Fyi your post just prompted me to get one for my husband for Christmas!
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My H has one in his office that is just his to curate as he wants - he loves it!
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I used to get my late mother-in-law some hand cream from LāOccitane en Provence (she always used lots of hand cream), or perhaps some nice soap or body wash.
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I know that @deb922 said no more robes, but what about a bed jacket? My MiL preferred bed jackets because they didnāt get in the way when she got up to go to the bathroom, and were nice to keep her back and shoulders warm when she sat up in bed to read or watch TV. She became quite thin during her last couple of years and needed extra layers.
Non-skid thick socks were something that both MiL and FiL liked. They wore them in bed (feet were always cold) and then didnāt have to search or fumble for slippers when they got up during the night.
Both MiL and FiL enjoyed a tipple in the evening but wouldnāt splurge on the good stuff for themselves. They loved getting top shelf liquor as gifts. Both sets of parents liked getting nuts (the āmammothā roasted pecans and cashews that are advertised this time of year.) Specialty cookies and petit fours were another treat they liked.
One SiL and her husband made photo calendars for MiL and FiL every year. Like my parents, they would have unplugged a photo frame as they fretted about wasting electricity.
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A bird buddy??
Is that too techie?
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They also sell a robotic doc and robotic cat. Itās supposed to be very soothing and lifelike.
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I want one of those but donāt know how to keep it from being a squirrel buddy!
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lol her other child has a living dog that they have 80% of the time. So no need for a robotic one.
I talked to my husband about the aura frame. He agreed that his mom would not be a fan of it. Because she eschews all and any tech no matter how easy it might be. Iām pretty sure my ex sil bought them one, it went in a drawer never to be seen again.
I ended up on a sweater for my mil and a book for my fil. My mom is easier but is in Florida until the middle of December. Not exciting, predictable, the husband said to stay with the true and tried.
Thanks for the great ideas. I wish I was near a Trader Joeās to look for the holiday food but itās a 100 miles away
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When my mom was in assisted living, some things we gifted her were:
A pretty, easy to care for houseplant. We also bought a tabletop prelit Christmas tree and door wreath.
Subscriptions. My mom loved People magazine. She also loved getting newspapers - a local paper and the Chicago Tribune.
If you have a nice picture of your family (or several for a collage) you can upload to a website like minted and have it matted and framed. No wi-fi or tech needed.
Is there a hair stylist or manicurist who can come in and do some pampering for your mom (if she would like that)?
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Such great gift ideas! I have to say @HImom - those robotic puppies are sooo cute! Not sure how a senior would react but I smiled just clicking on the link 
My MIL has a robotic puppy. It sort of goes in and out of favor.
In our family, really cards and mail from the relatives is the best gift. Nothing that can be fussed with in the middle of the night.
MIL has an aura frame, and the plug is actually in a hidden outlet thing sort of like what you use when you have toddlers in the house. She canāt unplug it.
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As a combo Birthday & Fatherās Day gift, I got my 97 year old father a Saturday/Sunday subscription NY Times delivery. He really loves it! The local paper does not have Saturday delivery, and the Sunday edition is interesting enough to last all week long. At the time there was a deal for $5 a week (charged every 4 weeks to my credit card). After a year, it will go to $10.
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Most older people donāt think they need an Echo, but itās a great gift. To be able to tune the radio, turn off lights, listen to a podcast, fill an Instacart list, make a call ā just with a voice command ā it can actually allow someone independence!
The only key is that you have to do the set upā¦
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I got the bird buddy for my parents last year, and they LOVE it. It helped that we went to visit them right after they opened it, so we could set up the camera and the phone app instead of making them figure it out.
But it has been a definite winner in the gift category. They keep showing us pictures any time we are with them. And Iām pleasantly surprised to find that the squirrels do leave it alone.
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And they need to be cognitively with it enough to understand how to use it. That is not the case with the elder in this family.
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We got a bird buddy from one of my children.
Itās fine, Iām happy they thought about us. We would never say that itās just ok.
We have a big bird feeder but the bird buddy seems to only attract the nuthatches.
I think it wasnāt hard to set up. We have the one with the solar panels.
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Years ago my uncle got my grandfather a subscription to his (prior location) local paper. Next year he got a yearās worth of lottery tickets (the 3 digit daily one) and my grandfather could use the paper to see if his numbers had won.
My father would have loved a NYT Sunday paper. My friends get it and if I was house sitting Iād steal it and bring it home to him. He loved it and it did take a week to read it.
How about a fruit of the month club? Sheād be popular at the nursing home on āfruit box day.ā
Lottery tickets.
Any interest in ancestry? Something like ancestry.com or someone to help them research ancestry? It could be a kit or something you (and grandchildren or other relatives) help them with. I think they have guides to help you write the story or at least know where to start. It could lead to what they really want, which is for someone to talk to them and get the pictures and the stories.
For the parents who still live in their home, a service like lawn care, handyman for a day, a spring cleaning?
Most of these are things I want.
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I ended up sending a fruit basket to my mom and my in laws. My mom in particular loves fresh fruits. I think Iāll send her some Florida oranges in January.
I also bought an easy to follow book for my fil and a sweater for my mil since we will be with them on Christmas so they have something to open.
My mom stopped exchanging gifts because of finances so I keep her gift small or she feels bad.
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I have one, have hanging from a Shepards hook and only got one squirrel in 3 years. But you need an app.
D1 got me an Aura few years ago. I load a lot of pictures there myself. It sits on my work desk at home. Sometimes when I am on a difficult call, it always cheers me up to see my grandkids and kidās pictures , especially our vacation pictures.
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