What Do You Get Your Grandpa for His 90th Birthday?

By: Zora Hughes

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Living to 90 is a relatively rare feat that deserves to be celebrated and honored in a big way. If your grandfather's 90th birthday is fast approaching, take the time come up with an extra special gift to honor the occasion. Decide on the right gift based on your grandfather's personality. If he's rather sentimental, a gift that evokes memories might be perfect and if he's focused on staying active and connected, a useful gift that helps or enhances his day-to-day life might be the best option.

Fond Family Memories

Put together a photo album or scrap book with pictures of your grandfather as a child, growing up, his family and memories with you and other grandkids when you were young. Enlarge the pictures and place one on each page to help him see better if he has eyesight issues. You could also put together a slideshow with pictures and video over the years and present it on a giant projector screen with the whole family present.

Back in the Day

Do some research to find out the type of music, activities and things your grandfather loved when he was growing up. One idea is to surprise him with a vintage record play and old records of music that was popular during his teen and early adult years. You can find many vintage or newly made record players at specialty music stores and online retailers. Visit antique shops and vintage auctions to try to find things like authentic or replicas of items from his younger years, such as old comic books, a baseball pendant. Another idea is to give him DVDs of classic movies that he saw in the cinema growing up.

Keeping Him Comfortable

At 90, your grandfather deserves to luxuriate in comfort at all times. You could give him a custom-made plush robe with "90" embroidered on the back of it, as well as super-cozy house slippers. If your grandfather enjoys watching TV but is hard of hearing, give him a personal TV listening system, so that he can hear the TV through headphone without having to turn the volume all the way up. If he complains of back or neck pain often, give him a heated massage seat cushion that he can use when sitting in armchair or couch.

Fun and Games

Help your grandfather's mind stay sharp with a set of challenging puzzles that will keep him busy for hours. If he enjoys chess, get him a fancy chess set. If he's a fan of cards, get him a set of large-print cards so he can play rummy and pinochle with his friends. You might also want to consider giving your grandfather one of those video game consoles with a hand-held device, which have become popular in senior living centers, so that he can play virtual versions of games like bowling and tennis.