What do you get your loved one for Christmas?

Speak to staff at the nursing home and make the request that this blanket be kept for her use only. Of course it must be marked clearly also. I did this and had no problem so far.

Jocelyne, sounds like a lovely gift. Why not make one of the photos a photo of a nicely written or embroidered panel that says this quilt belongs to Jane Doe, or Jane Doe's quilt, or with love to grandma Jane Doe, that way the label is worked into the quilt. You could include her picture too, but maybe make the name part prominent so it is clear to everyone. Although knowing staffs they might not look at that so on the underside could write her name with permanent marker in addition.

Jocelyne -- I don't know what to tell you except to mark it with her name on a large label with her room # too. I don't know why they would "mix up" and give another resident someone else's blanket with family pictures on it. I guess it depends on how "on the ball" the housekeeping staff is and how big the nursing home is. Or you can decide to start doing Grandma's laundry yourself, which is what I am planning to do now that it looks like my Mom will be in long term care. If not, labeling is the only answer really.

My niece wants to make her grandma a Wal-Mart Photo blanket. I told her I would do all I could to ensure that the Nursing Home would not lose it. It's for her birthday on Jan. 25th. Any secrets about how to make sure blankets don't disappear? This will cost around $40+ .... and would hate to see it disappear. They do the laundry on the premises.

I gave Mom another plush blanket so I can take home the one she already has & wash it. She loves it & jokes every time that it is big enough for her & her boyfriend. Proof that she believes she is 20 & not 95. :)

I wrapped up some of his favorite things from his "stashes" he was thrilled

i took my aunt a very realistic cat..not one of those breathing ones you see often. this cat is life size and uses a battery which causes it to purr, open its eyes, close his eyes, lick its'paw, roll over on its back and get up again. It doesn't do these all ar once, It will sit quiety..then open and shut his eyes, then meow, the wash his paw, etc. The staff loves it and took it around to show others. It is often mistaken for a real cat. My aunt loves it. marymember

Llamalover: How sad you feel this way about gifts. Yes, they do need a lot of services, but an appropriate gift pertaining to the person's needs, likes, comfort, etc. is great even if they can only enjoy it "in the moment."

Mom got a warm blanket, warm socks, a nice turtleneck, cookies and candy.

My cousin, who is in Memory Care, can't focus on much, but she had pointed out a pair of purple sneakers that she really liked in the doctor's office lobby some time ago. It's rare for her to do that. So, I got her a pair of purple sneakers and she really liked them. I put them on her and she propelled herself around in her wheelchair using her feet.

I also got her a new doll. Her old one is missing. She held the doll and began kissing her. We also gave her socks and a nightgown, but the hit of the day was the meal I took consisting of sausage, egg and cheese biscuit and Diet Coke. That was her favorite.

Disagree with all gifts. ELDERS NEED SERVICES.

I got mom a new watch and my sister got mom some warm sweat pants. I need to take some links out of the watch because mom has lost about 40 pounds and now only weighs 83 pounds. Hopefully the pants will help keep her warm.

What a great uplifting post, Honoriaalice! It lifts my spirits to know that you had a wonderful visit with your family for the holidays. You are truly blessed.

Oh don't start me on texting .... I so have the urge to throw my DIL phone in the nearest bucket of water - or Mums commode. What great family you have Alice and good show grandsons xxxx

Some excellent suggestions, and yes, the gift of your presence is the most important aspect of giving, and not just being there, but being involved with them; not texting while visiting! My family has already had their get-together for Christmas and It is great to see most of my descendants, down to the youngest at six months of age. I am the matriarch, and at 92 am never sure if I will see another Christmas, so it was wonderful to be with them. Thanks to the son who picked me up in my wheelchair; and my two sturdy grandsons who carried me in the wheelchair up the steps into the house!

Enough of that you gals.... I'm jealous! lol

Yogagirl, My father used to take us to the Huntington Library in San Marino so much I thought that was where our family lived. We had the paintings BlueBoy and Pinkie above our fireplace. Its free on the first Thursday if you can call for tickets on a certain day each month. A limited quantity of tickets are available
for February 2016, if you call right at 9:00 a.m. on January 2nd, 2016.

I love the gardens, and the arbor.

