Frugal Ideas for Cheap Christmas Gifts for Grandparents

They've been around a while. They have just about everything. They are very hard to buy for. They are my grandparents, and these are some excuses I've used in the past when trying to get them something for Christmas. While I have had trouble in the past deciding what Christmas gift ideas are just right for my grandparents, I have done pretty well in the past few years with some pretty cheap presents. Now, cheap Christmas gifts might not sound appealing if you're trying to make someone you love happy, but let me tell you from personal experience, a cheap or frugal gift for the grandparents in your life can be the best thing they receive all year.

Grandparent Christmas Gift Idea #1-Food

Cook a meal for your grandparents. It can be freshly made and still steaming or you can freeze one you have already cooked. My grandparents spend at least one night per week out at a little restaurant known for its home-cooked food. They don't cook for themselves much anymore, and their diets (like most of ours) could be a little healthier. I would like to make some of my specialties that I know my grandparents like and freeze them on individually wrapped plates. If you're not much of a cook, there are still easy dishes like pasta that you can make with relatively low culinary skills. One of my favorite recipes is Cheesy Baked Ziti. The following link has a close recipe to the one that I use whenever I make it. http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50012

Grandparent Christmas Gift Idea #2-Photo

If your grandparents are like mine, they have dozens of photos hung all around the walls of kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. They obviously love the photos, so why not get them an updated one? If you can get the family together in one place and get a group photo, think of how touched they would be to receive that gift. Another related idea is to get one of those frames that holds many different photos as opposed to the type that holds only one picture. That way they can consolidate pictures together that are related by family type (children, grandchildren, etc.), holiday party (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July parties, etc.), or event (annual get-together, family vacation, etc.). If your grandparents are Net-savvy, then maybe even having an online photo album like www.smugmug.com, www.shutterfly.com, or www.snapfish.com could be a good way to share with them.

Grandparent Christmas Gift Idea #3-DVD

This can be related to the above suggestion in that the DVD can be one of family photos. This might take a bit of technical skill, but every one that I have ever made has been a big hit. My wife's grandmother plays her family photo slideshow DVD every time the family gets together at her home. She is proud of being able to show everyone each person in the slideshow, and this presents the opportunity for her to share with us her own memories as she was growing up. The next time I make a DVD for someone, I will make extras, because everyone kept asking for a copy of the original! Computer expert Kim Komando gives an excellent tutorial on this: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kimkomando/2003-05-050komando_x.htm

Grandparent Christmas Gift Idea #4-Letter

Letter-writing is a thing of the past, but who would appreciate this nostalgic activity more than someone who has lived through the past? I know that it might seem silly, but a well thought out card or letter can really make someone happy. Last year, I wrote a long letter to each set of my grandparents, telling them how much I appreciated their love, advice, and support in my life. My grandparents were extremely touched by the heartwarming letters, and I knew that the time spent on writing them was well worth it. They cost virtually nothing to create and present to them, but the sentimental value of those letters was priceless. I found a site that gives a few pointers on writing a letter: http://www.loveandforgive.org/take_action_letter_writing.php

Grandparent Christmas Gift Idea #5-Visit

Readers should note that this might not be the best "surprise" gift idea in the bunch (who knows if they decided to pack up and head to Hawaii for the holidays?). However, it can still be a great choice! If your grandparents live a long way away from you, or if it has been a long time since you have sat down and really talked with them, then a visit would be a great way to spend some of your Christmas. They would enjoy getting to see you and learning about how your life is going.

If you have enough time, a Christmas cookie baking party would be a lot of fun for everyone involved. A good article on this type of activity is found here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1202124/the_best_homemade_christmas_cookie.html.

Whatever you decide to do for the grandparent in your life this Christmas, please don't forget to tell them how much you love them. Although monetary gifts may wear out, break, or fade away, your profession of love for them will never leave their hearts.