It can be tricky trying to come up with a birthday gift to give to a man who's turning 80 years old. Whether he's your dad or your grandfather, your good friend or a business colleague - or just an octogenarian guy that you want to congratulate for reaching the landmark of eighty years of age - you'll be wracking your brain trying to come up with 80th birthday gift ideas for something he doesn't already have. Here are some gift ideas for an 80-year-old man that should delight him and surprise him, and most of all, make him feel special.

A soon-to-be 80-year-old man will enjoy going through 80th birthday nostalgic gifts.

Gifts with "Remember when" nostalgia centering around the time of the Great Depression will bring back the era when society was just beginning to change at a rapid rate.

Growing up during the economic depression and World War II, young girls and boys had little idea that television, computers, and technology would change the world so thoroughly.

That generation pulled together and, with their children, lay the foundations of what we now know as the modern middle class.

Help the 80-year-old gentleman recall the better parts of those times with fondness and sentiment, and maybe even a new perspective.

From books and documents containing cultural and societal memories to nostalgic candy, 80th birthday gift baskets and time capsules can present him with a collection of memorabilia that he will truly enjoy.

For a man turning 80, born around the time of the Great Depression, you may find you'll hit the right "note" if you go for nostalgic music that takes him back in time to his youth.

Try some Jazz Age music from the 1920s and 1930s - specifically, Dean Martin, the Mills Brothers, Judy Garland, Perry Como, Louis Armstrong, and Eddie Cantor.

If your 80-year-old birthday man already has a full complement of Jazz Age music, then try albums by Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, and the Andrews Sisters from the 1940s, when he was a teenager.

Even a CD of familiar hymns or other religious music can be a perfectly appropriate birthday gift that will give him pleasure...and that he's not likely to have already.

Whether he's your husband, brother, uncle, grandfather, father, or other relative, find out if he's ever enjoyed old Westerns by Zane Grey or Louis L'Amour.

If he has, he may have discarded his copies over the years.

These authors wrote literary "cowboy" westerns before, during, and after the Golden Age. What was once considered pulp is now considered quality Americana.

A lot of old vintage paperbacks or a rare hardback volume - maybe even a first edition - would charm him.

If the 80-year-old's eyesight allows, he'd probably love to look back over the books he enjoyed before...or missed reading over the years.

In the past I'd made the mistake of gifting my grandfather with a VCR and videocassettes. He never could learn to work that machine. I learned that elderly people wanted different kinds of gifts.

So when my grandfather turned 80, I noticed that although he had an extensive wardrobe, his clothes had gotten kind of worn, and he was reluctant to replace them.

So I got him new underwear. I picked up some extra socks, a new pair of slippers, a couple of sets of pajamas, and a new velour bathrobe that he loved to lounge around in...and that he considered the height of luxury.

And luxury aside, for his 80th birthday, your dad or husband or grandfather may very well appreciate items of clothing that are specially made for people who have limited mobility.

Clothing and Footwear for the Elderly and Disabled

Lastly, if your gentleman octogenarian is about to celebrate his 80th, even if he's not very religious, there's a good chance he doesn't hold with "all that religious apathy nonsense".

In other words - he'd love a gift that signifies his faith. If he's Catholic, for example, give him a beautiful cross.

A symbol of his faith will be meaningful and make him truly glad to receive your gift, whether or not he's very religious.

When my grandmother turned 80, we did something that shocked her - we gave her a surprise birthday party.

The whole family was there, including many people she hadn't seen in years. She's gone now, but I have such wonderful pictures of her with a glowing smile at her 80th birthday party.

We didn't organize a surprise party for my grandfather, who is now in his 90s. But we did have a party.

He is like many of his generation, a very social man. He's appreciative of any fuss made of him--as perhaps I will be if I ever reach his age. The younger generations seem to be more self-conscious about surprise parties than seniors.

Something as simple as ribbons, mylar balloons, personalized mint tins, Dean Martin music, old photo albums and a cake with friends and family gathered around can create a party atmosphere.

Make a fuss of your 80-year-old friend, husband, father, or grandfather. Throw him a 80th birthday party and show him how important he is.