Your parents have everything and want nothing. Helpful! Don’t sweat it, we’ve come up with some really fun and unique ideas they’ll actually appreciate and use! Imagine?
Whether it’s their birthday, their upcoming anniversary, or a major holiday – it’s time to figure out exactly what you should gift your parents this season. So don’t stress! We’re here to help.
So what do you really get the people who raised you (or at least tried to)? And what do you really get your parents who already have everything? Great questions. I mean, we’re at a loss, but we’ve rounded up some really fun and unique ideas that any parent would want and will possibly even share with you (or just borrow it behind their back).
Besides figuring out what to get them, we’re usually at a loss on how much we should be spending. Experts claim that most people are spending anywhere between $70 – $100, depending on the closeness of the relationship. We, on the other hand, think that the dollar amount doesn’t matter and you should do what you’re able to do.
If you’re a bit on a budget (we hear you!), the answer is simple – something that comes from the heart. A heartfelt gift shows that you truly care about them and everything they have done for you (and it really is a lot).
There are many ways to show your parents how much you love and appreciate them. You can write them a heartfelt letter, cook their favorite meal, or even just spend some quality time with them. But sometimes, it can be tough to find the perfect way to show your parents how much they mean to you.
If you want to get creative here are some of the most popular ideas that show your love and appreciation and doesn’t have to break the bank.
1. The Customized Photo Album
A customized photo album is a great way to show your parents how much you love and appreciate them. Fill the album with photos of all your favorite memories together. You can even add personal captions to each photo to make the album extra special.
2. The Handmade Card
A handmade card is a simple, yet thoughtful gift for your parents (here’s a video on how to make your own). Take some time to write down all the things you love and appreciate about them. They’re sure to cherish a card that comes straight from the heart. This is always a great idea for the little ones…with a little help from you, of course.
3. The Personalized Mug or Ornament
Personalized gifts are always appreciated. Get a mug or ornament that can be customized with your parent’s names and a special message. This way, they’ll think of you every time they use it. If you have Bitmoji’s downloaded on your phone you can even make a mug or Christmas ornament for them with your funny face on them!
4. The Gift Card to Their Favorite Restaurant
Is your mom always raving about the lasagna at her favorite Italian restaurant? Or does your dad love getting steak at his favorite steakhouse? Get them a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant so they can enjoy a nice meal on you. The best part? You get to decide exactly how much you spend and at least you know they’ll use it.
5. The Ultimate Spa Day
Treat your parents to a relaxing spa day. They’ll appreciate being able to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a little while. Plus, they’ll love being pampered with massages, facials, and more.
6. The Experience Gift
An experiential gift is one that can be enjoyed together. It could be tickets to a concert, a play, or their favorite sporting event. Or, it could be a voucher for a hot air balloon ride, zip lining, or another fun activity. There are plenty of ways to get creative and we have some specific ideas below.
7. The Customized Family Recipe Book
Is your mom always asking for your grandma’s famous chili recipe? Put together a family recipe book with all of your favorite recipes. (Here’s an example of how you can create and organize one on your own). You can even add personal notes and stories alongside each recipe.
Gifting doesn’t have to be complicated – sometimes, the simplest gifts are the best. But if you’re looking for something that you can quickly pick-up online and have delivered right to them (or to you), check out some of the best parent gift ideas whether they’re younger parents, older folks, working, retired – you name it!
The Best Parent Gift This Season
1. The Customized Photo Heart Framed Wall Art
Minted
You’ll be able to quickly and easily personalize and customize this really pretty framed print by uploading your own special photos right to Minted and it’ll create your custom heart-shaped print. A great choice for your parents to stroll down memory lane every time they pass it! Plus, choose the kind of frame you want (or choose no frame at all). This is one of their best-sellers of the year.
Best for Showing Gratitude
2. The “Thanks” Scented Candle
Homesick Candles
The Homesick candle company was founded in 2013 by two sisters who were homesick for their childhood home. The candles quickly became popular, and today the company offers a wide variety of candles that represent different places all over the world and even more recently, emotion and memory candles. Because sometimes a simple “thanks” is all your parents need! This popular candle is hand-poured, will burn up to 80-hours, and has amazing scents of calming cucumber and zesty fresh lemon.
Best for the Forgetful (Like Us!)
3. The Apple Air-Tag
Apple
New from Apple, their super helpful Air Tags will easily help them find things they may misplace like their keys, bags, remote control, wallet – you name it. They can use their phone or tablet to specify where their lost item is or even as Siri to do the work for them.
Air Tag is small and light, so it can be easily attached to keys, wallets, bags, or other items. It has a built-in speaker that emits a sound when it is within range of an iOS device running the Find My app. The sound gets louder as the iOS device gets closer to the Air Tag, making it easy to find lost items. Air Tags can also be placed into Lost Mode, which will send out a notification to nearby iOS devices running the Find My app.
Best for Customization
4. The ‘My Life Story…So Far’ Customized Book
UncommonGoods
What a great way for someone to detail out some of the most important parts of their life? This linen bound book as 106 pages and even allows for you to mount some of your most prized photos. Your parents will enjoy strolling down memory-lane, filling out the questions and telling their story that will last a lifetime and can be passed down generation after generation.
