Buying for grandparents is a special kind of Christmas puzzle. Ask them what they want and you get the same answer every year: “Oh, don’t get me anything, I’ve got everything I need.” Which is lovely, and also no help at all.
The truth is that most grandparents don’t want more stuff. They want more of us: more photos, more stories, more laughs, and more excuses to show the family off to their friends. In plenty of families, that includes the four-legged grandchild who gets far more treats at Nanny’s house than anywhere else.
So this year’s list is all about gifts with heart. Things that keep the family close, bring back memories and raise a smile every time they are spotted.
1. A funny portrait of the family pet
Every family has one. The dog who won’t get out of bed until the kettle has boiled. The cat who looks suspiciously innocent whenever food goes missing. Grandparents know these characters as well as we do, and they love them just as much.
My Furry Prints turns that love into funny pet portraits you can hang on the wall. From one everyday photo, they imagine what your dog or cat would get up to if pets lived like us: sipping a morning coffee in a dressing gown, sneaking to the fridge for a 2am snack, or reading the paper on the loo. Then they turn it into a framed portrait.
Morning Coffee: for the pet who is simply not a morning pet
It’s the gift people laugh at, get a little emotional over, and hang with pride. There’s a gentler side too: their Soul Gaze portrait is quiet and soulful, a beautiful way to remember a pet who is no longer here. For a grandparent who still talks about the dog they had years ago, that can mean the world.
Soul Gaze: a quiet portrait that holds the look in those eyes
The best bit is the free preview. Upload a photo and you can see your pet’s portrait in about a minute, so get the kids involved in choosing the scene. Expect a heated debate over which one is funniest.
2. A monthly family photo newsletter
So many of our photos never leave our phones, and grandparents who aren’t keen on apps miss out on all of it. A printed family newsletter fixes that. Everyone uploads their snaps through the month, and a little printed gazette lands on the doormat. I’ve written about Famileo before, and it really is a gift that keeps giving all year round.
3. A photo book of the year
If a subscription isn’t for you, a one-off photo book is a lovely alternative. Gather the best bits of the year: holidays, school milestones, birthday cakes and muddy walks. Let the kids write the captions. They will be funnier than anything you could come up with.
4. A “tell me your story” memory journal
Guided journals with prompts like “What was your first job?” or “How did you meet Grandad?” are a gentle way to capture family history before it’s forgotten. Grandparents fill them in at their own pace, and one day they become a treasure. Even better if you sit down together and do a few pages over a cuppa on Boxing Day.
5. A recordable storybook
For grandparents who live a long way from the grandchildren, a recordable storybook lets them read a bedtime story in their own voice, page by page. A small thing that means so much on the nights they can’t be there.
6. A day out together
Sometimes the best present isn’t wrapped. Book an afternoon tea, a trip to the panto, a garden centre wander with lunch, or a day at a favourite National Trust house. Pop a homemade “ticket” in a card so there’s still something to open on Christmas morning.
7. Salt dough handprint and pawprint decorations
A rainy weekend, some flour, salt and water, and a bit of paint is all you need. Press in the children’s handprints, and a paw too if the dog or cat will cooperate, then bake, paint and add the year. They go on the tree every Christmas, and grandparents will bring them out with a little sigh for decades.
8. A family recipe book
Collect the dishes that make your family yours: Grandma’s crumble, the famous Sunday gravy, the kids’ first attempt at cupcakes. Type them up, add a few photos and get them printed. It’s a gift that gets used, splattered and loved.
9. A cosy winter walking kit
For grandparents who do the dog walk whatever the weather, put together a bundle of little comforts: warm gloves, thick socks, a flask, a woolly hat and a pocket torch for those dark afternoons. Practical, yes, but it says “we want you warm and safe out there.”
10. A digital photo frame the whole family can fill
A connected photo frame lets everyone send pictures straight to Nanny and Grandad’s living room from their phones. They wake up to a new photo of the grandchildren, and the dog in a Christmas jumper, without touching a single app.
The gifts that matter most
Whatever you choose, the presents grandparents treasure are the ones that make them feel part of everyday family life. The silly photos, the stories, the cheeky pet who pinches the sausages. Wrap up a little of that and you can’t go wrong.
Merry Christmas from our family, furry members included, to yours.
We were sent some gorgeous prints of our pup from My Furry Prints in exchange for this post. They really do make excellent gifts.
