Ideas for your parents
24 ideas for your parents or grandparents
For years they made Christmas magical for you: this time, it’s your turn. Here are 24 ideas for a mum, a dad, a grandma or a grandpa: memories, photos, your voice, outings and small favours. The calendar opens from a simple link with nothing to install, even for people who aren’t comfortable with screens.
This year it’s my turn
A letter to say thank you for all the Christmases before.
A photo from long ago
A photo from their younger days, and a question: “Tell me what was happening that day.”
Your voice instead of text
A voice message to listen to again and again.
Good for one hour of tech help
Phone, tablet, photos, passwords: you explain everything, without sighing.
The family quiz
Three questions about you. They should know the answers.
Good for one Christmas market
A stroll between the stalls, and something hot to drink.
Their childhood Christmases
“What was Christmas like when you were little?”
A scratch card
A small promise hidden under the gold square.
A Christmas together
A photo of a Christmas past, with the memory that goes with it.
A surprise to find
A real little present, hidden at their place or sent by post.
An outing for two
You say when; for the rest, they just let you plan.
The song from when they were twenty
A track from their youth, and a question: “Where were you the first time you heard it?”
The memory book
This month’s challenge: writing their memories in a notebook, for the whole family.
A riddle
To solve over coffee.
Good for one card game
Or dominoes, or Scrabble, with tea and biscuits.
Your best photo together
The one you would keep if you could only keep one.
The advice of a lifetime
“If you could only give me one piece of advice, what would it be?”
Good for one day of driving
Shopping, appointments, visits: you drive, and you wait.
The song of the house
The one from the kitchen radio or the record player in the living room.
A scratch ticket
What’s underneath can’t be refused.
Voices for you
Grandchildren, cousins, friends: several voice messages in one door.
Good for one afternoon of listening
They tell their life story, you record it all for the family.
Christmas Eve is coming
“Tomorrow night, we’ll all be round the table.”
Merry Christmas
Thank you for all the Christmases they gave you. This one is for them.
Tip: voice messages and old photos are often the most moving doors.
Put them in a 3D calendar
All these ideas fit in our 3D Advent calendar: you fill the doors (or start from a ready-written template), and the person you love opens one each day, on their phone.