Every year my siblings and I chip in a buy my parents a Christmas gift. They raised six of us, working multiple jobs and putting us through college, and there's very little I wouldn't do for them. Over the years, we've bought them a computer, digital camera, vacations, and various things. This year it's getting scary-close to Christmas and we still haven't zeroed in on a family gift. Who has ideas?
I just bought my Mom an electric staple gun. My Dad's getting a (used, out of print) VHS of Gray Eagle with Alex Cord. Little family joke there. DVD player? I bought that for them one year. Year's subscription to something? How about a puppy?
Oh yeah. Sorry about leaving off the ages. Upper 70s. One year we gave them cell cells with one year paid. We each ponied up two months' worth of the cost.
It seems to get more difficult each year to buy 'stuff'. Our family's working on the idea of giving to charity instead. We've done family gifts for years now, instead of individual gifts, though the youngsters still get their own presents. Do they have any recent family portraits? If you're not too far apart, you could arrange for a family photography session, with framed prints as the present.
You might think about the 6 of you getting together and doing a DVD "reenacting" all the great memories you have, growing up, as a family. Parents treasure reminders that their kids appreciate the effort it took to raise them, and that they think that their parents did a good job. Just sayin'
Ah, the gift that keeps on taking. Do they like food? How about a voucher for a nice restaurant and tickets for the theatre? Or does it have to be a "lasting" present?
Do they have a really nice digital picture frame? You can get one of those and fill it up with family photos and short videos, so that it works right out of the box. Tom
How about a Wii game system? The Wii has a lot of games targeting older players, not just all of the first person shooter stuff. Tom
XM/Sirius radios w/ subscription? We've done that for several family members. A year without having to see you? Do they have a nice Home theater...would they want one?
Elderly folks tend to have concerns about their personal health and safety, especially if they live alone. How about a monitored alarm system installation plus subscription? Perhaps one of those "panic button" things on a lanyard you wear on your neck. Say one of them happens to take a tumble and can't get up, hit the panic button to call for help My folks never expected presents from me. They claimed all they ever needed from me was my love. Same for me, I never expected or wanted presents from my folks, just their continued love
+1. My grandparents just joined a Wii bowling league where they live, and they absolutely love it. Even if you don't buy any additional games with it, the sports pack is plenty fun and will give them a nice way to stay physically active. Add to that something like the Wii Fit and it would be amazing
Do they enjoy movies, theater, opera or the symphony? How about a subscription/season tickets to whatever available in their area?
Oh, and i figured i should share what i got my mom this year... Especially since it was inspired by another poster on this site http://priuschat.com/forums/freds-house-pancakes/55447-bluetooth-cell-connecting-home-now-too.html I was home over thanksgiving and found out she had switched her home phone number to a cell phone since it was cheaper that way than keeping a land line. So i got her a similar system to the one John1701a did. Now i just have to convince her that she doesn't need two phone lines - a cell and a home line - since they're both cell phones.
