What do you get your parents for Christmas?

[Chattyaholic]

We draw names for Christmas!! There are 12 of us, and it was just getting to be too much for everyone to buy something for everyone else, so last year I delicately suggested to everyone that we "draw names" and everyone wholeheartedly agreed! So, I gave each person (at our Thanksgiving gathering) an index card and told them to write their name at the top, then under their name write any suggestions for gifts they would like to receive. We set a spending limit too. Then we put the cards in a bowl and each person took one out. So, each person bought one gift. Much easier that way!

 

[MerryPoppins]

My in-laws are the ones that are hard to buy for. They don't need anything. FIL is a stroke victime that is wheelchair-bound, so they mostly sit home and watch tv (mostly sports). It's hard to choose a movie for them, so videos are difficult. For a while she was collecting a nativity set, but one Christmas she let us know (AFTER she opened part of the set) that she didn't want any more because it was getting too big. They don't read or listen to music. They don't get out much. We've tried clothes for FIL, but they usually are returned to my son in a few months. In fact, we often get the gifts we give them back again. Is it my imagination or is that sort of passive/aggressive? Throws have been gladdly received, but we've done that one twice. Food or gift certificates from take-out places go over pretty well. So do flowers.

Any ideas for me? We struggle with this every year!

My mom is lots easier. She has always given me hints of what she would like. (I used to take my dad shopping for her before he died). She has already hinted that she wants a clock like we just bought. It's a SkyScan Atomic Clock that always keeps the right time, tells the inside and outside temperature, etc. Every night it gets a signal that checks and resets the time if needed. Cool huh? We got it at Sam's if anyone is interested.

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

I can't tell you....My mom is on the board..lol

 

[Nikki_Nikki]

I've already been thinking about this too! My parents have everything they want and if they don't, they go out and buy it. Mom is the hardest. For Mother's day this year, I wrote her a poem and put it on script paper, burned the edges and framed it. She said it was the best thing I'd ever gotten her, as tears were falling. I'm thinking about getting her a Mother's ring for Christmas, but I'm not sure yet. I would like to be a little more creative then jewlery or gift cert.