Gifts are great ways to express your appreciation for someone, whether they are part of your family, a friend, or an acquaintance. They can brighten up someone’s day when done right. Often, the best gifts are those with the most thought put into them over presents that hold only monetary value.
Typically, how much someone appreciates their gift depends on how much thought and genuine care you put into choosing the gift at all. In this article, we will give you some ideas for when you are looking for a gift for an older woman.
Best Gifts For Older Women
There are many categories to choose from when you want to gift someone. The ideal gift might be something that relates to an interest the person has, something they enjoy, or even an experience they have not been able to have before. The number of options can be overwhelming! To help you choose, here are a few categories of gifts to choose from when an older woman is the recipient of your gift:
- Something you’ve heard them mention before: Think about your loved one’s hobbies and passions. Interests can be gardening, a sport, cooking, painting, all of which make great themed gifts. They may also have a particular interest in a movie or show, another great idea for a themed gift.
- Gifts that benefit a certain disability or health ailment: Depending on how old your loved one is, this could be a good chance to find them a product that improves their freedom and independence. Many products like mobility scooters or medical alert watches can significantly improve an older woman’s quality of life.
- Digital Gifts: New technology doesn’t just need to be for young people. In fact, there are digital gifts that are designed specifically for the use of older people. You can, for example, consider subscribing to a delivery service that delivers items regularly to the person you are gifting! They can be meal deliveries, grocery deliveries, beauty product deliveries, etc. Delivery services can be quite niche too, so you may be able to find a delivery service for art supplies, candy, or other quirky things that the older woman might enjoy receiving regularly. That would be the gift that keeps on giving!
- Cosmetic and Personal Spa gifts: Everyone likes to feel pampered sometimes. Buying a set of good quality skincare, perfume, or bath salts can go a long way in making someone feel special! You could also consider surprising your loved one with a spa day at home, buying them certain supplies, then treating them to a massage, facial, pedicure, and manicure.
- Hygge Gifts: Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word often used to describe a cozy, comfortable feeling of wellbeing and contentedness. You can give your loved one a book, certain types of tea, slippers, a blanket, or any cozy little trinkets they could have around the home. These gifts are great for someone who lives in a cold climate or who has a birthday in the wintertime.
- Experience gifts: Experience gifts are great when you know someone fairly well, as not everyone may feel comfortable with a gift like this. However, if the older woman enjoys outings or wants to go to a specific event, buying tickets to go there with her will be something she will remember fondly for a long time. Some experience gifts include a dance class, a concert, a hike, cooking a meal together, going on a weekend trip together, going swimming together, or taking a photography class together. Check out something like Airbnb Experiences to find some fun things happening in your area.
- Handmade gifts: Handmade gifts are one of the most unique and special ways you can express your appreciation for someone. Making a painting, creating a vase with your hands, writing a heartfelt letter in a personalized card, knitting a quilt are just a few ways you can make a beautiful gift for someone you care about. You can even combine experience gifts and handmade gifts by following a painting tutorial together, or going to paint ceramics together.
Christmas Gifts for Older Women
Gifts to Combat the Cold
Christmas time is lovely, with all the twinkling lights, family meals, and present exchanges. But it is also, usually, quite cold and snowy during Christmas too. This makes it the perfect time to gift cozy items. Some options are:
- Candles
- Heated blankets
- Regular blankets or duvets
- Earmuffs
- Handknitted scarf
- Cozy house slippers
- Sweaters
Home Makeover
If someone has lived in one house for a long time, then perhaps it has been a few years since they last updated their surroundings. With people spending so much time at home, re-doing that space so that it looks modern and beautiful could drastically change one’s life. You don’t need to change the entire home, but consider some of the following:
- Clean up a cluttered space, like the garage or their junk closet
- Carve out a little office space and set up a desk, outlet, lamp, and flowers
- Consider building and remodeling a She Shed so that your loved one has her own personal space to decompress and focus
You
There are many older people dealing with long periods of isolation and loneliness. Perhaps you’ve hoped and planned to see your older loved ones, only to decide against it last minute due to the risk.
This Christmas, maybe everyone in your family will finally be vaccinated. Or, you could make sure everyone in your family socially isolates for two weeks before Christmastime. It’s a tough sacrifice to make, but if it ends with you surprising your older loved one with the company that they have so dearly missed, you will notice everything was worth it. Organize a family gathering under the most carefully considerate of circumstances, and make it a surprise.
Birthday Gifts for Older Women
Tickets to a show or event
The world is finally getting closer to opening back up and allowing for more events and get-togethers. If your loved one is vaccinated, or even if you find something nearby that is allowing for special, socially distanced events, then consider bringing your loved one back out into the real world so that he or she can enjoy this special opportunity! Even if you aren’t vaccinated, there are still socially distanced events such as a drive-in theatre or a hike in the mountains.
You can attend events like:
- Concerts
- Operas
- Theatre plays
- A special screening of a movie that she may be looking forward to or a movie she already loves
- A drive-in movie theatre
- Get some drive-through food and eat together in the car
- Go out to the countryside or the mountains for a walk and maybe a bonfire
- An event or convention that is centered around something she loves.
Beauty and Self Care Items
Many people appreciate beauty and self-care items regardless of gender. Many skincare and beauty items often come in gift packs and are packaged very beautifully, making them amazing gifts. Examples of gifts in this category could be:
- Makeup
- Perfumes
- Bath salts/bath bombs
- Skincare sets
- A robe or PJs
Older adults are likely to appreciate pleasant-smelling, soothing gifts in beauty and self-care as it is something they can use often. However, some people might not be able to use certain products if they have an allergy or dislike strongly perfumed substances, which is essential to note.
Gifts for Older Women Who Travel
For your adventure-loving lady, there are plenty of gifts you can get for her that won’t simply weigh down her suitcase.
An E-Reader
While this gift is on the more expensive side of things, e-readers are becoming more and more common and accessible these days. They are easy and intuitive to use, making them great for older adults who may not be comfortable with very complex technology. If the older woman travels a lot, chances are she is always searching for a way to spend time on a plane without a collection of books weighing down her luggage. Getting her an e-reader can help with that.
Travel Cubes
Travel cubes make packing clothing much easier and prevent the pesky wrinkles that form on shirts that sit in suitcases for too long. These cubes are extremely lightweight and make organization many times easier. Many travelers swear by travel cubes for the convenience they bring, and chances are, the recipient of your gift will too.
Even buying other forms of easy storage can be just as practical and useful. Some older adults may need to take medications even while traveling, in which case travel-friendly pill organizers can come across as a thoughtful gift if you already know them and their health history well.
Conclusion
Oftentimes, the special women in our lives spend a lot more time giving gifts than receiving them. But just because your mother, wife, or girlfriend has spent many Christmases giving more gifts than she receives, that does not mean she wouldn’t be floored by the perfect gift now that she’s getting older. More importantly, the memories you form when you share a gift-giving experience together are the ones your loved one will cherish through tough times.
Sources:
- 50 Amazing Gifts That Women Actually Want, USA Today, https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/reviewedcom/2017/11/13/25-amazing-gifts-women-actually-want/107666244/
- The Best Gift Ideas for Women Over 40, 40+Style, https://40plusstyle.com/gift-ideas-for-women-over-40/
