Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I give them Christmas gifts. My dad loves dvds so I usually buy him the latest cartoon.....or what would be considered a carton to us old farts. Mom is much more difficult. This year she's getting a house for her Dickens' Christmas Village from Department 56. I also buy grandparents gifts. One is getting 3 bags of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Sounds weird I know. She is on a VERY fixed income and coffee is her one perk in life. She loves DD coffee, but can't afford it so I buy it for her for Christmas. My other grandmother has everything under the sun and then some. She always asks for blank VHS tapes (Who still makes these? Who still watches them?), batteries (maybe for the VCR?), and postage stamps. She is NOT at all on a fixed income. She makes more money a month than most people I know between retirement funds, pensions, social security, and investments. She looooooves clocks and has a massive grandfather clock. I bought her a wooden ornament that is a grandfather clock. She'll probably hang it up and leave it up year round. I hope she doesn't try to put those batteries in it!
I've been following the thread about how much people spend on Christmas gifts for their adult children. It got me wondering if most adult children buy gifts for their own parents (who would be middle aged to elderly, and most likely have all of the material possessions they need).
The ONLY gift I buy is for my mom! She loves getting presents.
I give them Christmas gifts. My dad loves dvds so I usually buy him the latest cartoon.....or what would be considered a carton to us old farts. Mom is much more difficult. This year she's getting a house for her Dickens' Christmas Village from Department 56. I also buy grandparents gifts. One is getting 3 bags of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Sounds weird I know. She is on a VERY fixed income and coffee is her one perk in life. She loves DD coffee, but can't afford it so I buy it for her for Christmas. My other grandmother has everything under the sun and then some. She always asks for blank VHS tapes (Who still makes these? Who still watches them?), batteries (maybe for the VCR?), and postage stamps. She is NOT at all on a fixed income. She makes more money a month than most people I know between retirement funds, pensions, social security, and investments. She looooooves clocks and has a massive grandfather clock. I bought her a wooden ornament that is a grandfather clock. She'll probably hang it up and leave it up year round. I hope she doesn't try to put those batteries in it!
That doesn't sound weird to me at all. Very practical and something she will enjoy every morning.
Two years ago, when we were living in Louisiana, I filled my carry-on bag with frozen boudin (a special sausage that is fabulous, but I'd never heard of until we lived there), and my dad and sons got that for Christmas. I often get my dad food gifts, because at 85, there is not much else he needs. This year while I am in town visiting, I will fill his freezer with single-serve meals. For mom, me and my siblings are buying her a tablet. She discovered the joys of playing games on someone's iPad while she was in rehab from a broken pelvis over the summer, so now she will have her own to play Solitaire, Boggle, Scrabble, etc.
My mother usually tells me exactly what to get her, and then I get her a small gift card to Kohl's or Macy's because I know she likes to shop.
My father gets a warm sweater or fleece (because he is always cold), and usually some "household convenience" items from Bed Bath and Beyond.
I like to find them both trinkets that they find useful. Like, one year, I got pop a pair of scissors that could cut through thick plastic packaging, and another time I picked up a few very strong and tiny LED flashlights for him to keep around the house and in his car, since the area where he lives is poorly lit. My mother got a tiny silicone colander that is designed for single servings of fruit, but can also be used for poaching or steaming veggies.
Oh, and let's not forget the year I got Pop a Snuggie. He LOVED it, lol.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Mom is much more difficult. This year she's getting a house for her Dickens' Christmas Village from Department 56. I also buy grandparents gifts. One is getting 3 bags of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Sounds weird I know. She is on a VERY fixed income and coffee is her one perk in life. She loves DD coffee, but can't afford it so I buy it for her for Christmas. My other grandmother has everything under the sun and then some. She always asks for blank VHS tapes (Who still makes these? Who still watches them?), batteries (maybe for the VCR?), and postage stamps. She is NOT at all on a fixed income. She makes more money a month than most people I know between retirement funds, pensions, social security, and investments. She looooooves clocks and has a massive grandfather clock. I bought her a wooden ornament that is a grandfather clock. She'll probably hang it up and leave it up year round. I hope she doesn't try to put those batteries in it!
