Hi all
Thinking about Christmas presents for my parents. Anyone got anything modern or interesting that they've found super useful or cool? The best equivalent I can think of is the portable phone power bank. Doesn't have to be technology though, just a useful or interesting gift. Budget max $200 per item.
Thanks
Might be a bit over the price range you had in mind but:
Google home
Google Mini
chromecast
raspberry pi
portable speakers
gopro
cheap drone or something remote like those bb8 thing and others
One of the cheaper fit fit bands
Oh hell no (to most, not all, of those), not unless OP wants to start moonlighting as IT support…
something xiaomi
When one gets older many things change, one of them is attitude towards technological gadgets. Experiences are becoming more enjoyable and are more appreciated. Depending on physical condition of your parents, location, and your budget, you may find something suitable here: https://www.adrenaline.com.au
How old are these parents?
Late fifties / sixty
What my parents (in-law) get for Christmas? Me fixing their backlog of tech issues. :eyeroll: Don't need to make it worse.
(Normally I try and get something that matches their hobbies/interest, e.g. cycling gear, books, fabric, golf stuff)
chicken nuggets
Cooked or uncooked? This is the most important consideration. Of course, there are other factors that come into play, such as do you prepare yourself or buy pre-made, even perhaps fried or baked. Is adding some form of condiment necessary, such as paprika, yada yada yada, no, most importantly it will always boil down to cooked or uncooked.
Lol no!
Massage chair/device
An itablet with a subscription to their favourite newspaper and some time to set up apps they might find useful. I have an iPad with a subscription to the age. I read the paper, do my cryptic crosswords. Then I have games, surf the web, etc. very useful.
A good idea, a lasting present.
Being older, they may prefer The Australian rather than The Age 😉
Depends on the person :). The guys before me were the hippy generation. They did things I certainly wouldn't consider doing.
Buy them an experience rather than a product. Consider either an active activity (e.g. dancing lessons or sky-diving) or passive activity (e.g. tickets to a musical show).
I knew a guy who was deciding what present to buy his wife and ended up buying her a bowling bowl even though she had never bowled in her life. When she complained about his gift, he hinted that he knew someone who would gladly take it off her hands (hint: himself!). To his surprise, she refused and told him she'd actually use it which prompted him to point out that the bowl wasn't even made for her hands (d'oh!). During her first attempt at bowling, she caught the eye of a local professional who began to give her lessons which almost turned out to be much more. Thankfully for the husband, his wife chose to visit him at work rather than engage in hanky-panky. As they were heading out of his workplace, a colleague asked what he should tell the boss. His famous reply was that he "tell the boss I'm going to the back seat of my car with the woman I love and I won't be back for ten minutes". This resulted in cheers from his colleagues. Good times.
Was this guy Homer Simpson? lol
Your reply now makes it impossible to fix "bowling bowl". Thanks a lot.
hahahaha! What is there to fix? You've never seen a bowl for bowling balls? :P
Don't old people like the meat trays and hampers that can be won at the local bingo?
all that fun to be had from the comfort of your own home yeah?
https://www.target.com.au/p/bingo/59870654?utm_term=59870654…
I was not expecting that. Point for originality
Cards against humanity?
Honestly not a bad option (depending on the parent) had a great night of CAH with my 60+ y/o parents! Good times.
The best presents reflect both the giver and the recipient, ideally: Something you're interested in (in this case, probably tech), but also something THEY would enjoy (which we have no idea).
Especially when it comes to tech, it really depends on the person, and in your case, their tech-literacy. Google Home as someone mentioned would be cool, but if they're not tech literate it's going to be an expensive paper weight.
Off the top of my head:
Generally: An iPad or iPad mini (or another cheaper tablet): Apple products are easier to use, and iPads I've found to be extremely versatile.
If they read: Kindle (paperwhite) - can pre-load their favourites for a personalized touch.
If they watch TV/movies: A set-top box and you could throw in a year's worth of Netflix or another subscription (again, shows thought).
If they're outdoors-y: Some kind of GPS/Emergency beacon/thingy. Can't think of any off the top of my head but could be literal lifesaver.
Movie voucher
Bunnings voucher
Dvd box set
Massage voucher (with or without a happy ending)
Some of these suggestions…..they are not geriatrics. I have adult kids and the gift that meant the most to me over the years was from one of my sons who doesn't drive spent considerable time buying me a loaf of bread from an artisan baker, my favourite coffee beans and some chocolate, a lot of thought and effort had gone into the gift and it made me feel special. Another gift they got me was a photo with Santa, silly I know, but I burst into tears, it meant the world to me that they did this for me, lining up probably with a heap of kids to get a photo with Santa for their mum because they knew I would love it. The point is your parents will love something that is includes you, perhaps a photograph framed, theatre or movies tickets for you all to go together. Something along those lines.
Congrats you have done a great job as a parent, as you know it's not easy raising kids. My only wish in life is that my young kids turn out like that.
What a lovely thing to say, thank you very much.
You're welcome. I totally agreed with everything you said and it made me realise that I too would be so happy if my kids did that for me.
Eneloops