Any ideas for Christmas gifts?

Hello:
How about a ride to see the Christmas lights or to Christmas villages? Holiday events that are a ride away. He will spend time with you and your sibling and maybe enjoy the event. Lunch out while you are doing it. He can't misplace it since it's not a "thing".
Would he like something like that?

My mom loved gift certs to restaurants so she could "take us out to eat", You can hang onto them for him. And socks! Mom was always cold!

One of my co-workers gave the best gift to his mom. He took a few days off work and he drove her around to different relatives' homes whom she had not seen in a while. They even went out of state. His mother enjoyed it immensely.

I just bought my mom a magazine subscription for her Christmas gift. She does not care to read books but loves magazines. She also loves cards and photos in the mail.

Amazon has a great small digital clock for her nightstand that shows date, day of the week and outside temperature.
A good idea also.

I am a big believer in gifts that can be eaten or worn, because most people have more stuff then they need but, food and clothes always need to be replenished.

A day trip and your time are also great.

I brought coffee, tea and olive oil as gifts when I went to Israel. They were huge hits.

My MIL was always moving/hiding/accusing of stealing her calendars. Last year we bought a wall hanging frame for her wall calendar. It was a little too difficult for her to remove from the wall 😂

An Alzheimer's clock is a great gift while your dad is still cognizant enough to look at it; it will remind him of the day of the week, the time, whether it's AM or PM, the date, the month and the year:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=alzheimers+clock+for+adults&crid=34Y5IG8TMDTLB&sprefix=alzheimers+clock%2Caps%2C194&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_16

My mother loved it until her dementia advanced to the point where she can't remember to look at it anymore.

People !
Ask volunteers to visit him.
Contact local colleges / churches to see if interns or volunteers would visit - or do an activity with him, i.e., finger painting or doing a puzzle together.
Don't know if this is possible - I LOVE taking AmTrak everywhere I can figure out where to go. A short ride - a few hours ? the scenery is often spectacular although that isn't as important as the experience and being able to enjoy - being engaged - looking out the window.
* I am in Marin County and have taken AmTrak train (from Emeryville) to Reno many times over the years due to the beauty of nature / the (hopefully) snow in the Sierras. I only go in the winter time hoping to experience the snow. Once I saw a blizzard. While I go for the views, the hotel (El Dorado) is 1/2 block away . . . some of the best restaurants in there . . . and the roulette table calls me over.
* * *
Gena

I got both GGma's a SKYLIGHT which rotates pictures through on a small screen. You set up a gmail acct with their info on it and turn it on.

So--no piles of family pics to sort through--just digital photos. I send and email a couple times a year to the entire family and tell them to send new pics to the skylights. It's small and unobtrusive.

It's a good group gift and can be updated via your cellphone.


Neither mother not MIL will leave their homes for any kind of holiday party or dinner, so this kind of keeps them updated on the kids' lives.

Visit, call, be there for him. Gifts are just things, love and companionship are what is important. My siblings always went through this for my parents and I knew the only thing they wanted was some connection with thier children and grandchildren.

A pop up it fidget toy that are sensory, fiddley, stress relieving.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pop-Up-It-Fidget-Toy-Rainbow-Unicorn-Push-On-Bubble-Sensory-Toys-2-Pack-Anxiety-Stress-Relief-Autism-Learning-Materials-Squeeze-Kids-Teens-Office-Old/123995557

An adult coloring book and colored pencils for his good days.

Something fragrant that he can’t set on fire.

A hand rail for the shower (you’ll have to install it but you can locate the studs above the tiles)

An m&m dispenser

CBD oil

A large piece solar system jigsaw puzzle with 48 pieces. You can do it together or he can work it out.
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/11911893264868853479?q=kids+floor+puzzles&client=safari&hl=en-us&biw=375&bih=632&tbs=cat:2618,vw:g,init_ar:SgVKAwi6FA%3D%3D,ss:44&prmd=simxvn&prds=eto:13319106919794290356_0,cdl:1,prmr:1,cs:1

If he loses things there's a company called tiles where you can apply them to his keys or things and you can locate them with your cell phone

There are some great ideas here and I wouldn’t hesitate to use any of them that seem appropriate for your dad but my first thought reading your question also still applies. Is your dad happy with the pantry items you have been gifting him? I’m just wondering if your desire to find other ideas is more about you and your sibling feeling the need to give him more or his disappointment. He may be happier with the stocking of his pantry than he would be about a more extravagant gift and you can fulfill your need to make it special and put time into wrapping everything individually and putting in a big basket or Christmas bag. I know both of my parents feel uncomfortable with their children giving them larger gifts than they give us. They feel like we do enough throughout the year and are as lost about what to give us as we are about what to give them plus they are on limited incomes. Every few years when we have a really good idea for one of them or something the three of us (their children) might get together on a gift but I have come to learn that simply doing simple things out of love takes the pressure off and makes them far happier. That and simply having their family around. We focus on stocking stuffers and practical items for the most part now. That and feasting all day!