Best for Long Distance Parents
5. The Long Distance ‘Thinking of You’ Touch Lamps
Filimin
They’ll love how every time you’re thinking of them (or they’re thinking of you) when someone touches their lamp the other person’s lamp lights up, no matter where in the world they are. This lamp allows you to send a message of light to your loved ones, no matter where they are in the world and can have special meaning for many people, as it can be used to represent your friendship, love, care for others, and more. This one’s also a popular gift pick for your friends too! So cute.
Best for the Pizza Parents
6. The Ooni Pizza Oven
Ooni
If they love pizza (and who doesn’t?!) they’ll love this top selling outdoor pizza oven from Ooni. The “Fyra” wood pellet pizza oven can cook your own pizza in just 60 seconds. It’s portable – weighing in at only 22 lbs – and heats up to 950-degrees in less than 15 minutes. Get ready for some of the best pizza they’ve ever had.
Best for Coffee Lovers
7. The Mama Bear/Papa Bear Coffee Mugs
Amazon
Because it’s really coffee that’s keeping them together (or at least keeping them from killing each other). So, why not get them matching “Mama” bear and “Papa” bear mugs. They’ll hold 13 ounces of liquid, are made of ceramic, and are microwave and dishwasher safe.
Best for Experience Gifts
8. The Tinggly “Fun Together” Gift Card
Tinggly
One of our new favorites of the year, this Fun Together package from Tinggly allows them to choose from over 200 different amazing experiences in over 100 different countries. So whether they’re planning a trip (they can bring this along) or are staying closer to home they can enjoy some fun together.
Best for the Online Learner
9. The Online Masterclass Gift Subscription
Masterclass
This idea is so cool. Now they can take an online ‘Master Class’ with an actual expert/celebrity! Even better, you can quickly and easily gift them this! They’ll get to choose from over 80 different classes (and experts) based on their interests. Check out a cooking course from Gordon Ramsay, James Patterson teaches writing, Steve Martin teaches comedy, and so much more.
Best for Puzzle Making Parents
10. The Michael Storrings 1000 Piece Puzzle
Galison
Due to recent world “issues” puzzles are more popular than ever before! It’s a great way to destress, keep your mind sharp, and get off your devices for a bit! This 1,000-piece puzzle of London is challenging, yet super fun to do.
Best for Retro Music Lovers
11. The Crosley Radio Bluetooth Turntable Record Player
Crosley
Seriously, how cool is this record player!? It’s updated with a modern twist…bluetooth, so they can also play their favorite digital songs on this one too. All those old records they have stored in the basement can now be played again! We love this one in tweed, but it also comes in a bunch of other colors like black, blue, orange, red, pink, and more. See all color options here!
Best for Personalization
12. The Custom Star Map
DreamTree Prints
How amazing is this?! Enter in an important date to them (like their anniversary) and you’ll receive an astronomer view of exactly what the stars in the sky looked like that night. You can even have their names added to it. So cool!
Best for Family History Seekers
13. The New Ancestry DNA ‘At Home’ Kit
Ancestry
Not only can you learn more about where you’re from, but now you can also learn about where your ancestors moved to, what their journey was, and how you fit in to that today! There’s now even an app that goes along with it. Plus, they’re having some great deals on different kits right now.
Best for Sweet Tooth Fans
The Magnolia Bakery Cupcake Set
Magnolia Bakery
Now they can get the most famous cupcakes from NYC delivered right to their door from the geniuses at Goldbelly. If sweets aren’t there thing, you can even choose from some of the most famous restaurants in the US and Goldbelly will safely and carefully deliver it. Check out things like lobster rolls from Maine, BBQ ribs from Texas, bagels from NYC, and so much more.
Best for Germ Freaks
15. The PhoneSoap Smartphone Sanitizer
PhoneSoap
If there was ever a time to help keep all of your stuff (especially your phone) germ-free, well, now is the time! The latest from Phonesoap, this phone sanitizer will help get rid of more than 99% of all bacteria using a safe UV light. It’ll clean just about any size phone and you can even clean other things like your keys, credit cards, and more.
Best for Dog Parents
16. The Personalized Dog Parent Mugs
Uncommon Goods
We couldn’t forget about all the dog parents out there! These super cute customizable coffee mugs make the perfect present for them and their favorite pal.
Best for the Tea Sippers
17. The “Tea By Mood” Gift Set
Numi Organic
If they love their tea they’ll love the variety of this really innovative set that allows them to choose their tea by the mood they’re in that day or the mood they’d like to be in. It comes with 40 teas and includes focuses like: energize, sleep, balance, inspiration, and more.
Best for the Bucket List Folks
18. The ‘100 Things to Do’ Scratch Off Poster
Uncommon Goods
This is like a bucket list they’ll want to hang up and tackle immediately! There are 100 really cool things for them to do and each time they complete one, they’ll scratch it off. #LifeGoals
Best for Flower Fans
19. The Bouqs Flower Delivery
Bouqs Company
Sending them some of the most beautiful flowers ever will definitely put a smile on their face whenever they get delivered and, plus, you’ll totally lock in that you’re their favorite child. From the super popular Bouqs Company, you can even upgrade to double or triple sized flowers for a super small fee.
