Everywhere you turn, retailers are offering up Cyber Monday gift ideas. I happen to be in the market for a holiday gift for my elderly mother. When asked, of course she tells me she has everything she could ever want or need, but that won’t stop me from trying to find the perfect present to knock her (supportive) socks off.
I have never been to, nor will I ever attend, a Black Friday door-buster event. Luckily for me (and you), Cyber Monday provides many excellent deals to be had from the comfort of my (and your) own keyboard. Here’s a few that I found.
Digital Photo Frame — Best Buy
As the family gets bigger, there’s no more room on surfaces for conventional photo prints in traditional photo frames. I wanted to find a digital picture frame that was easy to set up, loaded photos quickly, had good quality resolution, and decent internal memory. Best Buy came through with their VistaQuest 8″ Digital Photo Frame in Espresso, on sale for $29.99 (down from $79.99.) It scored a 4.1 out of 5 stars from its reviewers and 87% of customers would recommend this product to a friend. Will my normally tech-averse mother like it? At that price, I’ll take the chance. And she’ll get to see a changing array of photos of her favorite people without taking up more precious table space.
E-Reader — Amazon.com
She’s a voracious reader, and it pains me to see my mother struggle with diminishing eyesight. My mother has nearly exhausted all the large-print books the local library offers, and it’s hard for me to keep track of what she’s read so far. What to do? An e-reader like Amazon’s Kindle holds thousands of books, is lightweight, and gives the reader font-size control. The very basic version is listed at $79, does not come with a power adapter and, most importantly, does not have a built-in light. The Kindle Paperwhite is the next step up in Kindle e-readers and it provides improved resolution and the all-important backlight, but at $119, I think I’ll pass unless I see it deeply discounted.
Warm and Cozy Throw — Wayfair.com
Chicago winters get cold and seniors tend to feel the chill more than others. I wanted to splurge on cashmere but I have to be somewhat frugal as well. Wayfair.com carries Cashmere Republic’s Signature Waterwave Cashmere/Wool Throw in a variety of colors on sale for $132.99 (a 26% savings.) One reviewer says it feels like being wrapped in a large cashmere sweater. Just the effect I was looking for!
Fragrance — Department Stores; Beauty retailers
Chanel No. 5 will never find itself on a discount list. Everywhere I look, the 1.7 oz. Eau de Toilette spray comes in at $78. My goal is to find the online retailer that will offer me free shipping and maybe a little extra gift that I can use as a stocking-stuffer for my daughter or a special little gift for myself. Sephora not only offers free 3-day shipping on purchases over $50, but also give you a Cyber Monday Mystery Bag containing 7 free samples when you use the code: SURPRISE at checkout. Macy’s gives me 3 sample fragrances along with a choice of a free silver or gold clutch along with free shipping. Unfortunately, my purchase doesn’t qualify for the store-wide 15% Cyber Monday discount. Nordstrom Online also doesn’t offer any discount on Chanel, but gives me an option to add 3 of a variety of beauty samples, including Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. All the sites charge IL sales tax.
Of course, the most important gift we can give the elderly is the gift of our time. If you find yourself too far from home to give the gift of family caregiving, consider contacting a quality home care agency who can provide companionship care for your senior loved one. And don’t forget those important caregivers on your holiday shopping list!
