About Gifts: Seniors, Grandparents
13 holiday gift ideas to help fill Santa's sleigh
It's hard to buy gifts for seniors, baby boomers, grandparents. Holiday and Christmas presents for us can require extra thought. Here's a baker's dozen ideas for Santa.
Consider these ideas when you shop for seniors on your list or even when your family asks you to give them a list of what Santa can bring you.
- Books- always a good idea, but consider comfort. There's a new book size, called premium mass market. The covers are soft, print is bolder, pages a bit larger than a regular paperback, margins wider and more space between lines. Ask booksellers.
- Perfumes and other scents are not a good idea unless you know exactly what scent to buy. Body scents are a very personal choice. Don't buy whatever's on sale!
- Music. A wonderful gift. If you have a big budget, consider a CD player or portable. Or even an MP3 player, not necessarily that really expensive, popular one.
- Portable DVD player - again, depending on budget. This is an item that's perfect for seniors who travel by car or by air.
- Memory or card upgrade for the computer. Better yet, a laptop. Take it anywhere - and you can store DVD movies on it for traveling, as well. Keeps recipes, books on tape, address book, games, memos and memoirs. Laptops have come down in price to the very affordable range.
- The traditional warm gifts like sweater, gloves, scarf, and hats if the receiver is in a cold climate. Make sure, though, that Mom doesn't have a closet full of unused gifted sweaters she never wears like my grandma did. If Dad lives in a warm climate, go for a pair of wild swim trunks, a flowering plant for the garden, a folding chair for fishing trips or lanai.
- Nostalgic gifts. An antique toy for the garden, old-time candy (find lots of stores on line) reminiscent of childhood like bull's eyes, Snaps, and Blackjack Gum. Think about old-time stuff - it's very fun and the price range is anything you want it to be. How 'bout a newspaper or magazine from their birth date or year?
- Gift cards that don't have fees or expiration dates if the recipient can get out to shop on her own. Don't forget about specialty stores like coffee shops, bakery, or the candy shop. Phone cards, if mobility is a problem.
- A video of grandkids, family and family activities. Make sure there's some humor involved.
- Plan for next year - do a photo album of the year's events in the family. Make it a party - everyone brings some pictures, you chip in for the decorative embellishments and the book, sip cocoa and put the pages together one at a time. We did that for my nephew's high school graduation and he adored the finished product. Each page had a personality.
- A subscription to a favorite magazine. Think about Guideposts, Ideals, Organic Gardening, Woodworking, or Grand Magazine. Math the periodical to the personality.
- A winner - Simple Start Car Battery Charger from Black & Decker. For safety's sake, think about this one. A small cube-shaped charge that plugs into cigar lighter and charges a dead battery in about 20 minutes. Good Housekeeping Institute says it works well.
- Gift certificate for a favorite restaurant. This is a favorite among those who are perceived as "having everything." Better yet, phone up a restaurant that delivers and arrange to have dinner sent out on a day when your love done will be home. What could be nicer than a day off for the cook or a surprise meal for the non-cook.
NOTE: If aging has brought physical changes, you might consider a gift that aids mobility, makes hearing easier, or helps with vision. There are a broad range of such accessibility items like amplified phones, alarm clocks that work by light, not sound and slippers with non-slip bottoms.
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