc for more ideas!!
  • Thanks Zoe. I've got two months to pull it all together, so I need to get moving.
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  • That's awesome.
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  • Absolutely a great gift!
    My mom and I did a scrapbook for my grandma when she turned 80 and she loved it.  It was nice to have all 3 generations of us togehter looking at her memories.  When she passed, my mom brought the book home.
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  • I love it! My grandmother has received every gift imaginable, so one year for Christmas I made her a scrapbook. It wasn't nearly as cool or involved as your book, but she loved it. She has it on display in a plate holder on her mantle and shows it to everyone :) I know that I would personally love nothing more than to receive a book like that, it would really make me realize that other people cared about my life enough to do that.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_this-gift-idea-sweet-strange?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a80a8075-d2a0-4cb7-9057-e335f745c395Post:0fad6e60-d254-49aa-8139-8ab9d4c68cd1">Re: Is this gift idea sweet or strange?</a>:
    [QUOTE]That is such an awesome gift!  The recordings I'm sure will blow her away!  wonder if you could put them on CD and then tape them inside the book??
    Posted by spaje[/QUOTE]

    I think there's some digital scrapbooking software that allows you to associate audio files with specific scrapbook pages or individual pictures, so you could hear the file (like your gma telling a story that goes along with a specific picture) when she's looking at that picture in the scrapbook. It was something that I read some time ago, and I don't remember where (sorry!), but I remember thinking it was a pretty cool idea. Maybe ask at a scrapbooking store (Archivers is a huge chain in the midwest)? Or flip through some of the scrapbooking magazines at the bookstore - that might have been where I saw it....

    Anyhoo, definitely a sweet idea - gl!
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