It’s almost Mother’s Day! Don’t forget to give Grandma some love too. Here are all the best gifts for Grandma for any gift-giving situation.
I have extremely mixed emotions about Mother’s Day. One part of Mother’s Day that I don’t feel conflicted about is that the grandmas should get some love too. My mom lives over 1,000 miles away, so this often means we are celebrating from afar, but we at least like to get her a gift.
But gifts for Grandma can be a little bit tricky. Moms and grandmas are in very different life stages and have very different priorities, so they should get very different gifts. I can’t tell you how many times I consulted online Mother’s Day gift ideas looking for ideas for my mom and came up short. But that’s where this gift guide comes in. This post is focused solely on gifts for Grandma. I’m confident that you can find a perfect gift for the grandma in your life on this list.
Don’t feel like you can only use this list for Mother’s Day, either. This is an all-purpose list of gifts for Grandma that you can consult at any gift-giving occasion throughout the year!
Gifts for Grandma
Photos
By far, the most successful gifts I’ve gotten for the grandmas in my life have been photo gifts. They simply love having photos of their grandkids over just about every surface of their homes. Don’t fight this, exploit it for gift ideas!
Framed photos
You can keep a photo gift for Grandma as easy as just a simple printed picture of the kids (or your whole family) in a frame. Make your life easy by ordering your photo through Snapfish (to be printed at your local Walgreens) and picking up a great frame for a great price at T.J. Maxx or Marshall’s.
Calendar
One of my favorite gifts for Grandma is a wall calendar that’s been personalized with pictures of the grandkids. A photo calendar gives Grandma a glimpse of her sweet kiddos every day. This is especially important if she lives far away. You might also consider a photo calendar if Grandma has cognitive difficulties. Having a daily reminder of her people might help keep them front and center in her brain.
Digital frame
If Grandma is a little more tech savvy, or you just want to be able to share all the photos with her instead of just a handful, consider a digital picture frame as a gift for Grandma. I used to be super resistant to these digital frames. They looked janky and the interface to add photos to them was hard to use. Those days are gone, though. Now these frames look beautiful and the apps they use to update the pictures (and videos!) on the frame are much more user-friendly. The Aura Carver Mat 10” Frame is the cream of the crop, but it is a splurge!
Personalized items
If you have a Grandma in your life who takes care of printing and framing her own photos (looking at you, Marmi!) and you’ve already invested in a digital frame, you can still give Grandma a custom gift. If you’re interested in personalized gifts for Grandma, you can go one of two directions: personalize items with her name or birthstone or personalize items with the grandkids’ names or birthstones. There are a ton of options available for personalized gifts for Grandma, but here are some specific recommendations you might want to consider.
Jewelry
Grandmas love carrying a little piece of their grandkids with them wherever they go. What better way to do this than get Grandma a piece of jewelry with the names/initials or birthstones of all her grandkids on it? A subtle necklace that includes the birthstones of all her grandkids is a great choice. One piece of advice: wait until you and your siblings are finished with kids before buying because many of these jewelry pieces can’t be modified.
Pillow
Pretty much anything that reminds Grandma of her little ones makes a great gift. A gift I have given both to my mom and mother-in-law is a pillow with a simple cover that includes the names of all the grandkids. It’s simple and basic, so it should go with pretty much any décor.
Garden stones
If Grandma likes to garden, consider gifting her with a set of garden stones that are personalized with her grandkids’ names. She will be reminded of her sweet angels every time she goes out to prune or weed.
Comfort items
Who doesn’t want to be comfortable? I think this is especially true for the grandmas out there. Indulge her desire for comfort in her twilight years and consider these gifts for Grandma that maximize the cozy vibes.
Blanket
Odds are, Grandma is using the same blanket she’s had on her couch since 1991. It’s probably pretty threadbare by now. Use the next gift-giving opportunity to give Grandma an upgrade. I’ve had my eye on this cotton fisherman throw for a while (I’m using the same blanket I’ve had since 2005 on my couch, so I’m not doing much better). I think it would make the perfect gift for Grandma!
Slippers
What could be more comforting than a nice pair of slippers? Not much! Give Grandma the gift of warm and comfy feet by gifting her with a quality pair of slippers. I love my L.L. Bean pair. They are built to last and oh so comfy!
Hot beverages
If Grandma loves to drink warm beverages to find comfort, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate makes a great gift! And if your grandma is like the grandma in my life, you can add a bottle of butterscotch schnapps to your hot chocolate gift and get major brownie points!
Useful items
I am a self-professed lover of practical, useful gifts. If the grandma in your life has a similar love for all things practical, consider these useful gifts for grandma.
Skincare
Every woman appreciates some good skincare. I’ve found this to be especially true as I’ve gotten older. Help Grandma keep her skin looking and feeling its best by gifting her some skincare favorites. If you need some recommendations, here are some of my favorites.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps brighten your skin and gives your SPF a boost to add extra protection. There are lots of great Vitamin C products on the market, but my favorite is Timeless Skincare’s 20% Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum.
