Christmas hamper goods for the elderly?

jackieblack

My darling Grannie, who passed away in August (two months short of her 96th birthday) always liked nice hand cream (she found tubes easier than jars), talcum powder, crystallized ginger, liquorice allsorts and nice biscuits/shortbread.
Jam/marmalade (smaller size jars as previously suggested) also went down well, also warm socks (she got cold feet in bed).

Eenymeeny

I make up hampers to raffle for a local charity. The people who would be recipients of the hampers are mainly men of various ages over 60. (Please, that is not old!) A lot of them have said that 'they don't bother about Christmas or go to family over the holiday period' So I try to add little things that they might use if they had an unexpected visitor. Like a small iced bar fruit cake, half a dozen mince pies, small bottle of wine, box of chocs, nice biscuits, nuts, crisps etc That way if they do get someone popping in they don't feel that they have nothing to offer and if not they can pass them on as gifts or enjoy them after Christmas when the weather is often not nice for venturing out.

mumps

I am starting to realise why my kids say I am hard to buy presents for. I don't like Christmas cake, mince pies or Christmas pudding. I hate brandy butter or that sort of thing. I hate anything with marzipan. I don't want boxes of chocolates as there will probably be half of them that I don't like. Smellies make me itch. I don't drink alcohol or smoke. I don't like marmalade or honey but I do like jam. I don't like tinned salmon of any variety and cheese gives me migraines. I like the tea and coffee I always use and don't like drinking chocolate. I also like chocolate biscuits so that's my hamper then jam and chocolate biscuits. Sounds a bit unimaginative, oh I like licorice all sorts. That's all right then. I must apologise to my kids as I always deny that I am hard to buy for and now I realise I am a nightmare.

Just had a thought and realised I need a fresh fruit hamper, that would be lovely.

meritaten

Spinkz wrote: »

You're a fellow Walian as well! I'm from Newport :cool: i didn't even consider cheese for a hamper. My parents are close friends with a farmer who makes Caerphilly and loads of other cheeses. I often nick some from my mums fridge to put on my chips :rotfl:

Thinking of that, i could probably get some cheese at mates rates or even free!

hi Spinkz! wow its taken you long enough to work out I am a Valleys girl! give you a clue to where I live 'its the only village in Wales with a French name'.
I think you are now my new BFF! your parents friend makes his own Caerphilly Cheese? I purchased some 'authentic' cheese from a local Tresco - and it was rubbish! do they sell at any local farmers markets or have a farm shop - because if so - then I would love to try some.

Joannemarie1977

I love sherry - and I'm 38!

Butterfly_Brain

We always do the outlaws (FIL 87 MIL 83) a hamper at Christmas and put in lots of little treats that they love such as choccie biscuits (usually the Aldi Belmont ones, much nicer than Cadbury ones) Sweet treats such as fudge, After 8's matchmakers, chocolate orange, Maltesers etc. They both love crosswords so we get them a crossword book each. They are not really drinkers but FIL loves a couple of bottles of Manns Brown Ale and MIL likes a drop of Aldi Baileys.
Aldi do a lovely bar of 85% Ginger chocolate there are five small bars in an outer it is £1.19 but a lovely treat, they wouldn't spend that on chocolate normally.
I also put in a couple of cartons of semi skimmed UHT milk.

MIL loves gardening and FIL finds that his hands are dry so I always put in some intensive handcream.

Both feel the cold so a hot water bottle and some thermals go in as well

I love the idea of a jigsaw JackieO, they used to do them a lot, so I think I will get them a nice one this year

candygirl

It's such a lovely idea making hampers was for the elderly, but I also got a tear in my eye about the cracker idea I can't bear to think of anybody alone at Xmas, elderly or not

System

meritaten wrote: »

hi Spinkz! wow its taken you long enough to work out I am a Valleys girl! give you a clue to where I live 'its the only village in Wales with a French name'.
I think you are now my new BFF! your parents friend makes his own Caerphilly Cheese? I purchased some 'authentic' cheese from a local Tresco - and it was rubbish! do they sell at any local farmers markets or have a farm shop - because if so - then I would love to try some.

I take it its Fleur de lis? The part of Newport i'm in also has a French name! We live like 20 minutes away from eachother. Stick the kettle on and i'll bring the cheese

System

We're doing the hamper shop next week. I'll update after we've done it. I'm not going to put in single crackers though, that is awful thinking of someone pulling a cracker on their own

PasturesNew

Spinkz wrote: »

I'm not going to put in single crackers though, that is awful thinking of someone pulling a cracker on their own

Can't think why not .... people on their own won't be buying a whole pack of 12, so, on the flip side, maybe you're depriving them of even having one!