Think Practical & Thoughtful
By Marie Elium
If you’re lucky enough to have older adults in your life—and by older I mean older than you—then holiday gift-giving can be tricky.
Many of us are downsizing, or at least right-sizing. We have what we need, and usually, most of what we want. So what’s a gift-giver to do?
Here are gift ideas gathered from Boomer readers that hit the sweet spot: thoughtful or useful and, occasionally, both. See if any fit your gift-giving needs.
- A digital photo frame. These are great for far-flung relatives who enjoy keeping up with family members but aren’t the texting types. Ranging in price from about $50 to $150, you can set it up for someone and give the access code to family members so they can upload photos and videos directly to the device.
- A template for their autobiography. One of the best gifts the grandkids gave my dad a few years ago was StoryWorth. For a year, he wrote a few paragraphs each week (based on prompts) about his life. His entries were turned into a hard-cover book with photos. Everyone got a copy. You need to be computer savvy to do StoryWorth or similar programs, but some use typed or spoken transcripts to assemble a book.
- A live wreath for the front door or a seasonal arrangement for indoors are good gifts that can be ordered online, last a few weeks, and make everything cheery. Two places to try: L.L. Bean (llbean.com) for wreaths, and a local florist (if you know one) or UrbanStems (urbanstems.com) for arrangements.
- Gift cards seem like a cop-out, but we got several last Christmas and we’ve enjoyed using them for meals throughout the year. Why not offer to take an older person out for a meal, along with a gift card?
- If you know someone who likes to read, give a hard-copy best seller. They’re popular for a reason, and it’s a nice splurge for library-goers.
- Plan an outing to look at Christmas lights. Driving at night can be difficult for older adults. Grab an early dinner and drive around for an hour or so.
