I am about to meet, for the first time, my partner's 91 year-old stepdad. Can you please give me an idea on what to give him? My partner said he is small built, a vegetarian, and likes to live on his own.
Thanks for your help.
By Blue
I love fake newspapers. You can get them by going to:
www.simplypersonalized.com/
You can make up cool stories about his life, his family, etc. Once the stories are printed, you might want to order two, since then he can frame each side. Hope that helps.
A book if he is a reader. Books on CD to listen to, if he is not deaf. A gift basket of teas or coffee, or foods that he does eat. DVD of a movie that you think that he might like. People who are 91 tend to have had everything in their life that they ever wanted, so "stuff" isn't usually wanted. Gifts that they can use up are nice - food, hand cream (my mom, at 83, loves Body Shop body butter - maybe there is a nice fragrance for men?).
I would give him some nice thick warm socks and nice lap blanket, a warm fluffy one. What about a nice pocket knife, men love these, and a framed picture of you and your husband.
A nice small basket of fruits would be a nice way to say 'I'm glad to meet you at last!' If your partner knows of any sweets he enjoys put a small selection of those in the basket too. Be sure not to go overboard on loading the basket because too many goodies might lead to spoilage before he gets a chance to enjoy them.
Since he lives alone he probably doesn't need another dust catcher (unless he has household help he could pass the basket on to), so be sure to use a container that he can easily dispose of after the goodies are gone.
A lovely book of recipies, something specifically for vegetarians, or maybe 'quick and easy' or 'five minute dishes' that do not require him to be on his feet/in the kitchen a long time.
Perhaps a book of beautiful gardens of the world. Nature is just beautiful and seeing gardens, or waterfalls, or rainbows, just where human interaction is minimal at best can be spiritual, neutral, and rarely fails.
