This is largely a down-to-earth group who knows what it likes. So, if you are taking a chance, make sure you get gift receipts.
The good part about buying for this group is that many good options are useful or fun, and many don’t incur the expense of items you may be buying for kids or spouses.
Here are some ideas that might be of use for our elders:
Upgrade
One good gift is to improve on an item that your parent or grandparent already enjoys. Think of their hobbies. Would they like a larger TV? A better driver? A larger universal remote? A cordless electric drill? A new Christmas sweater?
Want to finally replace their VHS player with a DVD or Blu-ray player? Or, better yet, get a VHS/DVD combo so they can see their old movies and a few new ones.
Newer appliances, such as an electric can-opener or a vacuum cleaning iRobot, can be time- and effort-savers.
However, some folks might prefer using the appliances they have had for years, and not want to replace them. Fish around and make sure they would be on board with a change before you pull the trigger.
Useful
As all of us get older, some of the best gifts we can get are ones that make our lives easier. The only caveat here is to make sure that the chosen item would not offend that person by focusing on age.
Since many are on a fixed income, gift cards for groceries or department stores are good choices.
Nice presents from kids to grandparents include homemade coupon books that include coupons for cutting the grass, helping garden or performing other household tasks that allows the two to spend time together.
Another option is to put together a gift basket of things they might like — bath and body items, teas and jams, fun sweet and/or salty snacks, etc.
Calendars and magazine subscriptions are nice gifts that keep on giving, as are monthly clubs that provide books, wines, cheeses, beer and the like.
Pajamas, slippers, socks, a fuzzy robe or a nice sweat suit also can be comfortable, cozy gifts.
If your parent or grandparent no longer drives, bus passes make a nice stocking stuffer.
Sentimental
Some of the best presents for this group are those that are personal and sentimental.
Pictures of grandkids are good because they will be loved for years to come.
You also can enlarge and/or frame an old, dear picture from that person’s past.
Speaking of the past, another idea is to give a gift of something that reminds your parent or grandparent of an earlier time in their lives. This can be in the form of a food or candy from when they were younger, classic music or an old movie, or a good book about an earlier time.
If you have access to information, making a family tree or offering to build one together in the coming year can be a double present of shared history and future time.
If you want to upgrade your parents’ TV or your own, there are many good deals to do so utilize this week.
HHgregg has all HDTVs $99 and more on sale, and many of the TV deals throw in a free Panasonic Blu-ray player (worth $199.99) with the purchase.
The best TV deal at HHgregg is the Panasonic 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $799.97. That TV is regularly $999.97, and you also get the free Blu-ray player.
To compare, Best Buy has a 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $979, and will give you a free $100 gift card from Best Buy.
Kmart has the best deal of the three on the 32-inch HDTVs this week, offering a 32-inch Sylvania LCD HDTV for $299.99, when Best Buy and HHgregg both have comparable models for $399.
Best Buy also has 50 percent off all HBO series and box sets in store and online, savings on laptop computers and digital cameras, and a free $30 gift card when you buy an 32GB iPod Touch 3rd generation for $299.99.
Kmart also has all women's packaged pajamas ($19 to $24) on sale for buy one, get one free.
Sixty percent off is the general ceiling for discounts at Macy's, JCPenney and Kohl's this week.
Macy’s also has coupons worth more than $100 in newspapers and online.
Ulta has a free luxury robe worth $60 with the purchase of a men's or women's fragrance costing $30 or more and Ed Hardy appliances.
Elder-Beerman is having a sale through Tuesday, with fragrance gifts for $50 and less, and apparel for up to 60 percent off.
Michaels craft store is having a "Christmas blowout" sale through Thursday with up to 70 percent off holiday baskets, crafts, ornaments, wrap, trees, cards, etc. It is like a pre-emptive after-Christmas sale.
Office Depot has laptops, GPS, cameras and camcorders featured in its "all on sale" sale, and has the lowest price I have seen on an MP3 player — selling an Ativa 2GB Mobile IT MP3 Player with video and FM radio for $14.99.
Dick's Sporting Goods has coupons in today's paper for 50 percent off multiple sports balls, 50 percent off a Super Pro table tennis table, 50 percent off select apparel and 50 percent off select hunting apparel.
Staples advises shoppers to visit Staples.com/weeklyad to print off a 10 percent off a single item coupon, and has Kodak premium 4-inch-by-6-inch photo paper for $1 (after rebate), for a savings of $12.
Staples also has a 4.3-inch Garmin Nuvi 265WT GPS for $169.99, for a savings of $80.
Office Max has a Nikon Coolpix 120 digital camera and an Olympus X-Series digital camera both for $99.99, for a savings of $20 and $50, respectively.
Office Max also has deals on desk chairs, printers and shredders.
Stein Mart reports up to 75 percent off department store prices, largely on apparel, storewide.
Target has board games from $2 to $20, a Roomba 400 vacuum cleaning iRobot for $99 and a 4.3-inch Garmin Nuvi 255W GPS for $119.
Big Lots has select Wii and DS games for $10, and select DVDs for four for $10.
Toys R Us, which I believe started the Zhu Zhu Pet craze, will have the little robotic hamsters for $9.99 this week.
The biggest savings at Toys R Us this week may be today and Monday, during its “savings of a lifetime.” I don’t know if I would classify it as such, but there are discounts of 25 percent to 50 percent off many toys. There seem to be fewer half-off sales at that toy store this week, compared to previous ones this season.
Speaking of Zhu Zhu pets, Walmart has them for the cheapest yet — $8 — starting Monday, amid other toy savings.
Walmart also will sell the 8GB iPod Nano for the going $145, but throw in a free $50 iTunes gift card, which is definitely the best deal this season on that hot gift. It also has multiple gifts for the home for $15.
Here are some of the adjusted holiday hours at area stores:
Big Lots: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, closed Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
CVS/Pharmacy: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Dayton Mall: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. today through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, closed Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
Dick's Sporting Goods: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday
Discount Drug Mart: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.
GFS Marketplace: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, closed Friday.
The Greene: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, closed Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
HHgregg: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
JCPenney: 7 a.m. to midnight today through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Kmart: 6 a.m. to midnight today through Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Kohl's: 6 a.m. to midnight today through Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Kroger: Open until 6 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Macy's: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. today, 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Mall at Fairfield Commons: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. today through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, closed Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.
Meijer: Closing at 7 p.m. Thursday, closed Friday and reopening at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Office Depot: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Office Max: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Rite Aid: 8 a.m to 11 p.m. today through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Staples: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and closed Friday.
Target: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. today through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, closed Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday.
Toys R Us: 6 a.m. to midnight today through Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, closed Friday.
Walgreens: 8 a.m. to midnight Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.
Walmart: Closing at 8 p.m. Thursday, closed Friday and reopening at 6 a.m. Saturday.
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