Meaningful Gift Ideas I Learned From My Grandmas

December 08, 2017

With the holiday season upon us, many people struggle with whether to search for the perfect gift to buy, make something from the heart or just give cold hard cash. What I learned from my grandmas is that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all question and the answer can change from year to year.

An evolution of gifts

One of the most special people in my life is my Grandma Russell. Even at 95, she is full of life — a few years ago she did her Christmas card picture on my Uncle Ralph’s Harley! For many years my Grandma and Grandpa Russell gave gifts from the heart. Two of my most favorite pieces of memorabilia from Kansas State football and basketball are from them — Grandpa even built a special case for them and I’m reminded of his love every time I sit down to watch a game.

A couple of years later we were all given a Nativity set. Grandpa built the manger and Grandma made all the ceramic figures. No matter how much or little Christmas decorating we do each year, the Nativity set is ALWAYS set up. Those are arguably the most special gifts that I’ve ever received. But life doesn’t always give us the time for those types of gifts.

Meaningful doesn’t have to mean lots of time

Today, my Grandma still does a lot, but with 5 grandkids and 13 great-grandchildren she couldn’t possibly make special gifts for all of us. So with some help from my Aunt Linda, she buys gifts for all of the great-grandchildren, but the grandsons all get the same thing every year: “Crinkly socks.” Socks, because everyone needs them, but there is some cash in there for each of us to use “just on us.”

As a father of two kids, it is kind of liberating to have money that is “just for me.” So much of what I do is geared around helping my kids, doing things for the family, etc. Outside of football tickets and my Orangetheory membership, I don’t tend to do much for myself. So, whether I use that cash for a date night dinner with my wife or a souvenir on a bowl game trip, that cash actually means a lot to me.

Using cash for longer-term impact

The other type of gift is more of a long-term financial gift. That is what my Grandmother Spencer focused on. Grandmother was definitely “thrifty” and when we were kids we didn’t exactly have high hopes for cool gifts from her. What we didn’t understand was the contribution she was making to our financial futures.

Grandmother was a shrewd investor and she loved real estate. She accumulated several tiny rental homes over the years and eventually built a 12 unit building when I was a teenager. When she passed at 102 years old, she left that building and some other properties to my Dad and my cousins — someday that and one of the other properties will help me in my retirement years.

So, while I didn’t care for her gifts when I was 7, at 47 I have a tremendous gratitude for the sacrifices she made for us.

Gift ideas for bigger impact

Most folks aren’t going to snap up tiny rentals across a college town like Grandmother, but they can help their kids and grandkids by taking steps like setting aside money for education in a 529 plan, payments on student loans or making a gift towards a down payment on a house.

How much you give your family is NOT a measure of your love. The tiniest of gifts can be the most lasting. Whether you gift a custom-made item, a purchased gift, cash or a long-term investment, you can find a gift idea that makes an impact on your loved ones for years to come.

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