<p>I took a recent photo and had it made into an 18 by 24 " canvas picture.It makes a great present! I stare at it often through the day .Costco has great prices on these .</p>
<p>I actually did the custom photo calendar from costco (along with a mug) a few years ago…it was only about 20 dollars when I did it. I also tried the digital picture frame bought from a drug store (which broke pretty easily). I understand that parents like photos of their kids but doesn’t become sort of meaningless if I give them pictures for every occasion, lol?</p>
<p>How about a giftcard for two to some place? (Their anniversary is only 10 days away from Christmas)</p>
<p>powerbomb, if you know what kind of music your parents like, you can download a few tunes for them, burn them onto a CD and design a custom CD cover using your Adobe photoshopping skills! For me, that would be the perfect gift (and it will be under $15).</p>
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<p>I’ve had the same experience. </p>
<p>When my son was little, I started the tradition of making a calender with a picture of PMKjr for each month (bless the digital technology that has made that task 100x easier!) I was touched when my parents and grandparents asked me to include pictures of myself the next year. I suppose it never changes.</p>
<p>This thread is very telling. What parents want most is time and memories - likely because they so enjoyed the time and memories already made. </p>
<p>Just saying. :)</p>
<p>As my Mother’s Day gift, daughter took me to a tea room during the week. I had never had the tea room experience. Plus just the two of us together was awsome.</p>
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<p>And at some appropriate point in time, a grandchild(ren)</p>
<p>I always tell flat broke college S2 that making good grades (not an easy task for him) for the semester is his gift to me.</p>
<p>The best gifts that I have received from my children were (this is so corny) letters of love, time spent with me (last birthday my youngest arranged for a day at the beach for the two of us…one of the best days of my life), and…the hope for/acknowledgement that they are happy with their lives and perhaps that we helped them to get there.</p>
<p>I used to tell my kids I just wanted a Day of Peace. One day where they would not bicker. None of them ever went for it. That was way to hard of a gift to give.
I would love a photo of my kids together. I also think the best gift is your time. I know when my son comes home he sleeps all day and is up all night with friends and before I know it the break is done and I have not had any quality time with him. Or even a card that you took the time to make and to think out what you wanted to say.</p>
<p>While I agree that pictures would be nice. I’d love a set of my kids showing them having fun at college - say as a calendar - I wouldn’t want a gift card. I love, love, love the idea of loading up my ipod or making a mix cd of music I like. I’d also love a promise from both my kids to play bridge with us while they are home.</p>
<p>My kids have given me spa treatments - facial or massage, sometimes they come with me and it’s a really fun mother/daughter(s) bonding time. They know I like a special body lotion I like and go it for me. There was one year they gave me a photo album from when I was little to present. It was very nice.</p>
<p>This is my pet peeve, I don’t like H (their dad) to pay for my present from them. I want them to save money from their allowance (however small amount it is) to buy me a present. H and I take them separately to go shopping for us.</p>
<p>For my birthday last July, I asked my son for a day at the zoo. We didn’t manage to get there on my birthday, but did spend several hours there before he left for college. We got our first zoo membership before S was a year old and he and I used to spend hours there before he started full-day kindergarten. On some days, my car was the only car in the visitor parking lot. We continued our visits until he hit middle school and he became embarrassed to be seen with his mother. It was so much fun going this summer and remembering all of our favorite animals, etc. I love the ideas that have been given that involved thought and shared events. Now, how can I give him the right hints??</p>
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<p>This is like a scene from a movie!! </p>
<p>Anyway, parents really must be parents…such little interest in ‘things’!! hah…</p>
<p>I can tell you that for Christmas this year I got my dad something for his garage and a small thing for golf and I got my mom a book (so far) and something small for her garden. I’ll probably get something else for my mom. My dads gift is quite large and I try to keep money spent even between people. The small gifts will go in their stockings, the big gifts will go under the tree. I’ll probably pick up some of their favorite candies for their stockings also… Chocolate covered cherries for my mother and tootsie rolls for my father. Those have been the two constant items in their stockings every year since as long as I can remember. :)</p>
<p>We usually do one stocking gift for each other every year, and it’s always funny to see my dad try to put something in my moms stocking. He’ll try to jam a box that is 3x too big into the thing. It’ll be all bent out of shape and hanging out and clog up the whole thing so that no other gifts fit, lol. We always take a picture of my moms stocking on Christmas morning because you never know what will be hanging out of it.</p>
<p>My husband says the best present he ever got was the bag of cheese puffs that S2 gave him when he was 3. Husband opened it up and said “How nice, I will put them up an enjoy them later” and son said “No, they are for you and I to share. Alone.”</p>
<p>D gave H a CD with many of her favorite songs that she thought (correctly) that H would love, as well as a custom CD cover. It is one of his prized possessions that he plays often (i hope she’ll make me one too).</p>
<p>They both gave me a sweater last year that I love. They gave H a thermometer that reads outside temps that he also loves (has always been obsessed with temps). </p>
<p>What we both love most is having our kids around and spending time with us, doing nothing in particular. We DO love it when they decide to wash the car or help around the house too.</p>
<p>We also went to the zoo a lot with our S. When we took him up to college, we made a detour & spent some time at San Diego Zoo and also the Wildlife Park. He’s always loved zoos & D loves animals. Recently when we were in Vancouver, we went to the aquarium–not sure where the zoo was & we didn’t have much time.</p>
<p>I would like either my D or S to take us out to lunch. Just us with them and not an expensive place. And they pay and the cell phones are Off for one hour. Sounds like a super gift.</p>
<p>I asked my kids to get us something from their colleges. After we pay tuition, it never seems that we have any money to spend on ourselves. My H is also an alumni of my S’s school. </p>
<p>Nothing big, a mug or a ball marker. Also easy to buy as the kids are so busy with school right up until the holidays.</p>
<p>I have a journal I had them start several years ago, when I asked the oldest to write a memory down for me- I had forgotten about it- but that is what I want from both of them- its fun to read things from their perspective.</p>