What is a great idea for a person's 100th birthday gift?

I’d have thought a large proportion of family in attendance would be a fine gift for someone of such a grand age.

Learn to say “Cent’anni!”, which means “a hundred years”, in that you wish that they could all live happily for a hundred years.

How about an Italian coin from 1912? Here is one for sale on eBay.

Do a little research and find out what the world headliners were in 1912. The sinking of the Titanic was a big one. If it can be customized as to what was happening in Italy, all the better.

An experience, if she’s up for it. People who have reached such a grand age likely don’t need or want more ‘stuff’, you know? A special lunch, or having a massage, something like that.

How about make up a little booklet (inserted in a card) with all the highlights of what happened the year she was born. I did that for my in-laws’ 60th wedding anniversary, they (and the rest of the family) loved it.

Title it something like… “Special things that happened on (the date)” ... and then do a dateline of them with short explanations. Then at the end, write “AND __________’s birthday!”

You could give it to her during a special lunch or dinner in her honor.

If at all possible, try to find a newspaper from the day and city in which she was born, or have one printed. Many newspapers have archive services to help with this kind of request.

You could do some research and trace the family tree from her birth up to the present. Or research newspaper archives and trace all the historical events that have occurred in her lifetime. Memories are a nice gift. Or you could get one of those gag gifts that jump out of the package when she opens it and scare the hell out of her. Face it, you don’t need the pressure of what to get her for 101 do you?

Last year was my Great-Grandmother’s 100th birthday and, amongst other things, she received a copy of the paper (I don’t know which one) that was on the stands the day she was born. It was really interesting especially the section about who was in court and for what. Talk about harsh punishments for minor crimes!

Another thought: When Mom turned 75, I asked all of the family members to e-mail me with X number of memories of her. Their submissions were compiled, printed out, and cut up into slips of paper with their name on it. The slips were folded and placed in a crystal or glass candy jar. When she opened it, the next hour was spent listening to her read them out loud. The family enjoyed hearing them almost as much as she did.

If there is enough time in advance of the party, you could probably pull this off with the help of others. It could even be done at the time of the party by supplying index cards, a bunch of pens or pencils, and a recipe card box decorated for the special occasion.

Research the locations for her homes over the years, favorite places and show them to her on Google Earth as they are in present time.

Thanks so much everyone! Got some great ideas to go on here. :-)