Christmas Gifts for Grandparents They Will Treasure
The best Christmas gifts for grandparents put the grandkids in their hands: a handprint ornament for the tree, a video book of the family's year, a calendar of the kids' drawings, or a holiday outing with every grandchild. Grandparents spend all year giving. At Christmas, give them more of the people they love.
A note before the list: we make Tribute, the group video maker. Tribute is a group video maker that turns messages from friends and family into one surprise video, and our Tribute Video Book is one of the eight picks. The other seven are gift types you can find anywhere, chosen because grandparents keep them out long after the tree comes down.
| Gift | Best for | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Handprint or photo ornament | Grandparents who decorate a big tree | $10 to $40 |
| Tribute Video Book of the family's year | Grandparents who live far from the grandkids | $149 |
| Grandma's recipe on a tea towel | The grandma who bakes every Christmas | $20 to $40 |
| Next year's calendar of the kids' art | Grandparents who live by the kitchen calendar | $20 to $40 |
| A holiday outing with the grandkids | Grandparents who want time, not things | $40 to $200 |
| A jigsaw puzzle of a family photo | Puzzle lovers and long winter evenings | $25 to $45 |
| Christmas letters from each grandchild | Grandparents who keep every card | Under $10 |
| A cozy throw printed with family photos | Grandparents who nap in the armchair | $40 to $100 |
What makes a Christmas gift for grandparents meaningful?
It connects them to their grandchildren, above all the ones they don't see often. In AARP's 2018 grandparenting study, over half of grandparents had at least one grandchild who lived more than 200 miles away. For many, Christmas is one of the few times the whole family is in one room.
Grandparents also do a lot of the giving. A 2025 AARP survey found that grandparents spend an average of $2,654 a year on all their grandchildren combined. Christmas is the chance to turn that around and give them something back that money can't buy.
That's why the best thoughtful Christmas gifts for grandparents aren't about price. They're about faces, voices and handwriting.
What are the best Christmas gift ideas for grandparents?
These eight picks work for grandma, grandpa or both. Most of them let the grandkids help, which is half of what makes them special.
1. A handprint or photo ornament
Press each grandchild's hand into salt dough, or slip a school photo into a clear glass ball. Write the year and the child's age on the back with a paint pen. Make one every year and the tree turns into a record of how the kids grew.
- Look for: salt dough or air-dry clay, and a ribbon strong enough to hold the weight.
- Price: about $10 to $40 in supplies.
- Time needed: one afternoon, plus a day to dry.
Best for: Grandparents who put up a big tree and know the story behind every ornament.
Why it works: It comes out every December, and each year it shows how small those hands were.
2. A Tribute Video Book of the family's year (our pick, we make this)
Your phone holds the year they missed: the first day of kindergarten, the soccer goal, the dance recital, the grandkids yelling "Merry Christmas, Grandpa!" into the camera. A video book collects those clips into a short video inside a hardcover. It starts playing the moment they open the cover.
The Tribute Video Book is a hardcover with a 7-inch screen and built-in speakers. You upload up to 4 hours of videos and photos, a Tribute editor picks the best moments, adds music and cleans up the sound, and you watch it before it ships in a gold-foil gift slipcase.
- Look for: clips where each grandchild talks to them by name.
- Price: $149, editing included. Check the Christmas order dates on the Video Book page.
- Time needed: an hour to gather clips from the family. The editor does the rest.
Best for: Grandparents who live far from the grandkids, or who never see the videos on your phone.
Why it works: Unlike a photo album, it plays the grandkids' voices. Unlike a digital frame, there's no Wi-Fi, app or setup: they open the cover and the kids start talking.
👉 Get the Video Book for your grandparents
3. Grandma's recipe, printed on a tea towel
Find the handwritten card for her Christmas cookies or his famous stuffing. Scan it and have it printed on a cotton tea towel or an apron. The handwriting is the whole gift.
- Look for: a print shop that keeps the handwriting at full size on natural cotton.
- Price: about $20 to $40.
Best for: The grandma who bakes for the whole family every Christmas.
Why it works: It honors the tradition she built and saves the recipe in her own hand.
4. Next year's calendar of the grandkids' art
Have each grandchild draw a page for one month, or pick their favorite photos from the year. Mark every family birthday on the grid. Grandparents check a kitchen calendar every day, so this keeps the kids in sight for twelve months.
- Look for: a large grid with room to write, printed on heavy paper.
- Price: about $20 to $40.
Best for: Grandparents who plan their whole week on the kitchen calendar.
Why it works: It's useful and personal at once, and it brings a new picture every month.
5. A holiday outing with the grandkids
Tickets to a holiday concert, a drive to see the lights, a morning ice skating or a trip to a Christmas market. Do the driving and the planning. Take one photo of everyone and print it for them.
- Look for: something close to their home, at a time of day that suits them.
- Price: about $40 to $200 for the group.
Best for: Grandparents who say all they want is time with the kids.
Why it works: It turns a busy season into a day they spend with the grandkids, not just near them.
6. A jigsaw puzzle made from a family photo
Turn this year's family photo into a 500 or 1,000 piece puzzle. It gives the house something to do on the slow days after Christmas, and the finished picture can be glued and framed.
- Look for: thick pieces and a photo with lots of color and detail.
- Price: about $25 to $45.
Best for: Puzzle lovers, and families who stay a few days.
Why it works: Compared to a store-bought puzzle, every piece shows someone they love.
