My inlaws have everything, and then some. They don't need anymore trinkets or pots and pans or clothes or anything.
I am considering giving them money for Christmas. I've been looking online for creative ways to give money and have found a few cute ideas.

If you are a parent of grown children, would you think it's tacky/lazy/a bad idea for them to give you $ for Christmas? Would you be offended?

We are thinking of $50 for each of them, so $100 combined.

We make about twice as much as they do, but they own everything they have including their house.

Would you prefer a gift card instead? Or would you actually like something like a new pair of pj's, a new dvd, etc. Maybe that would be more fun?

I'm completely at a loss, as I am every year with them.

By Breann on Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 04:15 pm:

I forgot to put something with my statement "We make about twice as much as they do, but they own everything they have including their house."

I don't want them to feel like we are "helping them out" or think that we feel they need money or something. They don't!

By Vicki on Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 04:19 pm:

Personally, I would rather have a gift card than cash. Even if it is to a mall or something like that. I am not a huge fan of just giving money, but that is just me. I like taking the time to pick out something special for someone. Even if it is a gift card, you at least can pick it out to their favorite restaurant or book store or mall etc. It is a lest a little more personal than just cash.

Then again, that is just my opinion and it doesn't mean much. LOL

By Sunny on Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 04:41 pm:

If you're looking to spend about $100 combined, how about instead giving them a gift certificate to a restaurant? Or, a gift certificate to a dinner theater or a play (or comedy club, sporting event, etc.)? Or something like a photo calendar that is personalized?

I generally like money, but I tend to only give it at Christmastime if I know the person could use it (like my college-aged son) or if it is a teenager who is incredibly hard to buy for! LOL

By Karen~admin on Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 05:06 pm:

I'd give a gift card, preferably to a restaurant, or tickets to something they might enjoy.

By Amecmom on Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 05:46 pm:

We give our inlaws cash or a gift card every Christmas. This way they can get what they would like, rather than having to exchange a gift, etc. It works for us.
Ame

By Kaye on Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 05:54 pm:

My inlaws (one side) have money issues. So we do give them cash on occasion. But mostly what we do are gc things. Like a dinner and a movie thing, or a blockbuster basket, one year I mad e achristmas tree shape out of book pockets and then put a different gs in each one, with a little pull tab. We have done gas cards, places to eat, fast food and sit down, and things like home depot. I guess I like to feel like I put more thought into than just cash.

We also do personalized photo stuff, make a scrapbook or a calendar, you could do a gc for each month, like in january you could do block buster and a note about staying home and warm, feb you could do the grocery store and say something about buying flowers and chocolate, march a mall card and something about spending green to buy green.

By Breann on Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 06:37 pm:

So it seems like a gift card would be the better way to go then.
Kaye, I like the idea of a gc for each month. That is cute.

By Breann on Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 06:39 pm:

Or maybe even a gc for each season, that way they can be for more $.

By Dawnk777 on Friday, November 21, 2008 - 12:22 am:

My parents had suggested that we donate money to the Heifer Project, for them, for Christmas. It helps a needy family and my parents don't get something they don't really need.

Heifer Project

I haven't talked to my sisters about it, though, but it seemed like a great idea to me.

By Bellajoe on Friday, November 21, 2008 - 08:13 am:

My mom has everything and does not need any more trinkets so a few years ago I got her some Omaha Steaks and she loved it. They are so delicious!

By Reds9298 on Friday, November 21, 2008 - 09:23 am:

Ditto on the gift cards! One year, I gave my grandparents $ for Xmas, to go out to eat. They live in po dunk out of my state, so there weren't any chains, etc. I knew they liked to go out to eat at the little local places, but they were on a fixed retirement income. It worked out fine, but it was a little weird for them I think. I wouldn't do it again. At the time it seemed like something nice to do for them, but I felt weird about it afterward.

By Colette on Friday, November 21, 2008 - 09:44 am:

My dad and his wife have everything they need/want. So we typically do either a gift card to a restaurant or make up an invitation to have dinner with us at a special restaurant.

By Breann on Friday, November 21, 2008 - 12:38 pm:

I have thought about donating to a charity in their name, but they aren't charitable at all, unfortunately. I don't think they would understand the significance of the gift.

By Kate on Friday, November 21, 2008 - 01:06 pm:

If they have everything they need I definitely wouldn't give them money.

How about pictures of the grandchildren? Put together a photo album for them? Buy one of those digital frames and load a lot of photos on those? Write up a book of memories you have of them and times spent together?

Sounds like the last thing they need is money, sorry!

By Enchens on Friday, November 21, 2008 - 03:08 pm:

I have to agree with the ladies here and say go gift cards versus actual cash. The dinner and theater show idea sounds neat.

By Nelda on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - 11:05 pm:

Regardless if it's a GC or cash in an envelope, I'd much rather that than to get a gift that I'd have to "pretend" to be excited over!

By Pamt on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - 11:36 pm:

You know, as I have gotten older (and maybe a teeny bit wiser?) I have gotten over giving gifts of obligation. I put A LOT of thought in the gifts I give and I don't worry about evening out the expense between people. Is there a special photograph of the kids they would like? Maybe you could write a long letter full of favorite memories? Maybe a one night reservation at the hotel where they spent their honeymoon? Here are some ideas from gifts we have given our parents:
*doing a chore/task around the house
*we gave our inlaws a token gift certificate to a nursery, a large plant, a landscape plan for their backyard, and one day's labor
*my mom and I spent the day with me teaching her how to decorate cakes and we hung out in the kitchen baking and decorating all day
*I've taken each of my parents out one-on-one for a meal as a gift for us to just spend time with each other.
*And I have done charitable gifts through samaritanspurse.com. My mom is teacher and my dad a pharmacist. I bought school supplies in third world countries for my mom and AIDS meds in Africa for my dad.