I am not against physical gifts. Unfortunately, and weirdly, most experiences we think of are more expensive than something on Amazon. Also, Amazon makes it so easy to make wish lists to share with people that don’t know as well.
There are a lot of people I buy gifts for that I can’t think of something that I could afford that they would actually like because I don’t really know them well enough.
This is a sad fact, but distance and age differences make it difficult. I have always been the one that lives the furthest away. People will just assume I won’t travel for things and not even invite me. It’s worse now that I have health issues that cause me to cancel frequently.
Advent Calendars:
Check out my previous post about Christmas gifts for great ideas for those who are in nursing homes or really do not want more things. This year I intend to do another Advent calendar but check out these great spins on advent calendars. I love the idea of making little Christmas Village advent calendars!
It’s tricky to find things to fill these but it’s great for those with patience and just like little treats. It’s also a great way to let people get to know you. Write letters and share photos. Your family does want to know you.
Memberships:
Many of the memberships you can think of, you can’t afford to pay for someone entirely. However, there are many organizations that let you gift a contribution toward someone’s membership. Don’t assume a place will not let you buy gift cards to contribute just because they don’t say it. You may have to reach out but they may have a way to give exactly the amount you want in some form of gift/credit.
Below are some of the most common types of streaming or gaming services. The gift cards tend to be available in most retail stores but at higher dollar values. If the gift card service is offered through the service, they tend to be more flexible in value. These gift cards should all be redeemable for use to pay for subscriptions that they may already have.
Community Resources:
Zoos and community theaters will often allow you to buy gift cards as well. I don’t live in the same area as many of the people I give gifts to. What I have found is that if I want to gift an experience without committing them to a particular show and time, when I called they did offer gift certificates over the phone that could be redeemed for any show on any day of the season. You also don’t have to fund the entire show or guarantee that you have enough tickets for everyone.
Family Games:
It’s especially great if you find a new game, but sometimes just sharing your favorite game is a wonderful choice. It’s even better if you all can play the game that day. My aunt would buy each member of the extended family games and we would usually get to play two of the games that day. Not everyone had to play but we did get to have fun together.
Photo Books:
For toddlers or Alzheimer’s family members, photobooks of people they should recognize can be a fantastic gift. This helps them test their memory and begin to recognize people. There are some specific advice for Alzheimer’s patients that you should take into account, such as it may become necessary to remove photos if they agitate them most likely if the person in the photo died after the time the patient remembers and has to be retold the person has passed away. This could happen at any time in the future.
These books can be just coated pages or you can elevate it to an actual cardboard photobook, like this one offered by Artifact Uprising (runs upward of $45). Or this one from Pinhole Press running $40.
Kindle Books:
I have put books on my Wishlist and it works great. They can delay the notice of the gift for a particular day and it’s very simple to redeem and download.
Recipe Binders:
My aunt did this with the physical gift of a crockpot one year. I still have the crockpot and most of the recipes. She simply bought a 3-ring binder and printed out some of her favorite easy recipes. These are typically things shared for free online. My uncle enjoys cooking more than I ever would have imagined and cookbooks, cooking accessories, and small appliances are a common gift idea.
Puzzles:
This can be evil or very fun. My mother bought each of my siblings and me wood puzzles in our stockings. Some of these were quite evil. Mine had two openings so finding the first was easy but knowing there was a second…nope. My sister’s had a bow and no obvious opening. It occupied us for hours, eventually, we discovered it had magnets.
My uncle has bought puzzles for the extended family and brought puzzles as well. One year, he brought a lock-picking kit and then taught us all how to pick locks. It was so much fun!
Food:
Often I’ve made homemade candies. However, for busy people or elderly family members bringing frozen meals that they can eat later is a great idea. If you make something that you know they love and ask for often, it’s a great gift.
Another food favorite amongst my family is chips and salsa from Carlos O’Kelly’s. Not all foods will work so well for this but the important part is that it’s not local to those family members so it’s not something they get to have often and it’s a favorite that isn’t perfectly replicated at home.
Movie gift cards:
It’s hard to know when and what someone would like to watch, but most people do go to the movies (maybe less right now – you can sub for a streaming service in that case). Be sure that the gift card works at their local movie theater as they are typically company-specific. If you can’t find a mention online, call. They are very likely to have a gift option.
Lottery Tickets:
This is another family favorite. Even kids enjoy scratch-off tickets. My grandparents LOVE them. Who doesn’t get a high from a chance to win money? If it feels too cheap, add in a favorite candy bar as my sister does. It shows she pays attention to your preferences but also gives you the fun of a chance to win it big.
Hopefully, this gives you some great ideas for Christmas. I’m mostly including cheaper options for gifts so that Christmas doesn’t become a burden and you can still enjoy the gift-giving season. Please leave your unique Christmas gift ideas in the comments below.