My mother is always cold so I got her two long underwear shirts and a delightful pink hat to wear.

Pantry items are nice, we all need them. Maybe a warm sweater or blanket to wrap him up with warmth, representing “A Hug”. Maybe a family photo to display, reminding him of those who “Love” him or maybe a photo hung on the wall of a favorite place, where he vacationed or relaxed. Memories are always special and bring some “Comfort and Joy.” Or even funny socks, if he enjoys humor, to share a “ Smile🙂” each time he wears them.

I bought my mom a digital display clock (American Lifetime but there are other brands). It was the size of a tablet, and it displays in large letters the Day, Date, Time, and morning, afternoon, or evening). You can program it to sound an alarm and the display will change for one minute with a reminder such as "Take your Medication". This worked like a charm for my Mom.
An Amazon Echo device is also a perfect gift because he can ask Alexa questions, play any music he loves, find out about the latest news, etc. A great feature is that you can program it from your phone to set alarms for him to wake up or set up reminders for anything you want.
If he's hard of hearing and refuses to wear hearing aids, get him a wireless headset for TV watching so he's not blasting the TV.
A key finder keychain if he's always losing his keys.
A microwaveable heating pad for aches and pains.
A lamp with bright led lighting next to his reading chair.
A standing food order one day a week from his favorite food place.

There are quite a few companies that make personalized things such as warm blankets, sweatshirts, mugs, etc. Just google 'personalized blankets' and you choose the company you like and they guide you through making whatever you want. I did a blanket for my DH that had the names of all the grandkids on it and 'wrapped up in love' as the main wording. It came out beautifully, it's warm, it's practical and the kids love to pick their names out of the blanket. (It repeats the names over and over in a pattern.) They also will put pictures on the blanket.

When my dad was still living alone I made him small frozen meals. When I cooked things that I know he liked that would freeze well, I’d make up a portion for him. He was living on canned soup and TV dinners at that point and the homemade stuff (especially ethnic dishes from his heritage that were much too complicated for him to cook) were a nice treat for him. He lived an hour away so when we went to see him I’d load up a cooler with all the goodies to take to him.

Warm clothes and socks for winter.

I found working on 100 to 350 PCS Puzzles works great. I get it started and help out off and on. She wouldn't admit it, but she loves it. Says she helping me out. :)

Something to make his laugh. That can be repeated.... possibly stuffed animal that talks and can be faastened to his favorite chair

The Alzheimer's store has many gifts and dependent on the capabilities of your dad, you can probably find something. My mom loved the music maker. She only had to lift the lid on to hear music. It's loaded with old time big band music, but can be loaded with anything. No buttons or stations to scroll through. I eventually got her the dog and cat that respond to voice and touch. She thought they were real, which seems strange, but they gave her great pleasure.

If a loved one with dementia has a hobby that they can still enjoy, giving them something along that line is helpful.

We give my MIL who has advanced dementia short photo albums with pictures of the family throughout the year. We label each picture with names, relationships to her, the activity and date.

She also enjoys fruit arrangements, flowers and meals from a local restaurant that delivers.

Suggestions for warm clothing. Reading through this, there seems to be a number of people dealing with loved ones who are cold, and this has just started with my husband-it was never an issue before.
What brand(s)of clothing are toasty? Would an electric lap blanket be useful when he's watching tv? This house is an old victorian, and can get drafty at times. I have hot water bottles for his feet in bed and thick flannel sheets. Electric socks?
What snacks seem to work best-his appetite has been off, and he seems tired of the Pepperidge Farm goldfish, not too interested in chips or pretzels. Are there mildly spiced, crunchy exotic snacks to try?
The digital picture frames look nice, would that be a good gift?

How about a teddy bear

I got my Sweetie a 100 piece puzzle of our cats (made from a photo). We also do coloring, stickers (sticker by number, like the old paint by number books), and checkers. All can be ordered on line. If you want company names, etc., get in touch with me. Don't think this is the place for advertising.

NUGGET3268: Imho, an elder appreciates more than anything something that you can do for them, e.g. sweeping a floor, etc. as they no longer require trinkets. My late mother told me this.

I give my dad clothing or other things he would not splurge on his own. He has been frugal all his life and would never pay for a nice cashmere sweater, or a nice flannel shirt, or a good pair of shoes, gloves, scarves and other things he needs thus we give him as gifts he can wear. He enjoys it.