We all love to surprise our parents with gifts that they always wanted. However, it’s sometimes hard to know what our parents truly want, and often, we genuinely just can’t afford the things that they’d like.
Buying gifts for your parents doesn’t have to be complicated, though! In fact, these five tips will help you plan out the absolute best gift ideas for your parents.
1. Give them the gift of time.
The gift of time is a great idea for any loved one, but especially for your parents. As we grow up, we don’t always have tons of free time to spend with our parents, but giving them the gift of your time will put a big smile on your parents’ faces.
Whether you prepare an amazing family dinner or book a family vacation to your parents’ favorite destination, your parents will appreciate your effort and the time that they get to spend with you! If your parents aren’t in great health, you can even help them with something that they find difficult, like cleaning their gutters or digitizing old family photos.
2. Select presents that provide long-term value.
Although you may want to give your parents something extravagant, the “surprise factor” of these gifts often wears away shortly after they open your gift. Instead, consider gifts that are thoughtful and provide long-term value, like a new digital camera, a high-value cookware set, or even a new luggage set. Your parents will use these gifts a lot more frequently, and they’ll appreciate the investment for years to come.
3. Choose gifts that encourage lifelong learning.
Most people love to learn a new skill or pick up a new hobby, especially once they retire. Luckily, providing gifts that encourage lifelong learning can help your parents learn new, exciting skills. Whether your dad wants to learn a new musical instrument or your mom wants to start event planning, you can hook your parents up with the materials and classes that they’ll need to start their new hobbies.
4. Avoid gifts that point out your parents’ age.
Although advertisements make gifts like medical alert devices seem like a great option for aging parents, these gifts actually make our parents feel old and dependent. Therefore, you should avoid gifting these types of items as Christmas or birthday presents.
Instead, create sentimental DIY gifts that allow your parents to reminisce on “the good old days.” You can create collages of old photos, digitize old family videos, or even frame handwritten letters or old schoolwork so that your parents can enjoy it as a keepsake.
5. Give your parents gifts that help them stay active.
As people age, they sometimes fall victim to “couch potato” tendencies. However, staying sedentary is literally the opposite of what your parents need to live a long life! Providing gifts that encourage physical activity and exercise can help negate your parents’ desires to sit in front of the TV all day.
You can give your parents something simple, like a gym or yoga class membership. These gifts will not only promote active lifestyles, but they will also give your parents a way to get out of the house and socialize, which makes your gift a win-win!
Even though shopping for our parents can sometimes feel like an impossible task, these tips will help guide you in the right direction. Whatever you decide to give your parents, just remember to make sure that it comes from your heart — because that’s all that really matters.
Featured Photo by Ben White on Unsplash.
