I put together a menopause gift basket for a girlfriend of mine... featuring some FUN gift items found at www.flashionables.com. Everyone laughed. You must add a box of Crazy Lady Candy's Chocolates for Menopause. They're always a HIT. I had soooo much fun with this. I'll see if I can figure out how to add a link to flashionables.com. Forgive me if it doesn't work. Here is a link that might be useful: www.flashionables.com

Does she enjoy family reunions? Maybe you could organize a "family party" near her birthday (I agree August is pretty far off) and have a nice cake with candles. For my 50th, my husband gave me the nicest gift, and it might be nice for your aunt, too, because she doesn't like to be the center of attention and might not like toasts or tributes to her at the party. He contacted all the relatives and friends -- including old friends from school and even camp! -- and asked them to send him a favorite memory or story. He put photos in, too. I ADORE it -- it's the nicest gift I ever got. We had done this years for my parents' 40th anniversary, and they loved it, too. So you could do this for your aunt; buy a pretty scrapbook and ask all the relatives and, if you know who her best friends are, them, too, to contribute. Maybe you could invite a few of her friends to the dinner, too? If all of this would still be too much fuss for her, maybe just have a small group take her for a little trip or something. Then the focus is off her, even though she is the guest of honor. We and my SIL's family are taking my MIL on a family trip for her 80th (although she LOVES being the center of attention!). If that is still too much, then just take her to dinner at the best restaurant you can do and give her a nice gift and/or a generous gift to her favorite charity. If I were your aunt, I would love any of these, because they all share the most important thing: they show you love and honor her. You are a good niece!

yes, they can inscribe a watch. Sic your brother on the task of looking at the watches she's got, bcs people sometimes have strong preferences about: -style of numbers (some people really want every little number on there; some hate Roman numerals, others like them; some people are OK w/ tic marks only, and some are OK w/ no number, or only the big 4--12,3,6,9) -second hand, or no second hand? -shape of face (though people don't have as strong a preference as they do for stuff like second hands, numbers, etc.) Then he'll really be involved in the gift. 25th anniversary is silver; I'm not sure how easy it is to get a sterling-silver or silver-plated watch. And that's anothe area in which people have strong preferences--some people only like gold tones, others prefer silver; others don't care. He should look in her jewelry box (or better yet, on her wrist & neck & ears, bcs sometimes people HAVE stuff but don't WEAR it), and see if she has a preference. It'd be a shame to buy her a watch she never wears.

I never "got" the point of spending money on gag gifts... I always try to get people something they can use or something they like or something they can *do*. Take photos & put in a scrapbook. Get photos from his family & make a scrapbook. If he reads, get a nice reading lamp with a fluorescent or soft white bulb & maybe a magnifier, like the lamps cross-stitchers use. big can (do we still call them cans now that they're plastic?) of his favorite coffee. renew his fishing license for him. subscription to National Geographic or other magazine. Give him a squeeze from his Kitchen Table nieces!