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Gifts for older family and friends 2024

Here’s our annual round-up of ideas for festive gifts for our older family and friends. We try to find slightly different Christmas gifts to suit the wide range of people this covers, from the active newly retired to the more senior and less mobile. While we suggest over 60s, our Christmas gift list could suit any adult of any age.

Some of these we’ve tried out as review samples. Some are ideas that have been suggested to us. And some are gifts that I’ve received and am sharing because they worked well.

Start with a card

We may be forgiven for thinking the age of sending Christmas cards is over – especially when we factor in the cost of postage. But according to research by the card company Moonpig more than 4 in 5 over 65s like to receive greetings cards from loved ones, and three-quarters of 55-64 year olds have kept a greetings card for more than 10 years. That includes me, to be honest, as I’ve kept all the birthday and Mother’s Day cards that my children have ever given me.

With that in mind, Christmas is a great opportunity to share the giving as widely as possible. Many charities and association/collectives offer cards, wrapping paper and a wide range of gifts. This year we’ve taken a special interest in the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists selection of goodies. MFPA works with disabled artists to publish their amazing designs on cards, wrapping paper, calendars and puzzles. The artists receive profit from the sales enabling to maintain a sustainable and independent living. We received the diary and a selection of cards for a closer look and thought they would work very well.

In the garden

This weekend a break in the rain finally gave me the opportunity to plant some bulbs. I’m not the greatest at getting the depth right, which means that the narcissi and tulips won’t necessarily flower in the spring. So the Capability Trowel that Kent & Stowe provided for review that includes a magic 10cm marker on the trowel itself was a real help. It’s one of several gift ideas in this season’s catalogue. Available from many good garden centres, or online at Marshalls Garden. The RRP is £14.99.

Here’s a tool I treated myself to this year. Extolling its virtues to all and sundry, I discovered that it can already be found in many a shed. But for me and my weed-strewn garden, it’s a revelation. The Fiskars Xact Weed Puller lets you get to the root of unwanted plants like dandelions, thistles and creeping buttercup (all to be found in my lawn) with scarcely a bend of the back. Push down on the claws using a foot, pull up, and there is the weed. Similar products are made by the likes of Spear & Jackson.

In the kitchen

Something special in the foodie world can be a great gift, especially if the taste matches up to attractive packaging. We received a selection of bottled Opie Fruits in Alcohol to try out.

  • Baby Pears with LuxardoAmaretto 460g £6.99
  • Black Cherries with Luxardo Kirch460 g £6.99
  • Peaches with Luxardo12-Year-Old Brandy 460g £6.99

You could eat these as they are, but Opies suggest using them as a larder ingredient for some delicious sounding desserts and cocktails. Each pack includes a suggested recipe, and you can find more on the web site, suitable for most dietary needs.  I tried the Flourless Chocolate Torte with Baby Pear & Amaretto Cream. My first attempt sank badly in the middle but tasted gorgeous. The fruits can be bought at specialty shops or online.

The National Garden Scheme is offering an exclusive Emma Bridgewater Honeysuckle range designed to celebrate its Gold Medal winning garden at RHS Chelsea this year. All profits support the work of the National Garden Scheme – which in turn supports some of the UK’s leading nursing and health charities including Macmillan, Marie Curie, Parkinsons UK, Hospice UK, Carers UK and The Queens Nursing Institute. We’ve not seen these products ourselves, but Emma Bridgewater is a very popular design.

There seems to have been a huge interest in Mozart in UK arts programming recently, and I have been amazed at how little I knew about this prodigy. So if you’ve got a Mozart fan on your shopping list, who also happens to like chocolate liquor, you could take a look at the Austrian chocolate liquor, Mozart. Flavours include Chocolate Cream, White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Coffee. We’ve not tested it, but the company suggests serving Mozart neat on-ice, in a boozy hot chocolate, or in a Mozart Choctail. Priced under £20 and available to buy online.

Out and about

My family have realised that none of us need more ‘stuff’, so we’ve all moved successfully on to experiences. Last year I received theatre tickets for shows that my children knew we would like. One son also gave me a season ticket for the very comfortable Everyman Cinema chain. Good value, especially as if we booked for a Monday we got a second ticket free of charge – so an afternoon out with no added costs, except parking and a cup of tea. (Although trying to find films to watch this year has made me realise just how few feel-good movies there are nowadays.)

I’ve also just really enjoyed an experience that was on my wish list and promised by my OH just before Covid hit. I have finally spent an hour on a one-to-one with birds of prey in the very knowledgeable company of Surrey Hills Falconry. Just stay calm and wear wellies.

Holiday reads

A lightweight is a good choice for consumption in the dark days after the festivities have ended or to take on holiday. We’ve taken a look at three paperback books that could make a handy stocking filler.

Murder at the Matinee. The second in the murder mystery series by long-time theatre backstage stalwart Jamie West, finds his murder mystery playwright hero trying to solve an impossible murder. The book is set around the ‘lost’ Gaiety theatre in 1930s London, and does include LGBTQ+ themes of the time.

Kitchen Therapy. A cookery book and ‘psychotherary adventure’ in one. The book explore not just physical nutrition but also the pshychological, social and spiritual dimensions that food holds for us. It’s a book that’s intended for any interested in applying create, inclusive self-development. Author Charlotte Hastings has worked in the caring professions for 30 years.

Birth of the Tiptons. Family sagas are very popular at the moment, and the Tipton books fit into this category of stories. In this first episode we meet the Tipton twins, growing up in the Black Country during the industrial revolution, with an unusual parentage that shapes their destinies.

At home

Do the cold dark months get your loved one down? I’ve had a SAD lamp for a few years and I do think it makes a difference. SAD stands for seasonal affective disorder, which tends to make people feel particularly low when there’s not enough sunlight. A SAD lamp, also known as a therapy lamp, attempts to address that imbalance with a brighter light. It’s so bright that positioning needs a little work, especially if you’re sharing a room with someone who actually enjoys sitting in the dark. Yes, I speak from experience. But which lamp to choose?  I bought one for a birthday gift recently and found the choices overwhelming. Looks for a shape that you like, portability perhaps, price – and reviews like the recent list in the Independent newspaper or Good Housekeeping. Plenty of choice on Amazon.

We’ve not used diffusers before, but this year we tried the Peony & Rhubarb diffuser (£14) gifted to us  by the Copenhagen Company, which specialises in candles and diffusers. It’s a very gentle scent, especially compared to the sometimes overwhelming blasts delivered by aerosols. It looks attractive on the shelf too.

Postscript

Not a direct gift, but still in the spirit of giving, you may like to make a donation to Age UK’s Christmas campaign. Last year the charity found that nearly 1.4 million older people felt more isolated at Christmas than any other time, and a similar number said they would be eating dinner alone. The causes of loneliness at this time of year can be many and varied, including bereavement and mobility issues. If you’d like to help fund Age UK’s vital services, such as Telephone Friendship Service, to help make the ‘hardest day’ a little less hard, you can donate to the campaign online.

You may also find helpful ideas in 

Kestrel image photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash

Header image photo by freestocks on Unsplash

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