The second most difficult group for which to buy presents, certainly, must be seniors. Oh, it goes without saying that men are the most impossible group, unless you have lucked out and the men in your family cannot afford to buy themselves shoes and socks. In that case, your gift-giving brainstorm sessions would be halved.
Practical Gifts for Grandparents
Unless your granny is the Queen of England (in which case, you would never know what to buy her) or a slumlord diva with direct Federal transfer payments to her Swiss bank account, you may want to know about the results of a recent senior survey, published November 26, 2010. Hint: Most oldsters want boring, practical items.
In the article “Inspired by Economic Slump, Seniors’ Gift Wish List Focuses on Practical” on homeinstead.com, it is foretold that seniors’ faces will light up like Christmas Trees at the sight of a pair of socks. Hmmm?
This analysis was done by Home Instead Senior Care network through a review of more than 26,000 senior gift requests. Now, try to imagine if your parents or grandparents fall into this category. You do not want to give your mom a pair of long johns if that means she will cut you out of her will. However, all kidding aside, I believe that many older people do like to receive the basics. This leaves them more mad money for bingo and Kitty Tuna Helper.
Why Do Seniors Like Practical Gifts?
According to Debbie Seplow, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care franchise of Phoenix, Arizona, “Seniors have always been a frugal lot. Out of necessity or, perhaps, driven by fear, the economic downturn has made older adults even more practical.”
Well, fear and practicality are good things. If people did not have a healthy dose of neurotic fear, they might have become NASCAR drivers, thus weeding themselves out of the gene pool before giving birth to you or your parents. And, practicality, induced by that same healthy neurotic fear, is what helped your grandpa pay the bills so that your mom could have a disco jumpsuit to attract your father…also resulting in your birth. It is so irritating when fear and practicality are referred to in a somewhat condescending voice.
Other systemic financial events at play in the fear-and-practicality department:
- Social services budget cuts have bitten your poor granny and gramps in the derrieres.
- Interest income can no longer be relied upon as an income stream because interest rates have been pistol whipped by the poor judgment of powerful leaders.
Practical Gifts That Grandparents Want
Please remember that not all old folks fit into the “practical-gift category”, so give some thought to the mindset and socioeconomic status of your own grandsters before investing in kitchen towels and toilet paper. However, according to the survey, the top ten most popular and economical gifts were:
- Blankets or throws.
- Slippers and socks.
- Toiletries – lotions, bath soaps, cologne, perfume.
- Pajamas and robes.
- Food – sausages, cheeses, chocolates.
- Kitchen and bath towels.
- Clothes – sweat pants, sweaters, underwear.
- Large print books and puzzles.
- Cards and stamps.
- Gift certificates for grocery stores and discount stores.
Worst Presents for Parents or Grandparents
On a humorous note, a timely article from the UK contradicts several of the findings from the US senior survey. Now, the British study does not focus on seniors, however many of the “worst gifts” mentioned in the study are the types of things that people would give to gramps and granny.
And, what are the top 20 items that made the “most unwanted Christmas gifts” list in the UK?
- Bubble bath.
- Bath salts.
- Socks.
- Candles.
- Belgian chocolates – must be a misprint.
- Knitwear – must not be talking about fingerless gloves and eternity scarves.
- Books – must be polling the illiterati.
- Ties.
- Moisturizers.
- DVD movies previously seen.
- Perfume, aftershave.
- Hot chocolate, mug dets.
- Soap on a string.
- Jewelry – must be a joke.
- Address books.
- Calendars.
- Slippers.
- Pajamas.
- Joke books.
- Photo frames.
Reconciling the Two Lists
Should you or should you not give granny a pair of PJs? Well, you may have to ask the Magic 8 Ball for the answer to that. And, what about moisturizer? Socks? Belgian chocolates? Oh, to heck with these two lists. Get granny hooked up on Skype and you can ask her straight out.
Send grandma on a cruise. Big Cruise Ship or Small Cruise Ship: Which is Better?
Sources:
homeinstead.com. "Inspired by Economic Slump, Seniors' Gift Wish List Focuses on Practical" (accessed November 26, 2010).
giftorpresent.co.uk. "Bubble bath, bath salts and socks are the most unwanted Christmas presents" (accessed November 26, 2010).
Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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