ideas for Mum's Xmas present

[tasmaniandevilchaser]

I'm struggling with what to buy my Mum for Christmas, she is not easy to buy for and I'm particularly low on energy and ideas at the moment. I want to get something very nice as she does a lot for us.

She would hate spa day/facial kind of present, I wouldn't know where to start with jewellery or perfume. We've done the kind of present where we take her out. She does like books, but I get her books every birthday / Christmas, I'd like to do something different.

Any bright ideas from anyone?

Kindle? so she can have lots more books but without cluttering up the house.
Take her to a show or play somewhere?
Hot air balloon trip? (or some other "experience" day out... there's even one to learn how to kill zombies now they really do seem to have something for everyone out there somewhere)
Membership of the National Trust?

Got mine a magazine subscription
Keep calm and carry on drinking tea china mug
Framed photo of DS

Agree it's a struggle she has everything she could possibly want and the money to buy anything she desired.MIL is getting hotel vouchers

thanks pombear, it's good to have some more ideas (though the thought of Mum in a hot air balloon is making me weep with laughter, I can just hear her shrieking 'my hair, my hair'!!!). Show or play is definitely worth looking into.

framed photo is good, keep 'em coming! Thanks!

Membership of English Heritage/National Trust/Royal Academy is always good (and even if she hates it, it's a good cause).

One of the presents I have bought my Mum for Christmas is a personalised calendar for the year with pics of her only grandchild (DS) over the years and a picture on significant dates - ie DF's birthday, her best friend's birthday etc. Lots of sites do them - like Bonusprint or Boots. It looks really good.

The only thing I've got for my Mum so far is a photo calendar with photos of her grandchildren on (not just my children but my brothers too).

Would she like something like that?

photo calendar is great, have done those in past years, but my brain isn't in Xmas mode so hadn't though of it - it's going on the list

Something nice for the home? White Company stuff always goes down well here and is pricy enough to be special.

I've done leatherbound photo album with printerpix but jessops etc do same. Takes a while but I know she'll love photos from wedding, ultrasound shots and baby's first year! And choccies of course

My mum and I went into town a few weeks ago and she pointed out a handbag and bracelet that she liked so I brought those two items for her along with some chocs, an incense set from Avon and a travel hair straightening set from Avon....and I might get her Bridesmaids on DVD too

i got my mil a calendar with all 6 of her grandkids names on it and its a really modern calendar too, i know she'll love it as she's a typical granny all about her kids/grandkids.

my own mother however is a tad different. so i got her the same calendar except with just her and her husbands names on it. theyre too busy to babysit or spend time wit us so their calendar is all about them.

oh, i sound bitter. im not really, just fell out with her today so im a bit raw. will be over it by tomorrow im sure. and will end up buying her wine, chocs, cinema vouchers too im sure.

I got my mum a set of audiobooks - Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I know she likes the books, she's in the car and staying away from home for work quite a lot. They weren't expensive either as I got them from the book people.

MIL on the other hand... no idea!

I had bought her a gluten free cookery book from dd, but ended up giving it to her on her birthday when it transpired - the day before we were going to hers for her birthday - that dh hadn't bought her anything at all. So we're down to nothing at all for Christmas so far.

Cineworld are doing a great gift box just now for £20 which includes 2 vouchers for adult 3d films, 2 drinks and a popcorn to share and packets of Galaxy chocolate. It means you still have a parcel to wrap and put under the tree.

I have given my dmum theatre tickets before and I think that is the gift she most enjoyed. I got together with my dsil and one of her close friends so we all bought ourselves tickets to the shows too so we could all go with her. We wrapped the tickets in a gold box with a ribbon etc so it looked good under the tree.

We also recently gave her a simple digital camera. She loves it too. It is a point and shoot affair and once I had given it to her I spent a little time showing her (and showing her again) how to upload them onto her computer. I have noticed that she is carrying it on trips with her and it appears now at family gatherings.

You could also get a digital photo frame - the sort that you load pictures onto and they show a slideshow or can be chosen to just show one picture.

Last year we gave her a handbag and matching purse.

I club together with my dbrother so we have a bit more in our budget.