Gift ideas

Gifts for grandparents who have everything

Grandparents who have everything usually do. Forty years of birthdays will do that. Ask what they want and you'll hear "just come see us."

Take that literally. The best gifts here put more of the family in front of them: photos that keep showing up, stories that finally get written down, a call that's already on the calendar.

And a couple of very good slippers, because they've earned them.

Nobody paid to be on this list. The Kindle link is an Amazon affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The other links don't pay us anything. Prices were checked in October 2026 and change often, especially around the holidays.

Under $50

  1. Chatbooks Classic Photo Book

    from $26

    Pull up to 60 photos off your phone and a softcover book shows up in the mail, shipping included. Put the grandkids in most of the pictures. It'll get shown to every visitor for a year.

  2. Harry & David The Favorite Royal Riviera Pears

    $39.99

    People who have everything still eat. Seven to nine big pears in a five-pound box, and they're usually gone before anyone thinks to share them.

  3. Piecework Puzzles Tinseltown jigsaw

    $40

    A puzzle covered in sparkling ornaments and holiday trimmings, made for the kitchen table in December. Leave it out when the family visits and everybody drops in a few pieces.

  4. A standing weekly call

    free

    Pick a time, say Sunday at 4, and put it on both calendars. The grandkids call, every week, no reminders needed. It costs nothing, and it's the one they'll look forward to all week.

$50 and up

  1. Storyworth

    plans start around $60

    Every week for a year, they get one question by email, like "How did you two meet?" Their answers get bound into a hardcover book. For grandparents, it becomes the family history nobody else wrote down.

  2. L.L.Bean Wicked Good Moccasins

    $99.95

    Lined with shearling and built on a sole tough enough for the walk to the mailbox. The kind of slippers people wear every single day until the next pair.

  3. Aura Carver 10" digital photo frame

    $149

    Set it up before you wrap it. After that, the whole family can send photos to it from their phones, and they show up on the frame at Grandma's house. There's no monthly fee.

  4. Kindle Paperwhite

    A glare-free 7-inch screen where the text can be made as big as they like. For the reader whose paperbacks keep getting harder to see.

Help Grandma make a list

Grandparents get asked what they want more than anyone, and they almost never say. Sit down with them for ten minutes and build a WishSumo list together, then share the link with the family. People call dibs on what they're buying, so nobody doubles up, and Grandma still gets surprised.

Make your free list