Nakia Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 My parents are always the very hardest people to buy for. They aren't really hard to please, but they just don't need/want anything. And if they do, they just go buy it themselves. I cannot figure out what to get for them. I usually give them a nice framed photo of the girls, but we just did that in the summer. So what are you getting your parents this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 My parents are always the very hardest people to buy for. They aren't really hard to please, but they just don't need/want anything. And if they do, they just go buy it themselves. I cannot figure out what to get for them. I usually give them a nice framed photo of the girls, but we just did that in the summer. So what are you getting your parents this year? Pictures of the family and/or gift certificate to a restaurant. They have everything already. I think when I'm a grandparent that is what I'll want, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 My dad & mom are getting their traditional White House Ornament. Dad is getting a tin of Girl Scouts mixed nuts, Mom is getting a tin of boyscout popcorn. I'm making mom & dad's favorite cookies (since I know mom won't be baking them this year), and probably a book for my dad, and something crafty for my mom. DH dad & mom are getting the nuts, popcorn, ornament, and a magic bullet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 DH dad & mom are getting the nuts, popcorn, ornament, and a magic bullet. What is a magic bullet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarita Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I don't know what we'll do this year, but last year, we gave my parents a gift certificate to the civic center. It was a HUGE hit! They got to choose and go to a show that they normally wouldn't have splurged for. They loved it. Good luck! Sarita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E_Edgerton Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 We get a year-subscription to The Week for my Dh's mom and dad. They love it and it is a gift that keeps on giving. For my dad and stepmother...still deciding, last year it was a framed antique print. For my mom and stepfather, I purchased an item of clothing for my mom and a gift card to my stepfather's favorite bookstore. Divorce makes the holidays quite expensive! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I decided to give all of the adults/ couples in our family calendars with personalized dates (everyone's birthdays, anniversaries, etc) and some nature photos I've taken through the year. I also saw a great idea for a personalized photo gift, and I am putting my own twist on it (if it works, I'll just try the original form I saw). I saw a photo frame in a local shop with our town's name spelled out in letters photographed from signs around town. One letter per frame. I am going to spell out our parent's last names in a frame by having the kids use their bodies to spell out each letter of the name and framing each letter. (I hope that makes some kind of sense.) If I can't get the pics of the kids to come out, I'll just wander around town taking pics of letters and frame those instead. We also give family pictures, so we'll probably do that as well. This is the "year of the photo" for us. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I went to the first of the Christmas markets this weekend and found a pair of handmade earrings in the shape of balls of yarn with knitting needles stuck in them for my mum and a bottle of speciality vinegar for my dad who loves cooking. I struck gold this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 A photo book from one of the online services with the best of the year's pictures. They really don't need more knick knacks around the house and these are personalized and perfect for showing off to everyone. In the past we have also given a digital picture frame and a mug ds created at a pottery painting place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 What is a magic bullet? Essentially, a blender -- but you blend only a serving at a time in the cup you drink from. We make smoothies in ours, for the most part. His mom wanted one, and we told her not to buy it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Newspaper subscription. Some years, I've gotten my mom (and dd & me) a ticket to go see an ice show (something like Stars on Ice) & then we look forward to our girls' night out. My mom loves seeing ice skating shows like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 My in-laws: a photo book of our time together this summer (they live 1100 miles away). They are divorced. This was the first time my fil had met my 4 youngest children (alcoholism, abuse, etc.) . . . . .look at my siggie line, you'll see how significant it was. It was a great, great visit. We toured the sites where my fil lived when he first came to America, where he lived when dh was a baby. I made a photo book for him of the visit. It was good for me, too! My parents? no idea. My dad always buys what he wants. My mom is just - well - I never know what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Last year for their anniversary we got them a down comforter. This year I am giving mom Principal Secret skin care. We usually take my dad to the movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Well, for my dad I'm getting a rubber duck that says Hawaii on it and an Elvis pez dispensor! :-) Both are inside family jokes, so they are not really anything that he probably wants. But, he is the KING of buying everything he wants and not waiting for Christmas!! So, I have to find clever ways of finding things to wrap for him. I also get him a gift card to his favorite coffee stand as a stocking stuffer. I usually get my parents a picture of the kids. The kids usually make them something. My mom is easier to buy for and she likes William Sonoma type stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I got my mom a pair of sterling silver earrings. She likes jewelry, and I haven't bought her any for awhile. For dh's mom...I bought a cross stitch pattern, but I haven't been able to do it until I get my glasses. (It's been a long time since I cross stitched, and apparently they made everything a lot smaller!:glare:) So now I doubt I can finish it for Christmas; it'll be for Mother's Day now. She loves classical music, so CDs are always a good choice. She also likes to read; maybe a book bungee and gift card for a bookstore? Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 My parents are always the very hardest people to buy for. They aren't really hard to please, but they just don't need/want anything. And if they do, they just go buy it themselves. I cannot figure out what to get for them. I usually give them a nice framed photo of the girls, but we just did that in the summer. So what are you getting your parents this year? I used to do handmade gifts every year, but after a snide comment by mil I don't do that anymore. We get pictures taken at Wal-Mart for like $4.99, and that covers everyone in both families. I by $1 frames and that's what they get. The only people I add something to is for people who get wallet sizes or are young...my sil and bil will get a gift card along with their wallet picture, and dh's uncle will get a tool along with his wallet photo. All sets of parents and grandparents get photos, ranging in size from 8x10 to 5x7, or in the case of my grandparents, 4x6, since they have too many grandchildren to display large photos. I would do this even if I had already done pictures in the summer. It's a cheap and thoughtful gift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricia Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 A trip to Texas to spend Christmas with our married daughter. Woo Hoo. Can't wait.:auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 For people who have everything, I like to give something consumable, such as movie tickets or restaurant gift certificates, tickets to the symphony, etc. But for our parents this year, we got mil some nice jewelry--she loves it anytime, even though she has a ton of it. My mom wanted the Bliss product Thinny Thin Chin http://www.isabellacatalog.com/prod.cfm/pgc/21300/sbc/21302/inv/11453(:)) because it really tightens up the neck and chin area. I will probably also get her this face soap http://www.isabellacatalog.com/prod.cfm/pgc/21300/sbc/21302/inv/11453, because it is AMAZING! But last year, we got the parents the DVD series Planet Earth http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Earth-Complete-David-Attenborough/dp/B000MR9D5E/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1227152700&sr=8-1(we got one, too). And it has been so enjoyable for us and for my parents--it's truly breathtaking. (Be sure and get the one narrated by David Attenborough.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YJ in AL Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I hate to sound boring, but we just usually give them gift cards to their favorite restaurant or store. Yvonne in Alabama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Ha! We bought Wii games for my parents- bowling for mom and fishing for dad. ;) They'll have a hoot playing. We also got them some accessories for the Wii Fit they purchased for themselves earlier in the year. It's funny to think of my parents sitting there and playing video games, but they do.:) I haven't figured out what we're buying dh's parents yet. They're the harder ones to shop for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgilli3 Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Well- my inlaws got the "main" part of their present today: My hubby and son arrived on their door step this morning. My in laws had no idea they were getting a visit. I received a teary wake up "thank you" call this morning. We havent seen them for nearly 2 years ( as we live in 2 different countries...) Priceless. ( the other part of their presents are traditional Arabic outfits, and some beautiful Moroccan lanterns) Hubby posted off all the gifts this year from within Oz ( cheaper than posting from here- if you dont include tickets to get to Oz 1st....LOL) My mum will be getting a fabulous hand-beaded throw rug we bought in India ( aqua, turquoise, purples and blues- and very, very sparkly), and a voucher from her local framing store to have it mounted and framed. My Dad and his partner, have received some hard back "coffee table" books from here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria from IN Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 My mom loves cryptograms, and bookstores are hardly selling them anymore! So I'm going to go through all my books and find funny passages, and then go to the Discovery Channel website where they have a cryptogram generator. I'm going to try and print out several hundred, because she goes through them pretty quickly. Also, I have just discovered the Librivox website, and I'd like to see if I can copy some audiobooks to CD for her. She doesn't do Internet, and there will be days this winter where she can't go to the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emeraldjoy Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 (edited) Silouettes of the children. An idea recommended on here somewhere....sometime. Here is the link, although ours won't be as 'traditional' looking. http://www.gadboisfamily.com/simple_gifts/?p=658#comment-56065 (scroll up) and homemade huckleberry jam. and time. e Edited November 20, 2008 by emeraldjoy added info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hose Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I am going to spell out our parent's last names in a frame by having the kids use their bodies to spell out each letter of the name and framing each letter. What a neat idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Dad- Photo we took of redwoods in California. New book about John Muir. Mom- I'm thinking of having C5 draw a picture and make an iron on transfer with it and make her a tote bag. She likes things that she can take to church and show off "look what my darling grandson made me" :). I'll get her something else too but not sure what yet. We also do a photo calendar every year for them and my FIl using Snapfish. It's very easy and relatively inexpensive when you are ordering multiple calendars. I like that Snapfish lets you put photos on days inside the month (so on my Mom's birthday I put a picture of her, etc) in addition to the main photo for the month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I make my dad and apple pie and my mom cookies. There really isn't anything they need, so this is what we do. I could get them a gift certificate to a restaurant I suppose. