Gift season
-
- December
- 10
If you’re like me, you wait till the last minute to buy holiday gifts – and then go crazy trying to figure out what to get.
When it comes to picking presents for my parents and in-laws, I usually go the practical route: a robe, a shirt, a handbag. But last year, when I gave my mother-in-law a sweater, she didn’t seem to want it. “I have no space left for even a pin,’’ she said, putting the still-folded-up sweater on a chair.
I know she’s right. The closet she shares with my father-in-law is jammed tight with more than 50 years of clothes. Who needs another sweater?Still, I think it’s not nice to abandon holiday gifts altogether. Where’s the fun in that?
So what do you do? Do you ask your parents what they want? Do you try to surprise them with new and trendy gadgets?
Anybody have any gift ideas that always seem to make your parents happy?
(Mom and Dad: stop reading now!)
This entry was posted
on Monday, December 10th, 2007 at 3:37 pm by Linda Lombroso.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print
| 
Email
Baby boomer Linda Lombroso was born in Queens and grew up in Port Washington. She began her journalism career at New York Magazine and Rolling Stone, and came back to the field after spending 10 years as a stay-at-home mother. Linda joined The Journal News in 1997 and has been a Life & Style writer since 2000. She has three children.
I’ve given up trying to find a gift that anyone over 70 in my family actually needs. Every year now, for my mom, I pay someone to come and clean up her leaves for her in the fall and in the spring. She loves it – she’s getting too old to do it herself, and doesn’t have the money to spare (as she says “throw away”). For my in-laws, I participate in one of those ‘adopt a family’ for the holidays, in their name. They like it much better because they really don’t need anything, and this helps a family who needs EVERYTHING.
This year its me getting something for the wife. its been real busy. I just got back from a business trip. and I am not sure what to get her nor do i have the time to shop
I guess i know what i have to do this weekend. if there’s money.
This will be the first year i dont have a real idea what to get her nor will it be a fantastic present. oh well.
People generally like edible gifts. So many guests during the holidays who just “pop” in….it’s nice to have a pretty something to serve for unexpected (or expected) visitors.
Electric gadgets aren’t amusing to the 70+ set because they have to first program themselves to learn how to use them. I know of one DVD machine that may get used when videotapes are no longer sold in the closeout stores…..
Audio books are pretty cool, especially if their eyesight is starting to fail. Or a book, if they still like the hardcover in their hands. Framed photos of grandchildren are good, too, and now there are those digital frames – you could load it up with photos and set it up for them so they don’t have to figure it out themselves.
I remember getting my parents a DVD player with huge buttons so they could see them and running over to their apartment or the kids did when they pressed ‘every’ button to fix something!
some practical things I bought were shoes they needed and picked out; one of those reacher/grabber things you hold so you can get stuff up high; my daughter bought a can opener that you put a can on and just press down and the lid is turned
if you go onto some physical therapy sites you can find great things for the elderly
one thing I loved was a HUGE magnifying mirror that was on a stand so you could put your hands behind or under it and do crocheting, work on projects, anything they couldn’t normally see
heck, getting the monitor if they fall is great; large print newspapers, books, even going to their house to help rearrange things to make life easier – like adding bars to the bathtub and sliders on kitchen cabinets so they don’t have to bend
older folks (like me) don’t need surprises – spending time with them and helping make life easier is great
you could even get theater tickets or movie tickets and do something every few months – that’s what’s important! sorry to ramble on
Hey Steve, I can’t imagine that any special time you spend with your wife or special gift (no matter the price) wouldn’t be pefect. From your posts, you do so much every day, just making her feel special should do the trick.
Hey, everybody—Thank you so much for such great gift ideas! I hadn’t thought of so many of these!
My parents usually eat at home because they’re not inclined to splurge at restaurants. When I get them gift certificates to nice restaurants, they love having a reason to go!