It’s that time of year again. The time when I struggle with what to get the adults in my life. Asking for hints has gotten me nothing so I thought I would ask you guys what your go to gifts for grownups are. (Kids are easy.)
Normally, I would post my go to gift here but I am posting because I am at a complete loss. Special booze is something I often get for people I don’t know but this is my family.
Special booze was the right answer for my family… it’s something people hesitate to buy for themselves, and it’s consumable so it doesn’t have to be put away/given away/displayed at subsequent visits. Are your family teetotalers?
My generic gift for family that I won’t be with over the holiday–in laws, my aunt and uncle, etc–is a tin of Christmas cookies. Again, consumable. Most of them like it so much that they send the empty tin back with requests for more.
This year I’m also making Christmas crackers for them. Unusual, fun, gives the kids something to do at the dinner table. I order cracker-stuffers from Oriental Trading, and have tons of cracker materials left over from my wedding-- oldenglishcrackers.com
The right answer for my family: books. Regardless of your age, gender, interests, or walk of life, there’s bound to be a book out there for everyone to enjoy. (Unless they’re one of those people who doesn’t like reading at all … thankfully, no one in my family is like that.)
There is a theory that there is actually only one fruitcake in the world, which is continually re-gifted from person to person. The Ultimate Go-To Gift.
“When you receive a fruitcake, you immediately ask yourself one question: Who do I dislike enough to give a fruitcake to?”
For people whose homes I’ve been in enough to know what they are I sometimes re-up their magazine subscriptions. In the past I’ve given movie theatre gift cards, and those seemed to go over well.
For a couple years though, my family has adopted a “kids only” position on Christmas gifts. We all have everything we need. I do make a tin of cookies for each home we visit.
If you are on a budget, a good gift is to get some nice bowl or frying pan or whatever from Costco or Sam’s or Big Lots, etc, fill it with a few gourmet (or basic, depending on the person) food items - tortellinis, cheeses, salami’s, whatever.
They can use the bowl/frying pan, plus eat the food.
Practical, easy to slap together and something people use. Plus not all that expensive, depending upon the bowl/frying pan and the contents.
I usually give either books or some better food. I give my parents a half a turkey or half a ham for Christmas each year, plus some nuts and dried fruit. My daughter knows that she’ll get a nightgown or pajama set each Christmas from me, plus usually some fun hair ornaments, plus some good chocolate.
Otherwise, I search Amazon for their wish list. Maybe I’ll buy it from Amazon, maybe I won’t, but it might give me ideas.
For women I get some kind of body product - lotion, body wash, etc. For men I get books, shirts (according to their taste) or socks. Seriously, dudes always need new socks.
A calendar. Everyone needs at least one, most of us need at least two (home and work)*, and you can easily personalize to their tastes and interests.
*I personally do four – monthly and weekly at home, and monthly and XX-a-day at work. For me, it’s “puzzle” a day, but there also, they come in a bazillion flavors.
Cheese (specialty cheese store stuff; not mall cheese) or good chocolates. I love to get cheese and chocolates, too.
Interesting food. I tend to go away some time in the weeks/months before Christmas (two years ago it was France, last year Germany, this year The Netherlands) and buy everyone’s gifts there. All my Christmas shopping is done! Get people something they like but wouldn’t buy for themselves (treat stuff), or something that’s not available where they live.