When it comes to gifts, grandmas are pretty easy to please. If it comes from the heart, she’ll love it. As a general rule of thumb, buy her something a little extravagant that she’d be unlikely to buy for herself. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be special, but it does have to be thoughtful. Before you start shopping, make a list of grandma’s interests and hobbies to help narrow down the possibilities.

Warmth and Comfort 

As people age, it becomes harder to regulate body temperature and stay warm. To help keep Grandma warm and cozy, get her a pair of microwaveable Lavender Aromatherapy Spa Booties. These comfy bootie-style slippers smell heavenly and wrap the feet and ankles in soothing warmth, no matter how cold it is outside.

Cashmere gloves and scarves are a great choice for the working grandma. We found a huge selection at Bluefly.com. Prices vary, but you can find a bargain on warm little luxuries any time of year. Contoured pillows made by Tempurpedic are advertised as the most comfortable pillows ever made. They’re a little pricey, but most consumers agree that they are worth the cost. An expensive pillow that alleviates neck and back pain and helps promote sleep is a perfect example of luxury she probably wouldn’t buy for herself. To pick the right shape, you’ll need to know whether she sleeps on her back, front, or side.

The Keurig single-cup brewing system is a wonderful device that offers luxury and convenience. Grandma can enjoy a cup of no-fuss coffee, cocoa, or tea in under a minute. With flavors like hazelnut, hot apple cider, and butter toffee in addition to basic flavors, any grandma will be thrilled with this gift.

Nostalgic Gifts

Nostalgic gifts evoke personal memories from the past and are guaranteed to make any grandmother smile. The Family Stitched Together With Love Quilt from Personalized Creations is both nostalgic and highly personal – you upload digital family photos that are printed on fabric to make up the quilt blocks. The result is a beautiful piece of folk art that will warm up any wall.

For a reminder of the good old days, you can order a Life Magazine printed in the week grandma was born. All years are available from 1937 to 2009, with the exception of 1973-1978 and 2000-2004 (Life wasn’t printed during those years). For those years, other magazines are available.

If Grandma talks fondly of her school days, consider surprising her with a yearbook from her high school. Not every school or year will be represented and it may take a creative search. Start by searching sites like OldYearbooks.com or Ebay.com.

Board games were wildly popular before TV and the Internet, and Senior Moments Board Game combines memory prompts and lots of laughs for a fun game the whole family will enjoy. Other nostalgic choices include Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and the Game of Life.

For an old-fashioned, homey gift that evokes elegance and style, Tiffany-style lamps are affordable, beautiful, and practical. Grandma will love the graceful lilies or intricate stained glass designs reminiscent of the Victorian era.

Collectibles

Is Grandma’s house decked out in cat photos, cat calendars, and even a cat clock? She’ll love it if you can find some unique new cat décor to round out her collection. Maybe your grandma likes to collect porcelain angels, coffee mugs, Disney snow globes, or even shot glasses from around the world. These are gifts for grandma that you can pick up during your travels throughout the whole year. She’ll treasure whatever you find, and she will surely remember that it was you who gave it to her for her collection.

Electronics

While average older folks aren’t notably tech-savvy, there are a few must-have devices designed with the older generation in mind.

Preserve family photo archives with a Mustek Document/Photo Scanner – This lightweight scanner is small, fast and user friendly enough even for tech-noobs like Grandma. Just feed a document or picture in to be scanned and it slides through, copying the image to an SD card or directly to a computer file via a USB cord.

Big button remote controls are great gifts for seniors. Look for one that has lighted buttons, simplified operation, and the ability to control a range of devices, like the TV, DVD player, and satellite or cable box.

The Jitterbug cell phone is specifically designed for seniors with big numbers, voice activation, live operators, and limited features for ease of use. It’s compatible with hearing aids, it’s speaker-phone enabled, and it has powerful speakers for crystal-clear sound.

Sweet Treats

If Grandma’s got a serious sweet tooth or you’re running out of time, Shari’s Berries has a delectable array of treats sure to please any woman on earth. Choices include juicy strawberries dipped in gourmet chocolate, sinful cheesecakes and desserts, decorative cookie arrangements, brownie pops...we could go on for days. They’re delicious, affordable, and ship out fast for those last minute shoppers. For yummy treat options for the more health-conscious grandma, check out Edible Arrangements for a beautiful collection of healthy fruit bouquets.

... and if none of those work how about a prepaid long distance calling card so she can call you once in a while, or a airline gift card so she can come visit.