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 they’ll treasure long after the day itself.
£149 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
Eighty years of memories. Funny stories, hard-won lessons, and moments they’ve never thought to tell you, all gathered into a beautiful hardback book that sits on the shelf and gets passed down.
It isn’t about the day. It’s about everything that came before it.
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 that aren’t flowers or chocolates
Whether you’re looking for 80th birthday gifts for women or for men, a gift for her or a gift for him, the problem is the same. They have everything they need, and another candle or gift set goes the way of the last one. This doesn’t. It gets read, and then it gets kept.
How we compare
| 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. The questions are designed to draw out the stories people never think to tell.
“When my daughter gave me the gift I thought, ‘I haven’t got anything interesting to write about, are you sure?’ But she said yes, all those little details are exactly what they want. It’ll be lovely, for my children and the grandchildren too.”— Avril C.
What if they’re not great with technology?
We’ve made it really simple. A question arrives by email each week, and they answer simply by replying or logging into their account. Alyson is always on hand if they get stuck.
What if they don’t fancy it, or only answer a few questions?
That’s completely fine, and there’s no risk to you. There’s no deadline and no pressure, and even a handful of answers makes a lovely book. If one’s ever looking a little thin, we’ll gently nudge them with a few more prompts so it’s something to treasure. And if your parent would rather not do it at all, just email us within 30 days for a full refund. Alyson is always on hand to help them get started if they’re unsure.
Will it be ready for the 80th birthday?
The gift itself lands on the day you choose, a lovely notification with your personal message. There’s nothing for them to finish in time. They take their story at their own pace, most people spend three to six months on it, and once they’re happy the finished hardback is printed and posted to them within 10 to 14 days.
Is eighty too late to start?
No, and it is the one age where we would gently say don’t wait. By eighty, the people who remember your mum or dad as a child are mostly gone, which means the earliest stories now exist in one place only. There is no deadline and they answer at their own pace. But if this is something you have been meaning to do for a few years, this is the birthday to stop meaning to.
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
Your Story 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 worth keeping
One purchase. No subscription, no surprises. The gift arrives in their inbox when you choose, and their story unfolds from there.
Not ready to decide?
Get a free sample of the book and a few questions to ask your parent. No pressure.
Looking at a different milestone? See the 50th birthday, 60th birthday and 70th birthday life story book pages, or a book for your parents.