Grandparents are the hardest people on the Christmas list, and it is not because they are fussy. It is because they have spent forty years acquiring things and have reached the point of wanting fewer of them.
The category that still works is the one that cannot be bought in a shop: something with the grandchildren's names on it.
Start with the names
Almost every good gift here follows the same formula - a useful object, plus the names of the children who love them.
- Photo frames engraved with all the grandchildren's names, with a photo already in it. Do not give an empty frame at Christmas; it turns a gift into a task.
- Mugs with a list of names. These get used every single morning, which is more than can be said for most Christmas presents.
- Coasters, if you want something smaller for a stocking.
For a grandfather
The reliable categories are the ones tied to a routine: an engraved pint glass or tankard, a hip flask, or for something more unusual, a pocket watch engraved on the back. Pocket watches are impractical, which is precisely why they work as a gift - nobody buys themselves one.
For a grandmother
Trinket and jewellery boxes are the strongest category, particularly if there is jewellery to go inside. Engraved vases are the other reliable option, and one with flowers already in it is a complete gift.
For great-grandparents
Keep it simple and keep it light. Something small to hold, with a name and a date on it, beats anything that needs assembling, charging or storing.
What to put on it
This is the one category where a message genuinely improves the gift. Use what the children actually call them - Nanny, Grandad, Nana, Pops - rather than Grandmother. A date works well too: the year each grandchild was born, or simply Christmas 2026.
Check the character limits before you write a list of six names. Most items cap a line at around 15 to 20 characters, and long lists sometimes need splitting across lines.
The gift that is not a gift
Worth saying: the thing most grandparents actually want is time and photographs. A personalised frame works so well because it is both - a gift, and a picture of the people they want to see.
Browse the full personalised Christmas collection, or the photo frame range if you want to start with the safest option.