7. A Christmas letter from each grandchild
Ask each grandchild to write a short letter: their favorite thing about grandma and grandpa, a memory from the year, what they want to do together next summer. Little ones can draw and dictate. Put the letters in one card.
- Look for: a big card or a folder with each child's name on a tab.
- Price: under $10.
Best for: Grandparents who keep every card in a shoebox.
Why it works: It costs almost nothing, and it's the gift they will read again in July.
8. A cozy throw printed with family photos
Pick a dozen photos of the grandkids and have them printed on a soft fleece or woven throw. It works for the armchair, the porch or the drive to the cabin.
- Look for: a woven throw for a classic look, or fleece for warmth.
- Price: about $40 to $100.
Best for: Grandparents who nap in the armchair after lunch.
Why it works: They use it every day all winter, and the grandkids are right there with them.
What are good Christmas gifts for grandparents under $50?
The most personal ideas here cost less than a sweater:
- Christmas letters from each grandchild: under $10.
- A handprint ornament: $10 to $40 in supplies.
- A framed photo of them with every grandchild: about $20 to $40.
- A recipe tea towel: about $20 to $40.
- A family photo puzzle: about $25 to $45.
What are good Christmas gifts for grandparents who have everything?
Christmas gifts for grandparents who have everything should be made of family, not bought off a shelf. Picture a grandfather in Arizona whose three grandkids live in Ohio. On Christmas morning, he opens a small hardcover and his granddaughter's voice says, "Grandpa, watch this," and she does a cartwheel across the yard. Then his grandson reads a poem he wrote for him.
He watches it twice before anyone else gets a turn. By New Year's, it sits on the table by his recliner, and he opens it every time he talks to the kids on the phone. Unlike another gadget, there's nothing to set up and nothing he already owns.
If you're also shopping for your own mom and dad, see our list of Christmas gifts for parents.
What are good Christmas gifts for grandma?
Christmas gifts for grandma land best when they mix her traditions with her grandkids. The recipe tea towel, the handprint ornament and the video book all fit. A few more ideas for her:
- A framed photo of her with each grandchild, one frame per child, so the set grows every year.
- A "cookie day" coupon: a date the grandkids come over to bake with her in December next year.
- A personalized ornament with every grandchild's name, unique to her family.
For more ideas aimed at her, see our full list of Christmas gifts for grandma.
What are good Christmas gifts for grandpa?
Grandpas can be harder to shop for, so lean on the grandkids. A framed photo of him teaching a grandchild to fish, a puzzle of the family photo for the long afternoons, or a video book where each grandchild tells him a joke all work. If he likes projects, give him a birdhouse kit and a date to build it with the kids in spring.
Whatever you choose, have the grandkids hand it to him. The look on his face when they say "we made this" is a big part of the gift. Our list of Christmas gifts for grandpa has more.
What are good Christmas gifts for new grandparents?
A first Christmas as grandparents calls for a gift that marks the new baby. Think small and dated: something they will hang on the tree or set on a shelf, and pull out again next December to compare. A handprint ornament with "Baby's First Christmas" and the year, or a short video book of the baby's first months, both fit. Add a note from the new parents with the date.
How do you get a video book for grandparents before Christmas?
You collect the clips, and a Tribute editor makes the video. Here is how the Tribute Video Book works:
- Upload your moments. Add videos and photos from your phone or computer, up to 4 hours, and ask cousins to send theirs.
- We make the video. A Tribute editor picks the best moments, adds music and cleans up the sound.
- You approve it. Watch the finished video and ask for changes before it ships.
- It arrives playing. We load the video into the book and ship it in a gold-foil gift slipcase.
Check the Christmas order dates on the Video Book page before you start. If they've passed, a Tribute group video from all the grandkids is shared by link, so there is nothing to ship.
Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas Gifts for Grandparents
What do grandparents want most for Christmas?
Most grandparents want time with their grandchildren and reminders of them. Gifts made by or about the grandkids, like ornaments, letters and family videos, beat new things they don't need.
What are sentimental Christmas gifts for grandparents?
Sentimental Christmas gifts for grandparents include a handprint ornament, a recipe printed in grandma's handwriting, letters from each grandchild and a video book of the family's year. Each one holds a memory they can come back to.
What can grandkids make for grandparents at Christmas?
Grandkids can make handprint ornaments, draw pages for next year's calendar, write a letter or record a short "Merry Christmas" video. A parent can help collect the pieces and put them together.
What is a video book?
A video book is a hardcover book with a screen inside that plays videos when you open it. It holds your own clips and photos, so grandparents can watch the grandkids without a phone or computer.
Is a video book easy for grandparents to use?
Yes. It starts playing when they open the cover, with five gold buttons under the screen for volume and play. There's no app, Wi-Fi or setup, and it recharges by USB.
What are good last minute Christmas gifts for grandparents?
Letters from the grandkids, a planned outing and a framed photo can all come together in a day or two. A group video from the grandkids is shared by link, with nothing to ship.
Which Christmas gift will grandparents treasure?
They will treasure the gift that brings the grandkids closer: their handprints, their handwriting, their voices. Compared to a store-bought present, a gift made of family gets better each time they take it out. Choose one idea from this list, get the grandkids involved, and it becomes the gift they bring out every December.
If a video book is the one, gather the clips on your phone this week. For the rest of the season, see our guide to Christmas ideas.
