Buying for the parents can be a tricky affair: you need quality gifts that are meaningful, too. A Christmas present for your mom or dad needs to express exactly what they mean to you and act as a token of appreciation for all those times as a teenager that you got them to come out at 3 am to pick you up from a friend’s house, and to make up for that memorable occasion when you spilled nail varnish on their new carpet.
Have a look below at top Christmas present picks that’ll put a smile on your folks’ faces!
Digital Calendar
A practical gift doesn’t have to equal a boring one: as demonstrated by this nifty little idea: a digital calendar is a slick way for your parents to organize all their appointments and keep track of family events throughout the year: and, let’s be honest, your mom is going to love updating it. A digital calendar features a touchscreen, and many allow the user to make and edit other lists, such as what needs to go on the grocery order. You can expect to pay between approximately $40 – $150 for this gift.
Wine Club Membership
The gift that keeps on giving. Sign your mom, dad, or both, up to a wine club: they’ll get several carefully selected bottles of wine a month to sample, and following this, they can provide feedback so that subsequent bottles of wine will be chosen for them based on their individual tastes. Click here for more information on this gift option; wine membership to this particular club offers three bottles of wine a month for $39 (plus a $9 shipping fee) – additional bottles can be added as required, for $13 each; if you order four or more bottles a month, shipping is free. You can choose to either buy your parents a monthly membership, or you could opt to purchase a wine club gift card for them. Either way, this present is – literally – going to go down very well indeed.
Magazine Subscriptions
Another gift that will get you in the good books all year round: magazine subscriptions are a great way of giving a gift tailored to your parents’ personality. There is a near-inexhaustible range of magazines available, covering every possible interest from angling and astrology to crocheting to carpentry, and from steam engines to fashion styling, so choose an annual subscription each for mom and dad, sit back, and prepare to bask in the appreciation.
Houseplants
Houseplants have risen wildly in popularity over the last few years, and the trend shows no sign of stopping any time soon. If your parents are green-fingered and would derive joy from a few new plant babies, then get creative with this gift idea. Choose a few small houseplants or one large one, and select a pot that matches the aesthetic of their home or is in line with their personal tastes. If you’ve chosen to buy a few smaller plants, display them beautifully in a decorated gift box; for a large plant, tie ribbon or a piece of hessian around its pot and add a sparkly Christmas charm and a gift tag.
Afternoon Tea
Spoil your mom and dad with the gift of a luxury afternoon tea at a hotel or boutique cafe. Make a reservation and pay for this treat, and present your parents with the afternoon tea menu in a gift envelope tied with a ribbon. Choose the classic tea, sandwiches, and scones option, or upgrade to a champagne afternoon tea to treat them to an extra special hour or two.
Christmas Hamper
Continuing the food and drink theme, why not choose a festive hamper for your folks? Shop the range online – from gourmet to sweet-lover options – or put a hamper together yourself, choosing all of the treats that you know your parents will enjoy. To make it extra meaningful, consider adding some homemade goodies to your package: mince-pies, Christmas cookies, cheese scones, flapjacks, or hand-crafted truffles (these are easier to make than you might think!) are all lovely options to nestle beside the store-bought yummies.
Combined Phone Charger and Sanitizer
Particularly useful in the current climate, a phone charger and sanitizer is the perfect practical gift. Simply choose a model that will be compatible with mom or dad’s phone, and then all they need to do is connect it to a power source, put their phone inside, close the lid, and it will be disinfected and ready to use again in about ten minutes. These devices use UV-C light to effectively kill bacteria, helping to provide peace of mind in these difficult times.
Family Photo Session
Another sure-fire hit, booking a family photo session is a lovely gift idea; choose a session that involves you and your siblings, too, and any grandchildren, to create extra-special memories for your folks to frame and enjoy forever. Consider making a day of it, and reserving a table at their favorite restaurant for lunch after the shoot, to make this gift even more special.
