Christmas Gift Ideas for Grandma

Grandma has spent decades making Christmas happen for everyone else. What she wants most is proof that her family sees her, remembers her stories and wants her close. The 12 ideas below range from nearly free to a small splurge, and most are easy for her to use. Our top pick is a song about her life, because it turns the stories she has told for years into something the whole family can play.

Hear a song made for another family

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry her name and your stories.

12 Christmas gift ideas for grandma

1. A song about her ($39.90). Tell us about her kitchen, her sayings and the grandkids she spoils. Songbond turns it into an original song, ready within 24 hours. Play it for her at the table after Christmas dinner.
2. A digital photo frame the family fills. Choose one that lets everyone send pictures to it from their own phones, and set it up before you wrap it. New photos arrive all year. Usually $80 to $180.
3. Her recipes, printed as a book. Scan the stained cards in her handwriting and have them bound. Order extra copies for the grandkids. About $30 to $70 each.
4. A grandmother's necklace. One small charm or birthstone for each grandchild, on a simple chain. Expect $60 to $250.
5. An amaryllis bulb. It blooms in the gray weeks after the tree comes down, and she will think of you each time she waters it. Usually $25 to $50.
6. Her signature perfume. The one she has worn for 40 years and now rations. A full bottle says you noticed. Usually $50 to $150.
7. A puzzle of the grandkids. A jigsaw printed from a family photo. Pick one with every grandchild in it. Stay around 300 to 500 pieces so it stays fun. About $30 to $60.
8. A soft robe and slippers with a real sole. Warm, washable and safe on a kitchen floor. About $50 to $120 for both.
9. An ornament with every grandchild's name. Choose one with room to add new names as the family grows. Usually $20 to $50.
10. A baking afternoon in her kitchen. Ask her to teach you the cookies she makes every year, and write down every step as she goes.
11. Tea out with the grandkids. A proper afternoon tea at a hotel or tearoom, just her and the grandchildren. Around $30 to $50 per person.
12. A weekly phone call, on the calendar. Pick a day and a time and keep it. It may matter more to her than anything you wrap.

How to choose for your grandma

Think about how she spends a normal Tuesday. A gift that fits her routine gets used. A gift that needs a password or a charger can end up in a drawer unless someone sets it up for her.

• If she loves her kitchen: the recipe book, the baking afternoon or the amaryllis.
• If she lives for the grandkids: the necklace, the ornament or the photo frame.
• If she likes to be pampered: the perfume, the robe or tea out.

Make it easy for her to enjoy

A good gift fails if grandma cannot use it. Set up any gadget before you wrap it, and write the steps on a card in large print. Put a sticky note on the photo frame that says how to turn it on. If she does not use a smartphone, play her song through a speaker on Christmas Day, then ask the relative who visits most often to play it again for her in January. Write the weekly call time on her wall calendar in your own handwriting, so she sees it every morning.

Make grandma a song for Christmas

Create a song for your grandma from the stories she tells best. It is ready within 24 hours, and express delivery gets it to you in about an hour, with no shipping and no cutoff date.

Also in the Journal: songs for grandma on Mother's Day and a personalized song as a Christmas gift.