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 My parents, and my hubby's dad, are deceased. My hubby has 3 sisters and the four of them all pitched in and bought his mom a computer -- yes, time for her to jump into the digital age! :lol: We bought the monitor, one sister bought the computer, another sister bought a laser printer, and another sister bought a computer table / desk. She's 75 and we wanted her to be able to use the computer at her home vs having to drive to the library to access the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 They have 3 different remotes and it's really a pain. I'm going to give his mom some more scrapbook pages for her 8x8 album of my kids. I'm also working on a "goodie" basket for his dad - specialty foods. He'll like that kind of thing. DH is an only child and his parents always buy us and the kids WAY too much stuff, so we spend more on them than my family. I'm not sure about my dad and stepmom. There's a lot of us and nobody has the money to buy for everyone. We usually draw names. A goodie basket for my dad and something pretty for my stepmom, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsdash Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I'm getting my mom a gift card to her salon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 This is the first year we've done the fall product sale, and everyone's getting nuts! Also, Mom is getting a little handmade pin of an Irish Dancer who will be dressed in our school's outfit (fundraiser for our dance school, and Mom loves wearing pins). And we (kids and I) are making a flannel bathrobe for Dad in Purdue-print flannel, purchased at half-price from Hancock's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey in MA Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 So the grandparents (both sets) are going to get a set of stamps with the kids' picture on it. Dad's getting a cotteon sweater (we live near the LLBean outlet) Mom's getting a laptop lap pad (she just recently got a laptop, so accessories) MIL's getting a photo book with pics of the kids including their recent visit. FIL's getting baked goods. (he loves any kind of cookies, including my cranberry biscotti!) They are all getting a 2009 calendar from kodakgallery.com with pics of the kids through this past year. That's it.... Good luck! It's never easy for me buying for that generation. Not sure why, but it's not.... :-) Stacey in MA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 My sister and I always split the cost of a photo book of the years family photos for our parents. I am also giving them a book I made with Blurb. I turned 5 years of blog posts into a book and dedicated it to them and had it printed up. I can't wait to give it to her. I am knitting Dad a hat too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlockOfSillies Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I'm actually leaning toward getting them a Simon. Remember the game from the '80s? We were all addicted to it in my family when I was a kid. I thought maybe a new one could be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I'm trying to do a lot of homemade stuff this year, so both sets of parents are getting homemade soap (thanks to my wonderful soapmaking coach, Amy in Orlando!), sourdough English muffins, and homemade cherry jam. I might get a giftcard for dh's parents because they are impossible to buy for. Not sure what else to get my parents yet. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 My mom loves cryptograms, and bookstores are hardly selling them anymore! So I'm going to go through all my books and find funny passages, and then go to the Discovery Channel website where they have a cryptogram generator. I'm going to try and print out several hundred, because she goes through them pretty quickly. . I love this idea. I'm going to steal it for my dad.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in Ohio Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I am getting my parents a six month subscription to Netflix. And I will set up their queue for them with lots of good movie recommendations. I am really excited! I never know what to get them and I think they'll enjoy this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Nothing, we don't do gifts for adults in our family. I LOVE my parents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Wow! Thanks for all the ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 We're getting a goat and 2 chickens through World Vision to go to a family in need with the money we would have tried to spend on my parents and brother and sister. They'll get a card saying so. :) I'm just SO sick of *stuff* and trying to get something for people who have everything they need and don't really spend any time thinking about me, my children or how they can see us all year long. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 (edited) My Mom is German, and I fix her a large basket of foods and other things imported from Germany. Actually, I use a large gift bag now so she can re-use it or toss it. She doesn't want anything that will add to the clutter in her house -- she has to be able to use it up. This year, I can't afford to buy her any clutter, but I'd get her gift cards to iTunes, Amazon, and to stores and restaurants she patronizes, if I could. Before she got too old to want to go, I bought tickets to the symphony and the theater for her. I gave her a bird bath one year, which she loves. Edited November 20, 2008 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 I decided to give all of the adults/ couples in our family calendars with personalized dates (everyone's birthdays, anniversaries, etc) and some nature photos I've taken through the year. I also saw a great idea for a personalized photo gift, and I am putting my own twist on it (if it works, I'll just try the original form I saw). I saw a photo frame in a local shop with our town's name spelled out in letters photographed from signs around town. One letter per frame. I am going to spell out our parent's last names in a frame by having the kids use their bodies to spell out each letter of the name and framing each letter. (I hope that makes some kind of sense.) If I can't get the pics of the kids to come out, I'll just wander around town taking pics of letters and frame those instead. We also give family pictures, so we'll probably do that as well. This is the "year of the photo" for us. :D I am really interested in the gift you are doing for your parents. I would love to have my girls pose as letters for my parents last name. But it is 7 letters long, and I cannot figure out how to get it framed right. It could get expensive very quickly to buy 7 really nice frames. What kind of frames are you planning on using? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I have no parents left. :( But my in-laws are getting food baskets from Swiss Colony which they always love. My dd has done a wonderful job of picking gifts for me since she left home. Some memorable ones included a gift vertificate to a spa and family pictures at a portrait studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire in NM Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 My parents rarely ate out when we were younger. There are nine of us kids. I send my mom (my dad has gone home to be with the Lord) a restaurant gift card, usually Sizzler or Red Lobster. My In-Laws live half way across the country and so I send them gift tins. My FIL loves mixed nuts and my MIL loves cashews, roasted and unsalted. Claire in NM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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