What to buy your grandparents this Christmas: from an Ancestry kit to cosy knitwear

7 November 2019, 17:49

Your grandparents deserve a great Christmas too
Your grandparents deserve a great Christmas too. Picture: Heart/Instagram @eethanallen_
Mared Parry

By Mared Parry

Grandparents will be appreciative of anything you give them, but here are some suggestions that'll really blow their socks off.

Your grandparents are arguably the most precious people out there and are always looking out for you - they deserve the most amazing presents.

We've compiled together a list of gift ideas for your grandmothers and grandfathers, for a variety of budgets.

Cosy clothing

A safe bet for any grandparent is a few cosy bits of knitwear, you just need to make sure you get their sizes right.

Marks & Spencer do some amazing quality knitwear, and whether you're shopping for grandparents who are in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s or elder, some staples will work for any age and size.

There's knitwear galore on the M&S
There's knitwear galore on the M&S. Picture: Nasty Gal

Candles + home fragrance

Candles is another easy option, but there's a way you can put a special touch on candles for Christmas.

Yankee Candle offer a personalisation service for Christmas, that's completely free!

Some of their winter scents are also incredible, which would be a great additional present for any grandparent.

Kiss The Moon is a great vegan brand that has some aromatic candles that are a nice luxury touch to add to any gift.

They start from £18 for a smaller travel candle, and the standard size is £38, coming in four fragrances including their new one, Vanilla and Rosewood.

Yankee Candle offer a personalising service for certain candles
Yankee Candle offer a personalising service for certain candles. Picture: Yankee Candle

If your grandparents are more of a fan of flameless fragrance, diffusers is always a good bet, and Rituals do some lovely ones that last a while.

Their The Ritual of Dao Fragrance Sticks is a great neutral scent which will be a nice addition to any room, as it's not too overpowering.

It's got hints of white lotus which gives it a fresh, warm smell and is £24.90 for a large 230ml set.

Warm duvet + blankets

It's no shocker that older people are more sensitive to the cold, so a nice thoughtful gift could be a luxurious duvet or some nice chunky throws for their bed or the sofa.

If you want to add a personalised element, Nanu have a great half and half duvet where you can pick different tog levels for each side of the bed, picking a cooler or a warmer one depending on who likes what.

There's also a huge selection of throws that will impress any family member on Dunelm, and they're all super affordable.

This grey chunky knitted throw is big enough for a double bed or to throw in the living room and will add a touch of cosiness any sofa.

Dunelm have a great selection of throws
Dunelm have a great selection of throws. Picture: Dunelm

Personalised notebooks

You can never go wrong with a personalised gift, and a notebook is one of those easy but handy gifts that anyone can appreciate.

Papier has a huge range of designs which are all available for personalisation, and they're amazing quality too.

Papier have a great selection of colourful and artsy notebooks
Papier have a great selection of colourful and artsy notebooks. Picture: Papier

DNA kits

This would be a bit of a splurge but getting either of your grandparents a kit to trace their ancestors and family history would be an amazing one.

They usually require some online work, so if your grandparents don't have access to the internet (like many older ones do) you might want to consider that.

However, if they're tech-savvy or you've got the means to talk them through all the findings and potentially print them off for them to keep it could be an incredible one.

Ancestry have their kit available which will set you back £59 and there's also the 23andMe kit, which comes with different options of how in-depth you want the results to be.

These come in at £89 and £150, with both including family history, heritage and DNA, and the more expensive one showing lots of health-related data including traits and any conditions running in the family.

Fragrance

Fragrances for grandma and granddad can be hard, but a few fragrances will hit the spot.

Old favourite notes combined with fresh new ones will update their current collection and avoid that dreaded 'old person' smell.

Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf is always a great gift
Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf is always a great gift. Picture: The Perfume Shop

Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb, £70 for 90ml from The Perfume Shop

Tom Ford has some gorgeous unisex fragrances
Tom Ford has some gorgeous unisex fragrances. Picture: The Perfume Shop

Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc, £83 for 50ml from The Perfume Shop