Inspiration needed for a treat for my mum!

[Stillcantgetnosleep]

I'm really struggling to find a nice present for my mum this Christmas. It's been a terrible year for lots of reasons - she had a heart attack, my marriage broke down and there has really been a lot of turmoil all year. I'd like to get her something nice and to recognise that we still have a lot to celebrate and it could all have been much worse.

But what?! I am going to get her new phones for the house as theirs are very quiet and hard to hear. But that's not very special!

Some info about her and likes/dislikes:

75, doesn't ever treat herself but quite likes 'luxury' type presents. Doesn't like experience gifts (though I do a running afternoon tea gift which she appreciates). Doesn't like clothes, definitely not socks, slippers,gloves pyjamas etc. Doesn't like anything for the kitchen or food gifts. Doesn't drink alcohol and doesn't exercise. Likes reading but I've bought books many times before and it's not very special. Lives in a modern and v well insulated house so wouldn't use blankets, heated throws etc.

Hit presents in the past have included : diptyque perfume, dubarry bag. This year I don't have too much money so would like to find something under £100 if possible.

Any suggestions for a present that would make you feel special and loved by an adult daughter??!

Yes, with his birth year maybe ( as think they would like the years that they don't remember /distant rather than from date of marriage). 🙏 For the idea. Would never have found that on my own.

You're welcome

Have a look at their website generally

They do the birthday book, specific newspaper, football clubs, all sorts of ideas

I got DH a jigsaw made for the year of his birth, if she likes jigsaws - think that was personalised presents

Ancestry DNA kit?
houseplant?
decent scissors?
flower subscription?
DAB radio for the bedroom/ bathroom?

https://auraframes.co.uk/digital-frames/color/carver-mat?force_country=GB&campaignid=18647841354&adgroupid=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAvdCrBhBREiwAX6-6Uo5A7cfDH6cdOJqppE0zZxUEVl5hCE7kfjiKQ2W8OcUr1pbGmUZp9BoC4JUQAvD_BwE

our family has some of these- I can upload photos from app on phone, they appear on her frame. My mum enjoys seeing the new pics of grandkids etc.

or a smart speaker and audible subscription??

Joint present with your dad - membership of National trust / English heritage / RHS garden thing?

Re books - anything from her childhood, eg a set of the Milly-molly-Mandy books?

Wentworth do some beautiful quality wooden jigsaw puzzles if she would like that. Very mindful.

I got my pils a subscription to newspaper archives one year - not sure how it works in UK, but they enjoyed it and were always looking up different things.

What about a Kindle?

A kindle? The 2022 edition is £85.

For the politics angle what about a Private Eye subscription or the annual?

A visit to parliament - I know you said she doesn't like experiences but that would be a bit different.

thank you everyone for the ideas. A visit to Parliament would be a great idea but she lives very far away from London so that would be a big trip. I've decided to save the newspaper book for a birthday gift and get a perfume discovery set (I've done this before but it always goes down well) and a five-year 'one line a day' diary that I think she will like, and maybe some nice shower gel. Still open to other ideas but thanks so much for all the suggestions and special thanks to @Tilllly for the middle-of-the-night brainstorming!

Does she like theatre? A National Theatre At Home subscription (can be 1 to 10 months, or a year so there is a range of prices):

https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/national-theatre-online/

Thanks @DisplayPurposesOnly but she doesn't enjoy theatre. It's actually quite funny to realise how difficult she is to buy for even though she would say the opposite! She doesn't go to the theatre or arts performances, doesn't watch films, wouldn't use a NT membership or similar. She doesn't do jigsaws. Wouldn't use the electronic photo frame.

The suggestions for Kindle or Audible are possible but I'm not sure if she would use it - it would either be a huge success or a total failure. She doesn't listen to the radio or podcasts so audiobooks would be a big change for her. I might take a smart speaker home with me and see if she likes it. For Kindle, she doesn't buy things online or have her card linked to any accounts as she is worried about internet scams (which I'm quite relieved about in a way so I buy things on her behalf. I would need to get a Kindle unlimited subscription. But is it any good?

I don't have a kindle, I have a kobo ereader so I can borrow ebooks from my library (so no purchasing required, no debit/credit card linked, just a library membership). (I do buy the occasional book as well through the Kobo app where my debit/credit card is linked.)

You don't need a kindle unlimited subscription. Just buy her single books at a time.

Thanks @DisplayPurposesOnly - Kobo with a library app might be ideal. Thank you!

If she likes showers rather than baths, you can get shower steamers with different scents but they aren’t very expensive only about £10-£20

You could get a Kindle with an Amazon gift card that she could buy books from

How about an ancestor dna kit?

If she likes Diptyque perfume, would she like their candles? The fig one is divine. If she likes luxury things, would she like a lovely pen, a lovely notebook or a silver paper knife?

Maybe it's less than what you want to spend, but I have ordered my mum an azalea (houseplant type) from Waitrose flowers.
She always asks me not to waste my money on her (🙄) but I know she'll like it.

A digital photo frame - comes with an app that you can also control so you can ping photos to it immediately as a 'surprise' each day / week

Flower subscription

Leaf envy 3 month subscription

A bonsai tree

Afternoon tea for two

National trust membership.
One of those digital photo frames that you can load up with lots of photos on rotation
A print of a local or special place