Today I’ve got my final gift guide for the 2018 holiday season — this one is for the grandparents.
Ahhhh, what to give the grandparents? You know, those people who have everything… the ones trying to downsize, not add to their clutter. Or perhaps they have already downsized and don’t have a lot of room for new things. Many are very frugal and don’t treat themselves very often. At least, that descries mine to a T — but my grandfather is 102 as of next Saturday.
I realize grandparents these days are not all elderly. In fact, a lot of you, my dear readers, are grandparents, so I inquired on my Facebook Page a while back to get some ideas I might not think of myself. Here’s what we came up with.
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Holiday Gift Ideas for Grandparents
one // I make a Shutterfly photo album for Paul’s parents every year with pictures from all of the siblings and their children and grandchildren. I did it one year on a whim, and it went over so well that I started doing it every year. They keep the photo books on their coffee table, and everyone enjoys looking through them when we visit. The nice thing is, I don’t have to scramble to figure out what to give them every year. I do the album, bake some fudge for my father-in-law, and I’m good!
two // Are they movie-goers? Give a Fandago gift card! They also have a dinner and a movie gift card combo that includes one $25 Fandango gift card and one $25 Olive Garden gift card, sent in one email. Another idea, along the same lines, is to give them a Restaurant.com gift card so they can dine out at the restaurant of their choosing.
three // These photo calendars are really fun too, and again, you can start a tradition and make one for them each year. What grandparent doesn’t love having pictures of their grandkids to enjoy all year round??? Or here’s another idea for the calendar, from a JLS reader on my Facebook Page:
A calendar with a special date per month. It can be as simple as coffee and donuts one morning to as extravagant as a fancy dinner with flowers. We have done everything in between, including having the kids fix the dinner. It’s the time not the budget.
four // Pandora jewelry makes a precious keepsake, and this is another gift that keeps on giving. You can start a bracelet for her and add a charm or two every year, or here’s another suggestion from a JLS reader:
For Grandmother, I bought a charm bracelet from Pandora and then all the grandkids (teens and young adults) picked out a charm that symbolized something in their relationship with her. The kids then wrote a letter to her explaining their choice and read it out loud as they presented their charm. It was a very teary Christmas as they all expressed their love to their grandmother.
five // A cozy Barefoot Dreams throw is a luxury they may not be willing to buy for themselves, so treat them to the softest, coziest throw blanket on the market.
six // Give them a smoothie maker along with a basket of fresh fruit, and they’ll be making delicious, healthy smoothies every day. It also comes with a chopper bowl they can use to mince or chop veggies for soup or stuffing.
seven // Barefoot Dreams socks are the ultimate luxury for the feet, and if your grandmother is cold-natured, she will really appreciate these.
eight // This umbrella for dog-lovers allows you to choose their favorite breed to be featured around the edge.
nine // Are they always losing their keys or phone? This coin-sized tracking device gives you three ways to find misplaced items. Attach it to your keys, wallet, phone . . . whatever you want. Use the app to make the Bravo ring if your item is in Bluetooth range. If Bravo is out of Bluetooth range, the app tells you the last location picked up by your phone.
ten // If they love their pet, or perhaps lost a beloved pet, these custom pet pillows are made right in Brooklyn. Submit a favorite photo of their pet, and give them a one-of-a-kind keepsake pillow that they can enjoy for years to come.
eleven // Upgrade their coffee maker to a Nespresso. It makes both coffee and espresso, and every coffee lover should have one of these. The one I have is currently 60% off at Bloomingdale’s!
twelve // Food treats are always a great idea because they’re consumable and won’t leave lingering clutter to find a spot for. Harry and D is not just for pears! They have so many options nowadays, and you can treat your loved ones to the perfect thing, depending on their tastes and dietary restrictions. Choose from Cheesecake Factory, chocolates and sweets, wine, flowers and plants, baked goods, combo baskets, and more.
thirteen // They can take their coffee go and keep it hot for hours with one of these YETI ramblers.
fourteen // If they entertain, this cheeseboard and cutlery set is compact and doesn’t take up much room in the kitchen.
And here are a few more tidbits of ideas/advice/opinions from JLS readers:
- As a grandmother, I don’t want anything that makes me look “old”! I like a gift card to Chico’s, spa gift certificate, or something the grandbabies make me. Since I live on the east coast and they live on the west coast, they usually pay for my airline ticket.
- We had old family movies converted to DVD from our childhood. They had no idea we were doing it and were super excited. They brought it to other family members to have viewing parties. We count it as a great success!
- I love gift cards to my favorite salon/stylist so I can look less like a grandma. 😀 Theater and movie tickets are fun, too.
- We bought an L.L.Bean personalized firewood bag for grandparents that liked to camp and had a gift certificate to the camp ground and a gas gift card… It was appreciated, and the grandkids got to visit them during their stay!
- I usually give tickets to something they can do with the grandchildren. One year was tickets to Lion King broadway show. This year, Hamilton.
- For older grandparents… a “Grandpad,” or one of those digital photo frames you connect to your phone and send pictures to.
- Create a thick three ring notebook with the large brown envelopes in it. Use a hole punch on the long side of the envelope. 12, one for each month and on the outside list family birthdays and anniversaries, within the month Then an assortment of cards inside, and include one or two extra so there are options – or they can use them for friends. Books of stamps too. Add a 13th envelope with sympathy, thank you and thinking of you cards. Age and illness sometimes prevents them from getting to a store, but they may want to send some cards.
I hope this gift guide for grandparents helpful as you wrap up your holiday shopping!!! If you have other ideas not included here, feel free to leave them in the comments.
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