Christmas gifts for grandparents.
12 ideas that are all about you.
They say they already have everything, every single year. And they're right: grandparents don't need more things. But an afternoon together, a letter from the grandkids, the year's photos gathered in an album always hit the mark. Here are 12 ideas, from the simplest to the most surprising.
The Christmas gifts grandparents love most are the ones that speak of family: time spent together, photos of the grandchildren, letters and recordings, recipes and memories. A Carnegie Mellon University study shows that people would rather receive a sentimental gift more often than givers imagine.
All the time grandparents give us
Lunches, afternoons at the park, last-minute school pickups. According to Swiss Federal Statistical Office figures reported by SRF, grandparents in Switzerland spend around 157 million hours a year looking after their grandchildren, and the country leads Europe in childcare by grandparents.
of parents of children up to age three in Switzerland rely on help from grandparents or other people close to them (2023 figures).
Christmas is the right moment to give a little of that time back. Not with something expensive, but with something that says: we've noticed everything you do.
The gift that feels risky is the right one
At Carnegie Mellon University, Julian Givi and Jeff Galak asked people in two experiments to choose between two gifts: one matching the recipient's tastes, and one with sentimental value, like a framed photo of a fun day spent together. Givers more often chose the first. Recipients would have preferred the second.
For grandparents, the best gift almost always has the grandchildren's faces in it.
With grandparents, that bet almost always pays off. The ideas below start right there: fewer things, more memories.
12 Christmas gifts for grandparents
In four groups. Many can be made together with the grandkids, even the little ones.
To do together
- A voucher for a day just with them. A trip, a museum, lunch out: handwritten and with a date already chosen, so it doesn't end up in a drawer.
- Their recipe, cooked by the grandkids. The Sunday dish made for them for once, following their instructions.
- An afternoon with old photos. The boxes of prints sorted together, with names and dates written on the back.
To keep at home
- A 2027 calendar with photos of the grandkids. One photo per month, with the family birthdays already marked.
- The album of the year. The best photos of 2026, printed and gathered, with a couple of lines under each one.
- The grandkids' drawings, framed. One for each grandchild, with their name and age written in a corner.
To read and listen to
- A letter from the grandkids. What they love doing with their grandparents, what they've learned from them. The little ones can dictate it.
- A recording of the grandkids. A song, a poem, an “I love you, Grandma” to play again whenever they like.
- A jar of little notes. Lots of small memories written by the whole family, to pick out one a day.
To look forward to
- A message for every month of 2027. Twelve letters, photos or videos from the grandkids arriving one a month, so Christmas lasts all year.
- A surprise for their anniversary. A video from the whole family, made now and delivered on the right day.
- A journal to fill in together. Questions about their life to answer at their own pace, to gather the family stories.
How to make it even more special
Add a few handwritten lines
Even the simplest gift changes with a card: “We're giving you this because…”. It's the part that gets kept.
Get the grandkids involved
A drawing, a signature, a sentence they dictate. What children make is worth more than any wrapping.
Put a date on it
A voucher without a date risks staying an idea. Pick the day now, and write it on the card.
A gift that arrives on Christmas morning, and then again
Gather the grandkids' letters, photos and videos in a capsule and choose the day and time of delivery: Christmas morning, Grandma's birthday, your grandparents' anniversary.
Gather
A letter, photos of their drawings, a video of the grandkids singing, the best photos of the year.
Choose who will receive it
Grandma, Grandpa, or both. They don't need to sign up or download anything: a personal, secure link arrives.
Choose the day
December 25 at eight in the morning, or one capsule for every month of the new year.
Erabox keeps your memories on servers in Switzerland and delivers them on the day and at the time you chose.
Christmas gifts for grandparents: common questions
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Guides to go further
Grandparents don't need more things.
They need your words.
Gather the grandkids' letters, photos and videos and choose when they arrive.