Top 10 Worst Gifts for Grandparents
Buying Christmas gifts is never an easy task. Deciding what to buy for everyone on your list can get complicated, and you may search both online and in-person without finding the perfect gift. But of all the tricky people on your Christmas shopping list, it is grandparents that can be the most challenging to buy for.
Are you looking for the best Christmas gift ideas for grandparents? If so, you have come to the wrong place! Only joking. While our last blog post provided fantastic ideas for the best gifts to buy your grandma and grandpa this festive season, this blog will deal with the worst. To help you avoid buying your grandparents a gift that sucks, we have helpfully put together this guide to the 10 Worst Christmas Gift Ideas for Grandparents. Read on to discover what you need to leave out of your shopping cart this Christmas:
Facial Hair Trimmer
Maybe your grandparents love a practical gift at Christmas, but buying a hair trimmer is a step too far. If granny has a few whiskers or grandpa has a prickly chin, it is best to ignore this and avoid all mention of excess facial hair this festive season. So, if you have already purchased his and hers beard trimmers, now is the time to return them to the store.
Exercise Equipment
If your grandparents love to stay active, exercise equipment may seem like an excellent choice for a Christmas gift. But, before you add those dumbbells to your shopping basket, take a moment and consider that this may be the worst Christmas gift that you will ever buy. Keeping fit and staying active may be important during your grandparent’s senior years, but do you really want to be responsible for them spending the holidays in the emergency room?
A Re-Gift From a Christmas Past
A re-gift from a Christmas past could come back to haunt you if you try to re-gift it to your grandparents. Most people can tell if a present has been re-gifted, and with decades worth of gift giving and receiving, your grandparents will be more eagle-eyed than most. So, unless you want to find yourself on the naughty list next year, ensuring that you avoid re-gifting anything to your grandparents is a wise idea.
Clichéd Gifts
We all know the stereotypical things that grandparents are supposed to like. All grandmas like baking, knitting, and needlepoint, right? Every grandpa in the world likes to go fishing, do jigsaw puzzles and talk about the old days. Wrong! Buying a gift based on stereotypes is always a huge mistake.
Clichéd gifts can be offensive to many people, grandparents included. So, before you rush out and buy that crochet kit for granny, it is best to think twice or risk causing offense.
Underwear
Buying underwear for anyone other than yourself or your partner is just plain wrong. Even if the underwear you select for your grandparents is of the conservative and practical variety, it is still a bad idea. Period.
Photo of Yourself
Maybe you are the favorite grandchild and the one that your grandma and grandpa dote on the most. But, when it comes to Christmas gift-giving, you need to put this thought out of your mind. While your grandparents may have photographs galore dotted throughout their home, having an extra one of you may not be their idea of a thoughtful Christmas gift.
Cash or Gift Card
Giving your grandparents a gift that shows how much you care is essential. This is why choosing to buy them a gift card or send them cash is one of the worst Christmas gift ideas imaginable. Your grandparents don’t want your money. They would probably rather that you didn’t buy them anything at all rather than give them money. So, stay away from the ATM this festive season.
Food Gifts
Most grandparents have an impressive stash of sweet treats in their pantries, ready and waiting to feed you each time you visit. So, if there is one thing that your grandparents probably do not need this festive season, it is more food.
The worst Christmas gift for grandparents is the kind that they cannot use at all. So, if you buy a pack of fancy sugar-laden Christmas cookies for your diabetic grandma, chances are she is going to offer them right back to you in the New Year! The lesson here is to know your audience. If your grandparents have food allergies or dietary concerns, don’t make the mistake of buying them food for Christmas.
Self-Help Books
There is one bad Christmas gift that is worst than most of the others on this list, and that is a self-help book. In their advanced years, it is highly unlikely that your grandparents have now decided to seek enlightenment or want dating tips from a relationship guru. But, of all the self-help books that you could buy your grandparents, one that tells them how to be a good grandparent could be the most offensive.
Unflattering Pictures
Deciding to restore an old photo of your grandparents is one of the best Christmas gift ideas that you can buy for them. But, you need to be sure that it is a flattering photo and one that is meaningful to them. Restoring an old photo that is unflattering is unlikely to be proudly displayed, so choosing the perfect picture is essential. Choose the right photo and get it restored, and you can find yourself the favorite grandchild for years to come.
Choosing the Perfect Gift for Grandparents
While there may be lots of bad gift ideas for grandparents, choosing the right gift is not as difficult as you may think. Selecting a present that is both thoughtful and meaningful is the ideal way to choose the perfect gift. A photo gift from Heritage Photo Restoration is the ideal present for your grandparents this Christmas. Having a much-loved photograph restored to make it look perfect is a gift to be treasured for many years to come.