Enjoyed reading Garden's posts with CentralM. After a long day, I am remembering lovely English gardens! Here in Los Angeles I love the gardens at the Huntington Library. The rose garden, the camellias... the tearoom.

My mom doe not have dementia
She likes word search books as a way to pass time.
She also has a sweet tooth, no diabetes or weight issues - so a box of chocolates is fun for a daily treat well into January.....best thing is she does not mind if she gets the same thing from other people. I stay away from clothes - her closets have too many already

I got my mom three new tops. I go to a truly awesome discount store in Brooklyn that sells last year's Old Navy and Land's End tops for $3 to $ 5 each. These are wonderfully soft cotton and I think mom will love them. Still looking for a cardigan with pockets, though....

There are a few areas in SE Michigan that have special decorations. Since I can't post URLs with dot com in them, I'm P'M'ing them to you.

The Hines park lightfest is a notable one.

Oops - I just lost all the links in a PM. Will get to it later.

Jude, I'm so glad that you're enjoying these discussions. May I conjure up another image for you?

I used to work in downtown Detroit, sometimes taking the train, sometimes taking the bus. During the winter it was often dark when I arrived. But greeting me and the other bus riders was the site of the massive tree that had been brought in and placed in the center median of the primary north/south trunkline highway, right in the Central Business District (CBD).

In the dark, on those cold days, the tree was like a beacon, it's multi-colored strings of lights spreading light in all directions, providing a cheery image for arriving workers in those otherwise dark and sometimes cold and gloomy hours. I always enjoyed arriving downtown and seeing those lights, crossing the street and entering into the warmth of the skyscraper buildings where I worked. It was like a homecoming every time I went to work.

What fabulous pictures you conjure up for me and GA? wonderful ideas and yes gardening is what we do indoor and out!

With Mom being in the NH now, gifts are pretty limited. She's on fluid restrictions, so no pop or soda (which she loves), she's also in stage 4 kidney failure, so salt is limited (and she'd love a bag of chips or something salty). She has limited space for knick knacks, and what space she has is already filled.

I did put up a small Christmas tree and brought in the motorized snowglobe candle I bought her a couple of years ago - which she loves. (So does the staff!) I'll probably see if I can get her a few more nightgowns. She goes through 2-4 of them a day now with her incontinence issues, and they occasionally disappear for a few days if the staff screws up and puts them in the laundry. At $30 each, they're not cheap, but they're the only nightgowns she can wear. Maybe some new slipper socks.

What great ideas here. So often it's difficult to buy gifts for a person with advanced dementia. My cousin has very poor memory, but she knows what she likes in the moment. I've ordered her the purple sneakers she had a fit over previously. I think she'll like them, though, she is attached to her current pair. I'm including some nice socks and a new doll. I'm also going to take her her favorite meal of sausage, egg and cheese biscuit and a diet Dr. Pepper.

CM, I did check out the site - so many memories. I've been flashing back to when I was a child and my sister and brother and I walked across the street to one of the 2 corner stores. We gazed in the windows at the little wax treats before we went in to buy. I can still picture our old house and the two little stores just as clearly as if they were across the street from me now.

As I wandered through the website, I also began to get hungry. That's when I hit the chocolate stash. Now I need to be more controlled and put food aside until the next meal!

GardenArtist: They were indeed the big, swirly ones! They seemed a lot bigger when we were young though! If you get a chance, check out the whole website -- they have all the old-fashioned candy and nuts you can imagine. I didn't even think about it, but they may even have ribbon candy. I'll have to re-visit the site. Have a great day.

CM, I had forgotten about the mustaches - weren't they big, swirly, handlebar type mustaches, the kind one might see on members of a barbershop quartet?

I'm going to check out that store. It would be nice to see all those things that I had forgotten existed until the last several postings on this thread.

GardenArtist: I googled about the wax lips and coke bottles. Guess what? I found a place in Kittery, Maine. It's called Yummies Candy & Nuts. They have a section that is called "memory candy". They even showed a picture of both items and I saw the lips and even a mustache I used to wear with my friends growing up. I could almost taste them. I even could remember the taste of the sweet liquid in the coke bottles. Wow, what a blast down memory lane. I'm sure you can order on-line (just in case you get the urge)!

GardenArtist: I forgot to thank you for mentioning the Greenfield Village. I haven't been there for quite a few years! Maybe time for a field trip!