Best for the Smart Parent
20. The Amazon Smart Plug
Amazon
It’s not only already one of the best-sellers of the year and a total must-have tech gift this season, but it’s super easy to use too! Now you can easily turn any room in your house to a smart home. Plug it in and use voice controls to say things like “Turn on the lights” or “Turn off the TV” and so much more.
Best for Positive Messaging
21. The “You Are Loved” or “You Are Enough” Tee
Amazon
Simply stated, but a totally needed reminder that they really are loved and enough. This super comfy tee comes in a variety of colors and styles for both men and women. Color options include navy blue, light yellow, light blue, black, light pink, heather grey, and more!
Best for Taking it Easy
22. The Best-Selling Essential Oil Diffuser
InnoGear
This cool mist humidifier with essential oils with put your favorite parent in a totally calm and zen mood, so it’s perfect for them to turn on before your visit! On Amazon this currently has a 4.5 out of 5 star rating.
More Genius Ideas:
Gifts For Her This Season She’ll Love
Amazing and Thoughtful Grandparents Gift Ideas
Super Fun & Age Appropriate Toys For Everyone
Best for the Magical Parent
23. Hers-and-His Inspired T-Shirts:
Mom’s are Magical (Unicorn)
Amazon
24. The Papa Bear Tee for Dad
Amazon
It’s a t-shirt for both of them. The first is for mom and says “Moms are Magical” with a super cute unicorn on it. It comes in a bunch of color options too like pink, grey, light blue and more. There’s also the t-shirt for dad that says “Papa Bear” in it with a cool bear. This one comes in a bunch of colors too. Get one for each of them!
Best for Loving Reminders
25. The Lovebox Spinning Heart Messenger Box
Uncommon Goods
Now this is the coolest thing ever! All you do is simply gift someone this small ‘lovebox’ and whenever you use the app to send them a message the heart on the box will spin (alerting them that there’s a new message) and all they have to do is open the box to see the message you’ve just sent them! It’s the perfect way to let that special someone know you’ve been thinking of them. It’s like a new take on that famous ‘long distance touch lamp‘ that basically broke the internet last year!
Best for the Grateful Folks
26. Oprah’s ‘The Wisdom of Sundays: Life Changing Insights’
Oprah Winfrey
The perfect gift for anyone who needs a little “pick-me-up” from time to time. It provides short nuggets of insight and inspiration from Oprah and her friends on Super Soul Sunday. Every time they read a passage, they’ll think of you.
Best for Movie Night
27. The Original Microwave Popcorn Popper
Ecolution
A great way for them to make fresh popcorn at home without having to drag out that old clanky machine and pour in a ton of oil. This popular pick allows you to simply pour in the kernels and toss it in the microwave. There’s even a slot on the top to place a pad of butter so that it evenly melts right in.
Best for the Clean Freaks
28. The Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum
iRobot
Well they certainly don’t want to spend their time having to vacuum all those empty rooms in their house (ever since you left!). This magical robot vac can go for 90 minutes without needing to be charged again, grab the smallest of dirt particles (hello dust) and larger stuff (hello dropped cereal) and everything in between. Plus, it works on both hardwood floors and carpeting. They can even connect it to their WiFi and use it via their smartphone app. Sold!
Best for the Binge Watchers
29. The Amazon Fire TV Stick Streaming Media Player
Amazon
Now they can binge-watch all the shows they’re obsessing over. This one now has Alexa voice remote and over 10,000 channels, 500,000 movies and more.
Best for the Indoor Gardener
30. The AeroGarden Harvest Elite 360 Home Garden
AeroGarden
Now they can grow their garden all year round right in the comfort of their own home! They can grow herbs, vegetables, flowers, and more. Plus, you can grow up to 6 plants all at the same time. Oh, and did we mention it’ll tell you when it needs water or nutrients? How easy, delicious, and just plain old awesome.
Best for the Anxious Folks
31. The Weighted Blanket
YnM
Weighted blankets are where it’s at this year! And this is mainly because they actually work. Their claim to fame is how they may help reduce minor anxiety, may help you sleep better, and basically just chill the heck out! Choose from all different weights, colors, and styles.
PERFECT PRESENTS FOR YOUR PARENTS ON SALE
Sticking with the concept of trying to find ways to save, we’ve curated a list of some really fun presents that both of your parents will enjoy and are currently on sale – which is always helpful.
PATRICK VARONE – Editor in Chief / Product Editor
Patrick has been covering all the hottest must-have products for more than 10 years at IBBB. His main focus is toys, tech, gifting, and men’s fashion & style. He’s previously written for publishers like Harper’s BAZAAR, Cosmopolitan, and Esquire.
More Gift Ideas:
Popular Presents For Him This Season
Here’s What Your Crazy Tweens & Teen Girls Want For Christmas
Some Ideas for Kids Gifts of All Ages
Funny White Elephant Gift Ideas For Your Party
The Best Teen Guy Approved Gifts This Year