80th birthday gifts for Mum or Dad
Your Mum or Dad has 80 years of stories. This is how you capture them.
A professionally printed hardback book of their life, in their own words. If you’re looking for 80th birthday gift ideas for Mum or Dad, this is the one that keeps the family’s history in the family, told by the person who knows it best.
That covers everything: the guided questions, a question emailed each week, Alyson’s personal help, and one premium near-A4 hardback. Extra copies for the family are £50 each.
Nearly A4 · premium hardback · up to 200 pages · printed & bound in the UK
A real page from a finished YourStory book
See the questions first
Get a free sample of the book and the questions we ask, sent straight to your inbox.
Eighty years of memories. Where the family came from, how they met, the places and people only they can describe, all gathered into a beautiful hardback book that everyone in the family will want a copy of.
They’re the keeper of the family’s stories. This puts them on the shelf.
How it works
You buy the gift
It takes about five minutes. Choose when the gift notification reaches your parent, on the morning of their birthday if you like, and add your own personal message.
They tell their story, at their own pace
Each week we email your parent one of their questions. They simply reply to that email with their answer and it goes straight into their book, or they can log in to answer whenever suits them. Most people start with our Perfect Path, ten of our most popular questions, then choose from over 200 more covering their whole life, or add as many of their own as they like. There’s no deadline and no pressure.
We make the book
They add their own photos and choose how the book looks. Once they’re happy, we print it as a premium hardback and post it to them within 10 to 14 days.
“I’m Alyson, and I run YourStory with my Brother David. I read every story before it goes to print* because this isn’t a factory, it’s a family.” *if you’d like me to
We started YourStory after losing our Dad young and watching our Nana’s memories fade. We know what it means to capture a life while there’s still time.
Real families, real stories
A proper book
Most memory books are the size of a paperback. Ours is nearly A4, 189mm by 246mm. The kind of book you display rather than tuck away in a drawer. Premium hardback, printed and bound in the UK, up to 200 pages.
What’s included
- A free read-through by Alyson before it goes to print, if you’d like one.
- Complete privacy. No one sees the book unless you choose to share it.
- Easy access, by email or login, whenever and wherever.
- Want to stay involved? Join as an invited storyteller to log in, follow along and add your own memories as the book takes shape.
- A premium hardback, printed and bound in the UK.
- A genuine 30-day money-back guarantee from the day you buy: if they would rather not do it, just email us within 30 days for a full refund.
No risk to you: a genuine 30-day money-back guarantee from the day you buy. If your parent would rather not do it, just email us within 30 days for a full refund.
Unlike US subscription services, there’s no annual fee and no auto-renewal. One payment, printed and bound here in the UK.
80th birthday gift ideas for someone who has everything
80th birthday gifts for women and men are hard to get right, because by eighty most people genuinely don’t want more things. They’ve been given every scarf, slipper and photo frame going. What they do love is being asked about their life, and having someone listen properly. That’s what this is, and it ends in something the whole family will treasure.
How we compare
At eighty, nobody needs a twelve-month deadline or an app to learn.
| Us | USA services | DIY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printed & bound | In the UK | Shipped from the USA | You arrange it |
| The book | Near-A4, full colour, up to 200 pages | Smaller, black & white as standard | Varies |
| Pace | No deadline, your own pace | 12-month deadline | Your own |
| Renewals | One-off, never auto-renews | Auto-renewing subscription | None |
| Personal help | Alyson reads every book | App or FAQ only | None |
The bits you might be wondering about
What if they don’t think their stories are interesting?
They always are. Eighty years holds far more than anyone realises, and gentle questions bring out the stories they’d never think to volunteer.
“It has to be said that it was a complete surprise and a very daunting prospect. As the written word has never been my forte. … Despite my apprehension at the start, I found that I enjoyed the journey that my family set me on.”— Ren C.
What if they’re not great with technology?
They don’t have to touch a computer if they’d rather not. Some families do it together over a cup of tea once a week: you read out the question, they talk, you type. If they’re happy with email, they can simply reply to it. Alyson is always on hand either way.
What if they don’t fancy it, or only answer a few questions?
That’s completely fine, and there’s no risk to you. A few good stories in their own words make a book the family will keep for good. If it’s looking a little thin, we’ll gently nudge them with a few more prompts, and Alyson can help them get going. If they’d rather not do it at all, just email us within 30 days for a full refund.
Will it be ready for the 80th birthday?
Your gift and personal message reach them on the day you choose, and nothing needs finishing by then. Some people answer a question a week, some fill pages in one afternoon with the photo albums out. Once they’re happy, the hardback is printed and posted to them within 10 to 14 days.
Is eighty too late to start?
Not at all. Eighty is a wonderful age for it: they have the most to tell, and usually the time to tell it. There’s no deadline and they go at their own pace. But if this is something you’ve been meaning to do for a few years, this is the birthday to stop meaning to.
At eighty, they’re the keeper of the family’s story
By eighty, your Mum or Dad holds a version of the family history that nobody else has. The grandparents you never met. The house before the extension. Why the family moved, how they met, what things cost and what everyone wore. Some of it gets told at every family gathering. Much of it has never been asked about.
A book gets it down in their own words, with their own photos, in one place. It settles the family debates, answers the great-grandchildren’s questions, and goes to every branch of the family. Extra copies are £50 each, so everyone can have one.
It’s also a lovely thing to do together. The questions give you a reason to sit down, get the albums out and listen, and that time together is part of the gift.
Three of the questions they might be asked
Who in the family do you remember that nobody else does?
What was your street like when you were small?
What is the best piece of advice your parents gave you?
A bit about us
YourStory was born out of a desire to keep our family memories alive. Having lost our Dad young, and witnessed our Nana’s Alzheimer’s journey, we know how it feels to want to preserve a life story before the chance is gone. We’re proud to be a UK based, Sister and Brother run business, here to help you capture the stories that matter while there’s still time to ask.
We donate to the Alzheimer’s Society for every book published.
An 80th birthday gift the whole family will want a copy of
One purchase. No subscription, no surprises. The gift arrives in their inbox when you choose, and extra copies for the family are £50 each.
Looking at a different milestone? See the 50th birthday, 60th birthday and 70th birthday life story book pages, or a book for your parents.