One year, we gave a joint gift to my FIL and MIL. We took them for an overnight package with a show at a local resort. The four of us had a good time, and one benefit was spending time together that was just the four of us.
My FIL got sick and died in January of 1999. By the time Christmas rolled around, we noticed that my MIL, who loved going out to dinner and shows and the like, wasn’t going out nearly as much. So for the next year or two (until she got sick) we gave her a choice of upcoming concerts and took her out for dinner and a show.
You said your dad likes to car shop. Would he be interested in going to a car show with you? There are not only the ones where manufacturers show off their new models, but also classic car shows. Take him out for a nice lunch before or dinner after, and spend some quality time with him.
^^My mom is in her 70’s and has no need or desire for more stuff. My wife and I decided a couple of years ago that that each gift would now involve taking her somewhere and doing something together - a play, the botanical garden, a day trip, etc. She loves it!
Lots of great ideas here, thanks for all the help everyone I really appreciate it!
That’s a hell of an idea. The DC Auto show is coming up at the end of January. Think I’ll take him to the show and take him out for lunch.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add a suggestion if you have one! I could always use ideas for the future, and hopefully this thread is a help to anyone else with a difficult-to-buy-for person in their life!
What about those tags you can add to key chains and the like, that let you use your phone to locate your misplaced keys? They’ve been a god send for my mom.
$39 Amazon Fire tablet. I got one for my dad and my mom got him an Echo Dot. I’ve already bought music and books to add to his tablet and so has my brother. My dad has pretty advanced macular degeneration, so I’m working on making the apps bigger and getting him a gmail account set up so that he can have the email read to him.
Perhaps a large flower arrangement, delivered, would surprise him. Send it almost a week early so he can show it off to all who visit over the holidays.
Try to find a local (to him) and reputable florist, then call them and tell `em what you want and what you want to spend.
I bought myself a lap desk. The kind you set your laptop (or your book/lunch/whatever) on. My husband is super jealous. My brother and sister in law came to visit and saw it and bought one for their college student daughter.
Dunno if it would float his boat but I thought I’d mention it.
(I also wrote my first amazon review for the desk. I love it!)
My Grandfather really liked seeing his name on things. So I’d keep an eye out for those “Buy a brick” type donation schemes and buy one with his name on it. I tried to keep it either in my city or his, so that he could either visit it or I could send a picture of it.
My Grandmother always complained that he never came into the grocery store with her anymore. It was right next to the new library and he would walk over to see his brick.
LOL! It’s the little things. At that age, putting your stamp on something begins to mean a great deal to you, I suppose.
I’m afraid my extended family, as well as myself, are entering this phase.
We do a Secret Santa every year. We have a round robin “Dear Santa” email suggesting what our Secret Santa can get for us.
Every year everybody sighs then cruises through Amazon and picks out this, that, or the other things, things not necessarily wanted as they are "something"for this Secret Santa. This year two members actually posted something like “Dear Santa, I don’t really need anything but if you want to get me something I guess you can get me X”.
Heck, I didn’t particularly want anything either but I suppose I could use a new bathrobe and slippers, so I put that on my email. My husband was at a loss until I told him gift cards to several places I know he’ll patronize.
Mind you, my extended family ranges in age from late 20s to mid 60s. If we’re like this now somebody’s going to be posting about us in a thread like this in a few years, LOL.
But seriously, though, I think there comes a time when people realize that they don’t need anything because they can provide such for themselves. Or, as my MIL says, “Christmas is really for children, not adults.”
Doesn’t work.
Considers it unacceptable.
That would be my “bad” sister in law; she has also complicated things with her husband and their kids but I’ve just ended up buying whatever I want for the kids, maybe a tchotcke for Ed, nothing for her unless Her Wisdom can be arsed actually add something to the Letter to Santa.
For the first few years they were married she’d do things like ask for “a pair of black leather gloves”. We asked what size; she hadn’t even realized gloves do have sizes. OK, size 6, pair of black leather gloves, gotcha. Alas! Turns out she didn’t want just any pair of black leather gloves, she wanted a specific one she’d seen in one specific store’s window and which according to the storeowner (a former classmate of mine) hadn’t even lasted the day before the whole model was sold :rolleyes:
She also refuses to buy other people what we ask for. I’d ask for a specific CD - ah no, that wasn’t acceptable! They got me three pirated CDs from the same artist instead. I. Already. Had. Those. Three. Legally! That was the year I told Ed I’d much rather get nothing, thank you very much. “Uhm… you didn’t like them?” “I already had them. And if you give me anything pirated again I’m going all Siniestro Total on your ass+. Is that clear?” Last year she gave Mom (a widow) and me (the crazy spinster auntie) these two sets of huge cup, dish and spoon… decorated with rabbits. Fucking rabbits*. Easter rabbits. For Christmas. Mom’s cleaning lady found them cute, she got them boxes and all.
Siniestro’s Bailaré sobre tu tumba (I’ll dance on your grave) includes the lyrics “I’ll behead you with a sharpened record…”
They’re not actually depicted having sex. That, I might have gone and kept
I’m just bumping the thread because I haven’t finished shopping yet and some of y’all haven’t either!
It’s already been suggested to get someone tickets to an event, but if you didn’t know, Book of Mormon’s on tour. I want to buy tickets so bad, but they’re still pretty expensive and I guess my relatives aren’t the right audience for this show anyway. I’d go see it again, if y’all haven’t got me anything yet…
My inlaws live 800 miles from us and they’re in their 80s, so they don’t want or need stuff. For a number of years, we gave them gift cards to several restaurants in their area because they enjoy going out on occasion. Last year, my husband got them season tickets to a local theater company, and they really enjoyed going to the shows. He was going to do the same this year, but I’m pretty sure he hasn’t. I expect he’ll be in a panic mode when I mention it to him…
My mom is equally in the no-more-stuff category, but luckily, she’s a wino! OK, she likes wines and beers, so I pick out an assortment that I know she’d never get herself because she’s frugal (OK cheap!) Altho this year, we want to give her a large computer screen - I’m thinking she’ll get a picture of one, then we’ll take her shopping so she can pick out what she’d like and we can install it for her.
I’m equally impossible to buy for, but I’d sure like a nice pair of slippers. Mine are really sad…
Yeah, consumables are generally the way to go. One thing that my folks have gotten for me the past two Christmases that I really like: a $200 gift card to one of the car wash places in town. If I have to spend my own money to wash the car, I don’t do it nearly enough. Having the card around makes it easy to just swing in for a quick rinse or a full-on wax and hand dry.
One non-consumable for the hard-to-buy-for crowd: everyone’s gotta wear shoes. I’ve bought my dad three pairs of these indoor/outdoor slip-ons so far, and he loves them. After the first pair, I asked my mom in February how he liked them, and she said, “I don’t think he’s taken them off.” I have some myself, and they’re really comfortable. Plus, as you get older, it’s nice to slide your shoes off and on.
I’d go see it again, if y’all haven’t got me anything yet…
OK, she likes wines and beers, so I pick out an assortment that I know she’d never get herself because she’s frugal (OK cheap!) Altho this year, we want to give her a large computer screen - I’m thinking she’ll get a picture of one, then we’ll take her shopping so she can pick out what she’d like and we can install it for her.