Among Friends

[hoosieroriginal]

Just read on Dear Abby about a woman who stocks her grandparents freezer for Christmas.  I think this is a wonderful idea - many elderly people cannot get out to the grocery store regularly and do not eat as they should.  Another idea would be if you see your grandparents at Christmas, take individual casseroles over and put them in the freezer so they can just take them out and heat them up. It's not something they would ask for, but would probably be greatly appreciated.

[happycat]

Those are very good ideas and I'm sure they would be appreciated.

[circles]

I would love that for myself....I have said many times before...I appreciate practical gifts....something i can really use...and stocking my freezer with food would be great...

[ValuSkr]

It's a great idea, especially if they enjoy your cooking.  Be sure to label each package and include cooking / re-heating instructions.

[Kachina624]

My dad loved my homemade cookies,  so one year I gave him a big glass jar and a bunch of computer-generated coupons for batches of cookies.   When he got the urge for cookies,  he'd present a coupon and I'd start baking.   This gift was so popular,  he requested it every year until we lost him. 

[Mary Bailey]

I just started doing this for my Mom.

She doesn't like to cook for just herself. Frozen dinners are not really healthy.  I didn't know she missed home cooked foods until recently. I have always used the Food Saver for DH's lunches.  Now I give her some. 

[Imadickens]

I think that is fine if they will let you! Years ago, after my mom had to retire she was on limited funds. For Christmas I went through the drug store and bought everything I could think of that she might need! She lived with us in a wing she paid to build on our home but I knew she felt bad asking us for a bandaid or cough syrup. So, she had her very own things! I also bought her a year of haircuts at her salon another year. I wanted her to be able to have and do all the things she had always been able to. Another year, we gave her $1000 just to put in the bank so she had a buffer! I wanted to take worry from her. She only took it as I said I wanted to repay money she gave us to build our home! She meant it as a gift to us but it was the way I could get her to take it!

I'd like to tell grandparents to accept gifts like these from kids and grandkids! Think about how we gave gifts to our grandparents and parents out of love, not pity. So, accept the gifts in the same spirit! I tell my kids now, when they argue about my paying for things for them, that some day I'll need help financially and if I pay now, I can accept, then!

[RedTop]

I try to be very in tune with what my mother needs, or wants, and in the last few years have been successful in getting my brothers to look a little deeper at ways we can help mom.   In the last 4 years, we have paid for replacement windows for her basement, paid for new outdoor carpet on her porch, replaced her TV, and last year, with help from her 3 grandchildren we gave her grocery store gift cards that paid for her groceries for 6 months.   This year we are replacing her kitchen table and chairs.   

Twice a year I place a large order for greeting cards from Current, and split it with mom so that she always has whatever type of card she needs to send already on hand.   All of these gifts were needed, and much appreciated, more than another robe, pajamas, slippers, or shower gels.  

My dad left this world knowing we would do our best to take care of Mom, and when we are able to do things like the above that helps her live more comfortably in her home, I truly feel we are living up to our promise to dad, and giving mom exactly what she wants.     

[SXMGirl]

I also read the Dear Abby column, but I had already been doing that for years.  My grandmother and my aunt were on a limited budget, so I would give them grocery gift certificates.  I always laughed because they would go to the grocery and load up on different flavors of ice cream, which was a real treat for them.

At first, I tried giving my grandmother clothes, but she rarely wore any as she kept them in the boxes and said when she died that someone else could enjoy them.  Did not make sense to me, and since I was also on somewhat of a limited budget at the time, grocery certificates made more sense.

[chrystaltree]

Good idea but a little old school for me.  We have a dear family friend who just had his 91st birthday.  He's out lived all his family and friends.  We "adopted" him through a church program some years ago.  Hubby is particularly close to him.  George is a picky eater like so many elderly people,  if there is food in the fridge that he can just grab and go, he'll eat.  So, once a week hubby has food delivered to George.  He orders it online from the same store that I order our groceries from.  Fruit, salads from the deli, cheese, crackers, icecream bars and popcicles which George loves.  My coworkker liked the idea, so she sends "care packages" from Amazon's Prime Pantry  once every few weeks to grandmother who lives 300 miles away.