Gifts for Grandparents Who Say They Need Nothing
Ask grandparents what they want and many will say they need nothing. Often that is true of things: the shelves are full, and some are clearing out a house rather than filling one. It is rarely true of a good cup of tea in the morning, a jar of honey, a tin of shortbread for when the grandchildren visit, or a letter from them. Gifts that get used up fit grandparents well, because they bring a little pleasure for a few weeks and leave nothing to dust.
This guide covers gifts for grandparents in four groups: tea and biscuits, breakfast jars, a notebook for recipes or letters, and the card the grandchildren make. Every price is a listed price, and the table below collects them.
Tea and biscuits
A breakfast tea, shortbread and a steeper
Mariage Frères, the Paris tea house, describes American Breakfast Tea as a rich, malty black tea with a hint of caramelized chocolate. It suggests steeping about 2.5 grams per 20 centiliters of water at 95°C for about five minutes, with a drop of cold milk if wanted (shop Mariage Frères American Breakfast Tea). Rustic Bakery's Vanilla shortbread is a buttery cookie flavored with Madagascar vanilla bean (shop Rustic Bakery Vanilla shortbread). A stainless steel steeper lets them brew one cup at a time without a teapot (shop the loose leaf tea steeper). Together: $50.00.
Earl Grey and an almond lemon cake
Mariage Frères Earl Grey French Blue pairs black tea with bergamot and cornflower petals, citrus led and floral, in a 100-gram canister (shop Mariage Frères Earl Grey French Blue). Biscuiterie de Provence, in the Drôme in southern France, makes an almond and lemon cake with almond flour and lemons from Menton, and describes it as gluten free (shop Biscuiterie de Provence Almond & Lemon Cake). Together: $49.50. The gifts for tea lovers guide sorts more teas by how people drink them.
Breakfast jar gifts
Orange blossom honey and mandarin marmalade
Bee Squared Apiaries is a Colorado beekeeper. Its Orange Blossom honey is medium bodied with a citrus flavor, and the beekeeper suggests it with fruit, chocolate and many teas (shop Bee Squared Orange Blossom honey). It comes in a 12-ounce squeeze bottle. Marchesi di San Giuliano makes its organic Sicilian mandarin marmalade by hand on its estate in Sicily, full of small pieces of peel and pulp, for toast or with baked apples (shop San Giuliano mandarin marmalade). Together: $31.50.
Clover honey and shortbread
For a smaller gift, Bee Squared's Clover honey is light and delicate with a cinnamon finish, and the beekeeper suggests it for baking (shop Bee Squared Clover honey). With the Rustic Bakery Vanilla shortbread: $18.50.
The CDC advises not to feed honey to a child younger than 1 year old. If a baby lives in the house or visits often, note it on the card.
A notebook for recipes or letters
A notebook gives grandparents something to fill rather than something to store. Ask them to write down the recipes the family asks for, one per page, and hand it back one day. Or keep it as a letter book: the grandchildren write a page each visit, and the grandparents answer on the next. LEUCHTTURM1917's Medium (A5) hardcover has 251 numbered pages, a blank table of contents, two page markers, a pocket in the back and an elastic band, and it is thread bound so it opens flat on a kitchen counter (shop the LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium notebook). With a Jaymes Paper "Joy & Peace" card, blank inside, made in Los Angeles (shop the Jaymes Paper Joy & Peace card): $29.50.
The card the grandchildren make
For many grandparents the card is the gift, and the food is what comes with it. A blank card lets the grandchildren make it their own, at any age:
- From a baby. A handprint or footprint in washable paint, with the date and the baby's age written by a parent.
- From small children. A drawing of the grandparents' house, or of a day spent together, signed in their own letters.
- From older children. Three things they remember about time with their grandparents, or a question they want answered on the next visit.
More card ideas are in the greeting card guide (browse greeting cards).
Gifts for grandparents by price
| Gift | What is in it | Listed price |
|---|---|---|
| Honey and shortbread | Bee Squared Clover honey, Rustic Bakery Vanilla shortbread | $18.50 |
| Notebook and card | LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium notebook, Jaymes Paper Joy & Peace card | $29.50 |
| Breakfast jars | Bee Squared Orange Blossom honey, San Giuliano mandarin marmalade | $31.50 |
| Earl Grey and cake | Mariage Frères Earl Grey French Blue, Biscuiterie de Provence Almond & Lemon Cake | $49.50 |
| Breakfast tea set | Mariage Frères American Breakfast Tea, Rustic Bakery Vanilla shortbread, tea steeper | $50.00 |
Prices follow the listed price on each product page. Products ship across the continental U.S. from theambrosianpantry.com.
A few things to check
- Diet. Ask a parent about sugar, gluten or caffeine before choosing. The maker describes the almond lemon cake as gluten free, and the shortbread label lists wheat and milk.
- Hands. Squeeze bottles and canisters with a lift-off lid are easier for stiff hands than tight screw tops.
- Size. Pick an amount they can finish by spring. One tin of tea and one jar is plenty.
Short answers
What do you get grandparents who say they need nothing? Something they use up, such as tea, honey or shortbread, with a card or letter from the grandchildren.
What is a good Christmas gift for grandparents from a baby? A card with the baby's handprint and the date, with a small food gift such as tea and shortbread.
What is a thoughtful gift for a grandmother who cooks? A notebook for her recipes, with a request to write down the dishes the family asks for.
What is a good stocking stuffer for grandparents? A jar of honey or a pack of shortbread, both under $12 at listed prices.
Grandparents rarely remember what was in the box. They remember the card, and who made it. For thank-you gifts beyond the family, the thank you gift basket ideas guide has more.
See also: journal gift ideas for her, from a ruled notebook for a diary to a sketchbook.
