Christmas gifts for grandparents: 40 ideas they'll treasure
Forty gifts for the grandparents who say they don't want anything, from handprint ornaments to a book from the whole family.
40 ideas ·
Grandparents are the hardest people on the Christmas list and the easiest to please. Ask what they want and they'll say "nothing, just come over," and they mean it. They've spent decades collecting things, and most of them are trying to give things away by now.
So the best Christmas gifts for grandparents aren't really things, or they're things that carry something: the grandkids' handwriting, a photo they haven't seen, a story written down before it's forgotten. These 40 ideas are sorted into gifts the grandkids can make, gifts made of words, photos and family history, ideas for grandma, ideas for grandpa, time together, and grandparents who live far away. Most cost very little.
If you're making something with the kids, start early. The best grandparent gifts take a few evenings, not one rushed afternoon. And if you want words to go with it, the free reasons generator turns a few true things about them into ten reasons to start from.
Gifts the grandkids can make
Nothing beats a gift with small handwriting on it. These work for toddlers and teenagers alike, with a little help.
- A handprint or footprint ornament with the year on the back, to hang on their tree every Christmas from now on.
- A letter from each grandchild about their favorite thing at grandma and grandpa's house, spelling and all.
- A drawing of grandma and grandpa, framed properly so it looks like it belongs on the wall.
- A recipe book of the dishes the kids love at their house, with the kids' drawings beside each recipe.
- A jar of folded notes, each with one reason a grandchild loves them.
- A calendar for next year with a photo of the grandkids for every month and all the family birthdays already filled in.
- A video of the grandkids singing their favorite carol, or telling the joke they learned from grandpa.
Gifts made of words
Grandparents rarely hear, in detail, what they mean to the family. Written down, it's something they'll read again and again.
- A book of fifty reasons the whole family loves them, gathered from children and grandchildren, with the two of them illustrated by the fire on the cover.
- A letter about what they did for you as a child, and the things you didn't understand until you had kids of your own.
- A journal of questions about their life for them to fill in and hand back, so their stories get written down.
- Their life story told back to them: the stories they tell every Christmas, typed up and printed.
- Letters from every generation of the family, collected in secret and kept together in one folder.
- A letter or recipe in their own mother's handwriting, found in a drawer, restored and framed.
Photos and family history
- A photo album of this year, with every grandchild's school photo, first day and vacation picture, captioned by hand.
- Old family photos, scanned, restored and printed, with the names and dates written on the back before anyone forgets them.
- A digital photo frame, loaded with family pictures before you wrap it, that the whole family can send new photos to.
- A family tree, with the grandkids at the bottom and the great-grandparents at the top.
- Their wedding photo, restored and reframed, with the date engraved on the frame.
- A recording of them telling the story of how they met, so the whole family can keep it.
Christmas gifts for grandma
She has probably cooked Christmas dinner for longer than some of us have been alive. These are for her.
- A book of what the family loves about her, from the cookie jar to the advice everyone ignored and later took.
- Her handwritten recipes, printed onto a tea towel or framed for the kitchen wall.
- A necklace or bracelet with a birthstone for every grandchild.
- A day out with her daughters and granddaughters: lunch, a show and nobody else's plans.
- A soft blanket embroidered with all the grandchildren's names.
- A standing weekly call with each grandchild, written on a card as a promise for the new year.
Christmas gifts for grandpa
Most grandpas say they don't need anything. These are the gifts they didn't know they wanted.
- A book of fifty reasons the family loves him, terrible jokes and all, to read in his chair on Christmas afternoon.
- A day of fishing, golf or a ball game with his grandkids, phones away.
- Something he taught the family to make or fix, made by the grandkids and given back to him.
- A photo of his first car or first house, tracked down and framed, with his story about it written underneath.
- A workshop or gardening apron covered in the grandkids' handprints.
- An interview with him, recorded by the grandkids asking about his life and edited into a short film for the family.
Time together
For most grandparents, time with the family is the gift. Make it something they can unwrap.
- A family trip next year, planned around them, with the dates written in their card.
- A monthly lunch with one grandchild at a time, for the whole year.
- Tickets to a show, a concert or the local Christmas lights, with the grandkids coming along.
- A day of jobs done: the gutters cleared, the yard tidied, the computer finally fixed.
- Lessons from them: the grandkids sign up to learn grandma's pie or grandpa's card game, one Sunday a month.
For grandparents far away
- A video call booked for Christmas morning, with the grandkids opening their presents on screen.
- A box of letters, drawings and photos from the grandkids, mailed early enough to arrive by Christmas Eve.
- A digital book of reasons from the whole family, sent as a link to read together on a call.
- A photo book subscription that prints the family's pictures every month, so they don't stay on everyone's phones.
How to gather the whole family's words
The best grandparent gifts come from everyone, but a group present can stall in the family chat. Make one person the collector. Ask everyone for three memories or reasons by a set date, and give the kids a simple prompt, like "my favorite thing about grandma's house is..."
Then write them up, keeping everyone's own words and noting who said each one. Fifty reasons from children and grandchildren can become a book, a jar or a framed print, and whichever you choose, it will be the present they show their friends.
Whatever you give, let the grandkids sign it, draw on it or say a few words on a video. Grandparents keep those long after the present itself. If you want the family's words to be the gift, You're Our Favourite Tradition turns fifty reasons from the whole family into a book, with the two of them illustrated by the fire. For birthdays and the rest of the year there's Reasons We Adore You, and more in our gifts for grandparents.
For a printed book, order by Wednesday, December 2 in the US or Monday, December 7 in the UK, and our Christmas order dates have every other country. Need words for the card? Here's what to write in a Christmas card, with messages for grandparents.
Questions people ask
What do you get grandparents for Christmas?+
Something from the family rather than the shops: reasons from the grandkids in a book or a jar, a photo album of the year, a handprint ornament or a day out together. Most grandparents have the things they need. What they want is to see and hear from the family.
What can grandkids make for their grandparents?+
A handprint ornament with the year on it, a letter about their favorite thing at grandma and grandpa's house, a calendar of their photos, or a video of them singing a carol. Even toddlers can manage a handprint with some help.
What is a sentimental Christmas gift for grandma?+
Something with the family in it: her handwritten recipes framed or printed on a tea towel, a necklace with a birthstone for every grandchild, or a book of reasons the whole family loves her.
What do you get grandparents who have everything?+
Time and words. Plan a family trip around them, book a monthly lunch with each grandchild, or collect fifty reasons from the whole family. There are more ideas in gifts for someone who has everything.
