Top 10 Gift Ideas for Senior Citizens (Especially the Homebound)

Some Great, Inexpensive Ideas that Seniors Will Love!

The holidays are essential to me for emotional well-being! I am fortunate to have a A+ husband of 20 years with whom I share 4 amazingly wonderful children and acres of lovely memories. 

1. Most folks share this delight in the holidays, only their loved ones are deceased or far away. So Christmas for them is a series of lovely cards and maybe some local carolers. And to make matters worse, mother nature has added some issues of her own. 

So here is my 'top 10' for those the elderly, especially those who are confined or restricted in some way. 

1. a personal visit: the most beautiful gift in the world cannot replace time spent with someone. I know it's means time and hassle. If you feel you can't afford the cost, consider this. Take whatever money you would spend on a gift and put it toward a day or a few hours off from work if necessary for travel. 

2. a phone call or phone card for them to call you 

3. a home VHS. Have each family member talk into the camcorder about what is going on with them. Children love to 
demonstrate things they have made, or a new thing they can do ( ride a bike, tie a shoe, etc). Teenagers can be taped playing their sport or instrument, reading some things they have written or showing how they redecorated their room! Have everyone speak very clearly. Talk to your loved just as you would if they were with you. 

4. a photo collage of the family members in a scrapbook. Your family member can be part of your activities this way! Don't choose just the posed ones, but the silly informal ones! Use word balloons! Or you can have your children decorate a picture frame with fabric paint or decoupage* on a rainy day. Send these with school pictures in them. 

5. a polar fleece blanket: Senior citizens tend to take a chill more easily. Many organizations are collecting hand knitted or crocheted blanket squares from the community and assembling them into blankets. I applaud that effort, but I prefer polar fleece for several reasons: 

A. very soft and warm and no holes 

B. easy to work with you can simply cut or fringe it with scissors; no hemming needed