Night cream
The single biggest contributor to my skin being supple is my night cream. I swear by CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, but Eucerin’s Q10 Daily Face Cream is also fantastic if she would prefer something a bit lighter weight.
Cleansing balm
Grandma grew up in the era of Ponds, and we have come a long way since then. Cleansing balms these days are fantastic at gently removing makeup and water-resistant sunscreen as well as the general yuck of the day. I’ve been blown away by the Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm. The texture is dreamy, it has no fragrance, and it does a really good job.
Couch caddy
Make Grandma’s life a little bit easier by gifting her with a couch caddy. This genius little contraption hangs over the side of the couch and provides the perfect place for the remote, a drink, and even a book or magazine. It’s truly amazing how this little do dad has improved my quality of life, so I have no doubt it will positively impact Grandma’s life as well.
Gift card
No, it’s not rude to give Grandma a gift card, especially if it’s to a place she loves but wouldn’t go otherwise. Some great options for gift cards for grandmas include her local nail salon, her favorite restaurant, and the nicer department store near her (think Nordstrom, Von Maur, etc.).
Joyful items
It’s OK to get Grandma something that isn’t sentimental or practical too. Gifts that simply bring joy can be awesome gifts for Grandma!
Art
If the grandma in your life likes and appreciates art, there are tons of media that make great gifts. Prints of paintings, beautiful photographs, and cute pottery sculptures all make fantastic gifts.
Flowers
If Grandma loves flowers, give the woman flowers! Sure, you can go the traditional cut flowers route, but those will be dead in a week. I like floral gifts that last a bit longer. Consider gifting Grandma a flowering shrub instead (hydrangeas are my personal favorite). Heck, a flowering shrub in combination with some personalized grandkid garden stones makes a terrific gift!
Subscriptions
Grandma probably isn’t subscribing herself to anything that brings her joy, but that’s where you can come in. Give Grandma the gift of something that sparks joy showing up to her doorstep every once in a while. I love this, especially if you live far away from her because every time an item from her subscription shows up, she’ll think of you!
Some subscriptions that I think would make great gifts for Grandma are below!
Books
A book subscription is a fantastic gift. Book of the Month is the most well-known subscription service, and that have a three-month subscription option if you want to give it a try for a few months before you go all-in.
Music
If Grandma likes to listen to music, consider gifting her with a premium subscription to her favorite streaming service. Spotify Premium costs about $13/month to skip the ads. This can be a great little treat for Grandma!
Ice cream
Does Grandma have a sweet tooth? Consider enrolling her in Jeni’s Pint Club, which delivers pints of gourmet ice cream to her doorstep. I mean, who wouldn’t get joy out of ice cream showing up to their house?
Hobby gifts
Grandma probably has a hobby she’s been cultivating for decades (and if she doesn’t, it’s time to find her one!). Show her that you care about what she cares about and gift her with something to help keep her hobby going!
Sports
If Grandma is an active lady who likes to play sports, help her stay moving! If she plays golf, she probably needs a new golf glove at the very least. They get stinky! Is pickleball more her thing? Grab her a pack of rainbow pickleballs!
Art supplies
Is Grandma more of an artist? Load her up with art supplies! Paints, pastels, drawing paper, an adult coloring book, markers – whatever she uses is a great gift. Make it easy for Grandma to do her art on the go with an all-in-one travel sketch kit. I don’t even draw and this looks like a fun gift to me!
Thread arts
My dad’s mom loved to do needlepoint and cross-stitch, so when I think of grandma hobbies, this is what immediately comes to my mind. If the grandma in your life is like my grandma, I’m sure she will love supplies to help her continue her needlepoint hobby. A variety of threads or a beautiful pattern are great gift ideas!
Experiences
I’ve really been on the experience gift train lately. We’ve done experience gifts for birthdays, Christmas, our anniversary, and Father’s Day recently. There is no reason that experience gifts won’t work for Grandma. She would love to spend time with you, I promise!
Meal
Don’t overlook a simple meal with Grandma. You can take her out to a nice meal, sure, but simply inviting her over for dinner can be just as impactful.
Visit
If you don’t get to see Grandma very often, a visit to see her can be the greatest gift she could receive. We all lead busy lives, of course, so taking some of your precious time and dedicating it to spending it with your grandma will make her month!
Vacation
Is Grandma adventurous? Send her on a vacation! Of course you can pay for her to go on vacation with Grandpa or with a friend, but you can also invite her along on a vacation with your family too. She’d love to get that quality time with her grandkids in a new place, sharing new experiences!
Other posts
Looking for more Mother’s Day inspiration? I’ve got more where this comes from!
I hope this post gave you some great ideas for gifts for Grandma this year. What else would you add to this list? Share down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason.