The Annual Gift Ideas for the Older Parents thread

My brother and I paid for my Dad's lawn maintenance for the summer. That was is Father's Day, birthday, and Christmas. He really appreciated it more than stuff.

My mother (they're divorced) - we added her to our cellphone plan and gave her an iPhone. That's her presents for the year. She said it was somthing she wanted and needed and now doesn't feel like she can live without.
 
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My mother is disabled so I usually take her somewhere for her present. This year I am going to take her to Fleetwood Mac. She tried to see them when I was young but it sold out before she got to the front of the line. It gives her something to look forward to.

My grandmother lived about 1 1/2 hours from us and I was the main person who would help her when she needed help. Every year I would give her the same gifts. Every week I would put pictures of the family in the mail along with a note so she could see what everyone was doing. She looked forward to it every week. I would also cook her home cooked meals and stock up her freezer when I went to see her. I would just cook extra of whatever I was cooking and put them in single serve containers. I also did this for an elderly neighbor.

One year I had all of my family members write down memories that had to do with my grandmother on small slips of paper. I put them all in a glass jar. She loved pulling them out and reading them.

Kind of off topic but my grandmother once asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I asked her to get a notebook and write down stories or memories from her life. It is one of my absolute treasures!
 
We split snow removal services for my grandparents. I also buy them small stuff I know they'll appreciate, like handmade refrigerators magnets or chip clips with a pattern I know my grandma likes. Or getting my grandpa his favorite snack food.
 


Another thing we did last year for my elderly folks, put a basket in the living room with 24 wrapped gifts. They were small ( in cost) gifts: a can of soup, a jar of jam, 4 packets of cocoa mix, etc. we told them starting on dec 1, they could open one each day. So sort of like an advent calendar but in a basket. They loved it. We left it at thanksgiving and I think it helped pass the time until we were all back there for Christmas.
 
Don't forget about donating to a charity! One year I donated to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (when they were building to Udvar Hazy Center in Virginia) in my grandfather's name. He was a huge airplane aficionado and he got a certificate, their magazine for a year, and his name on a plaque outside the museum. Each he went, he made a point to find his name on the plaque. I think that it was one of the best gifts that I ever gave him - and it helped out a worthwhile cause.
 
For my Mom, she has a cruise next Fall and I'll be making a payment towards that for her Christmas gift. I'm waiting for the travel planner to get back to me with who I need to contact to make the payment.

My father will get a check, like he does every year.
 


My parents and in-laws are somewhat difficult to buy for. My MIL never shops, so I usually get her clothes and she seems to like that. FIL is retired and a total homebody, so he is tough. I have gotten him lounge clothes, house slippers, etc in the past. I have no ideas for this year.

My dad is hard because he just buys whatever he wants/needs. If I don’t get another great idea, he’ll get a bottle of some kind of Single Barrel Bourbon.
 
Many great ideas here. We reach a certain age where we definitely do not need anything extra in the house. Many of us are hard to shop for as far as clothes/size/taste/color, etc.

Gift cards/certificates for mani/pedi or hair salon.
Gift cards/certificates from a local Pizza/Chinese Food take-out/restaurant (if it's something they do).
Gift basket with envelopes, stamps, assorted greeting cards, book to read/magazine, notepad, favorite tea/hot chocolate, favorite cookies, assorted HABA products, etc.
Take them out to lunch/breakfast
Most of all as they/we get older - they want their loved ones to spend time with them
 
My in laws enjoy their evening cocktails so they get a big bottle of Jameson every year.
 
We give "a day", a day of all "the kids" coming to their house and doing whatever needs doing, changing lightbulbs, washing windows/cars/siding, scrubbing down the toilet, handyman/woman stuff, cutting grass, whatever they desire. We have them make a list and then we tackle what we can. We also bring lunch fixings so even that part is covered.
 
- A genealogy kit (23&me, ancestry, etc), along with a few related books, maybe a new photo album filled with photos of your parents as children, their parents, places they've lived, etc, and any documentation you can find from those long ago days (marriage/naturalization/birth/death certs, newspaper clippings, etc)
- A glass ornament made from a photo. with the photo being of you & your siblings while still children, or a pic of them together, and/or an ornament of someone they loved & lost so they are still together at the holiday.
- A "date" with just you (no siblings, spouses, or kids) and one or both parents. It can be a wonderful opportunity for all of you to reconnect & enjoy one another's company as individuals.
 
We give "a day", a day of all "the kids" coming to their house and doing whatever needs doing, changing lightbulbs, washing windows/cars/siding, scrubbing down the toilet, handyman/woman stuff, cutting grass, whatever they desire. We have them make a list and then we tackle what we can. We also bring lunch fixings so even that part is covered.

We do something similar to this for Mother's Day! Always includes landscaping/yard cleanup, sometimes staining the deck, powerwashing, etc. Anything that needs to be done!
 
After finding a drawer full of unused gift cards at my mom’s house, I told my family to think of other ideas. This year we siblings are trying an ancestry set, magazine subscriptions (she loves tabloids too lol), tickets to a show and a homemade coupon book for one dinner out per month.
 
We always take them (DH Parents) to a show specifically chosen to appeal to them - normally something Christmas themed - we go to the matinee performance then go for an early dinner afterwards - the thing they love the most is having the whole family together.
 
I'm partway done with shopping for my mom, she's 70. I got a groupon for a glass blowing class for 2, though this is kinda more for me but I think she'll enjoy it too. I got a couple of solar lights we can put on the fence on either side of our driveway because she keeps forgetting to get reflectors and I think these will work better in the dark. My dog (the grandog) got her a pillow with my mom's dog on it from cut out pillows. Also found a good deal for them on groupon, which is how I heard of them. Hoping they are as cute as they look there. I also got my dog for me because I couldn't not esp at the price. They have shipped so I'm anxious to get them next week. Wishing I had someone I could get one of their head as a crying baby or something to give to them since people's heads are also things they do and they just look hilarious.

I'm also on the hunt for a bag she can use for the gym that's washable and will fit her purse so she'll stop leaving it in the car. I know, I say something and after having the car broke into and her purse stolen you'd think she'd stop. Parents! I'm also getting a knife sharpener that a poster suggested in a thread I created. Then her dog still needs to shop, he's never been as good as mine but I taught mine to use the internet long ago :rotfl2: I also got her a wallet when I saw a style she'd like at TJ Maxx. The rest is just stocking stuffers which is harder but I'll get a couple gift cards, and ornament, some candy, mascara and some kitchen stuff that could be replaced.
 
For those of you who give services - lawn, snow, car detailing, etc., are you local? I would love to do this for my dad but I am not local, and have no clue how I would begin to find someone or for that matter if my dad already has these services contracted out. If I ask about them, he would tell me not to spend my money on him so that won’t work. How did you find your contractors?
 
That's a good question. I am from a really small rural area. The way we find these services is either word of mouth or local newspaper. Would you know anyone in your dads home town you could get in touch with for information? I am thinking like a friend of his or something like that.
 
Well we are seniors and retired and our kids and grandkids know.............WE love Disney gift cards!!!! We fly down about 2x a year from up northern Ill......love to go to all the restaurants and such....golf.......how easy can it be for them.......
 
Not sure if anyone already suggested this, but what about an Echo from Amazon? We're gifting some of those this year. We've done Ancestry DNA kits in the past, which were a hit. I've also wanted to gift someone The Ultimate Birthday Book from the New York Time, but haven't yet. That one might be best as a birthday gift.
 

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