These are the 7 Best Gifts We’ve Ever Given Our Family Members
From photo albums to Play Stations.
Holiday shopping is in full swing, and although we’re stocking up on gifts for our best friends and ourselves, it’s almost surprising how difficult it can be to get gifts for our families. These are, of course, some of the people you know the best, and it’s precisely because of how intimately we know them that we sometimes (ok, almost always) over-think what we’re gifting them. Sure, you could give mom another candle and your sister another pair of slippers, but there are other, more personal things you could get them, too.
To inspire your holiday shopping, we asked seven HelloGiggles editors about the best gifts they’ve ever given their families. These are the tried-and-true gifts that swept their family members off their feet, so you know they’re good. Hopefully, these picks will inspire you as you search the internet for what to give the person who has everything.
1. Rachel Simon, Deputy Editor
My mom loves puzzles as much as she loves family-centric gifts and experiences, so for her birthday this year, I ordered her a 1000-piece puzzle featuring five photos of our family. She loved putting the pieces together and seeing the images come to life!
2. Claire Harmeyer, Assistant Editor
My mom is all about sentimental gifts, especially when photos are involved. Since my sister was a baby, my family went to a resort on a lake in Northern Minnesota for two weeks every summer. Four years ago, we finally found our own cabin on that same lake, and it’s still the most special place for everyone in my immediate family. After the first two years with our cabin, I compiled pictures from our time there and made a photo album for my mom for Christmas. She was moved to tears and still looks at it all the time. Since another two years have passed, it’s time for me to make another book!
3. Raven Ishak, Senior Lifestyle Editor
My fiancé and I love playing video games together and a few years back, he had his eyes set on the new PS4. So as a complete surprise, I bought him the system for Christmas. He had no idea and was completely taken aback. He plays with it all the time and continues to say it’s the best present I’ve ever given.
4. Pia Velasco, Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor
My mom has always loved accessorizing with silk scarves. For her 50th, I knew I wanted to get her something really special that she’d treasure forever. I was starting to make more money, so I saved up a little (ok, a lot) to get her an Hermés silk scarf. I chose a print that had a world map on it since at the time my sisters and I all lived in different countries and I thought it’d be symbolic for her to be able to carry us close wherever she went. It’s not available anymore, so if I were to gift her a similar gift, I’d go for one with a print of the thing she loves the most: puppies!
5. Morgan Noll, Editorial Assistant
My brother is notoriously picky and bad at receiving gifts—if he doesn’t like something, he’ll come right out and say it. So, a couple of years ago, I wanted to get him something that I knew he would like, and since he listens to music every waking minute of his life, I knew some records and tapes for his ever-growing collection would be a win. To make the right picks, I browsed his Spotify, made a selection based on the artists he had been listening to recently, and picked up some vinyl records from the local store. He was impressed and excited when he opened the present—and I felt a very satisfying sense of accomplishment.
6. Danielle Fox, Social Media Editor
My mom loves Barbra Streisand to the point that she chose Saint Barbra as her Confirmation Name Saint (which is a Catholic tradition where you choose a second middle name by, as you probably guessed, choosing a saint), and she would watch Hello, Dolly over and over again growing up. When the show revival opened on Broadway, I knew I had to take her. I wasn’t making much money at the time at all, so I got my brothers to go in with me on a good ticket for her and also saved up separately to buy one for myself to go with her. She cried during the show. So did the man next to me. I was in a crying sandwich, and it was the best. We can’t wait to support a Broadway show together again and as the song goes, listen to our old favorite songs from way back when.
7. Mackenzie Dunn, SEO Content Writer
Whether it’s in-person or via text, watching TV together is a huge part of my relationship with my mom. But for the longest time, she was watching on a tiny TV because it was all that fit into her very retro media console—one she had since her first apartment. So, for her birthday this year, my fiancé and I decided to upgrade her by getting her a smart TV and new media console. We spent the weekend putting together her new viewing setup and decking it out so she could watch all her favorite shows. Now, every time we’re watching something together, she comments on how happy she is.
