Christmas Gifts for Grandparents

Twelve months, twelve drawings or photos from the grandkids, with every family birthday already marked. Kids can draw a page each over one weekend; you scan the pages and order the print online. Order by early December and check that the calendar starts in January 2027, not in the month you placed the order.

A salt-dough ornament with a child's handprint takes one evening: flour, salt, water, a ribbon and an oven on low. Grandparents hang it on the tree every December and remember how small that hand once was. Write the name and the year on the back with a paint marker — that's the part they'll read ten years from now.

A drawing the child made entirely on their own, put in a simple 8.5×11 wooden frame, ends up on the wall instead of in a drawer. Let the child choose the frame color — it's part of their gift. Sign the back with the child's name, age and the date: grandparents always want to know when it was drawn.

When the grandkids live in another city, a Wi-Fi frame lets the whole family send photos from their phones, and they show up on Grandma's shelf a minute later. The Aura Carver 10.1-inch costs about $149 and needs no subscription. Set it up before you wrap it and invite every grandchild's phone; note that Aura keeps photos in the cloud and has no memory card slot.

A grown grandchild who calls every Sunday can turn those calls into a family history. A paper fill-in journal works for any grandma: ask the questions aloud on video calls and write down her answers. If she uses email, Storyworth (from about $69) sends her one question a week for a year and prints the answers as a hardcover book; extra copies cost more.

Grandparents who see the kids twice a year miss most of it: first steps, the school play, summer at the lake. A hardcover photo book of 2026 fills the gap. Shutterfly runs 40–50% off promotions often, so wait for one. Order two to three weeks ahead and add large captions with names and dates under the photos.

For a grandparent who sits under two blankets in front of the TV, a heated throw warms up in minutes. The Sunbeam Royal Luxe 50×60" drops to about $26–30 on sale and has a 4-hour auto shut-off. Look for a detachable controller, so the throw can go in the washer, and buttons large enough to read without glasses.

A winter storm knocks the power out, and the flashlight is somewhere in a drawer. A rechargeable LED lantern that stands on a table lights the whole kitchen. Choose one with a single large button, USB-C charging and at least 8 hours per charge, and charge it before you wrap it.

Hot chocolate is what grandparents make when the grandkids come in from the snow. A set of good cocoa and marshmallows gives that afternoon a ritual; skip the ones bundled with mugs — they have plenty. Pick one with dark chocolate and real cocoa, and check first whether either of them is watching their sugar.

For a grandparent who reads every night, an e-reader lets them make the text as large as they like and read without a lamp. The new Kindle Paperwhite (2026) costs $199.99. A family can split the cost. Register it, load a few books they'd choose and show them how to turn pages and change the font.

A puzzle left on the dining table over the holidays becomes the thing grandkids and grandparents do between meals. A Ravensburger 1,000-piece puzzle runs about $20–40. If they haven't done puzzles in years, or small kids will help, choose 500 larger pieces instead — it's more fun when the picture comes together.

Holiday visits need something three generations can play at once. Dixit works for ages eight and up and has almost no rules to explain; dominoes and bingo work even with preschoolers. Pick a game with large cards and short rounds, so no one has to read a rulebook after dinner.

For a grandpa who misses his garden in winter, a clear feeder on the window brings chickadees right up to the glass, and grandkids can count them on visits. The Nature Anywhere feeder costs about $31–35, Nature's Hangout about $26. Birds take two to three weeks to find it. Stick the suction cups on clean glass by a window they can open to refill.

Grandparents who used to have a big garden often keep a windowsill of plants instead. A Christmas cactus blooms in December and lives for decades with watering once a week. Bring it in a pot with a drainage hole, wrapped well against the cold on the way, and add a card with care tips in large print.

A basket of things they wouldn't buy for themselves — local honey, good tea, jam from a small producer — gets opened at the holiday table and shared. Six small jars beat one big one: they can try everything. Ask first about diets and medication, and choose items with clear labels and easy-open lids.

Plenty of families have hundreds of phone photos and not one good picture of all three generations together. A 1-hour session in a warm studio fixes that. Book a weekend morning in December, when kids are fresh, and ask the photographer for a few large prints, not only files.

Two tickets — one for Grandma, one for a grandchild who goes with her — turn a show into a date. The Nutcracker or a holiday concert in December works for ages 6 and up. Choose a matinee, so nobody drives home in the dark, and seats near the aisle.

Grandparents who still talk about the town where they met will enjoy going back with the family. A 2-night weekend there, or at a hotel with a pool, works as a gift from the whole family. Agree on the dates with them before the holidays — a voucher with no date often goes unused — and plan a route without long walks between stops.

Tea or coffee is always used up, so it never becomes clutter. Bring a better version of what they already drink: if Grandpa takes ground coffee for a drip machine, don't buy whole beans. Two small 250 g bags in different roasts let them pick a favorite.

A box of chocolates gets opened when the grandkids visit and shared on the spot. Pick a 200–300 g box from a local chocolatier instead of a supermarket one, and ask first whether anyone at home is watching their sugar — then dark chocolate is the safer choice.

A grandparent whose phone always seems to be at 10% when you call will use a power bank more than you'd think. A 10,000 mAh one charges a phone two or three times. Pick a slim model with a charge-level indicator and the right cable already plugged in.