What Your Adult Kids Actually Want: The Holiday Gift Guide

Parents, let’s be honest — shopping for your grown kids is hard. They have their own homes, their own tastes, and they always say “don’t get me anything.” So I went straight to the source.

I asked you on Instagram: what’s the best gift your parents have given you as an adult, and what would you love to get? With over 100 responses, the answers were so good.

Here’s the short version: your adult kids don’t want more stuff for the sake of stuff. They want the things they’d never splurge on, the bills they’d love a break from, and time with you. Below is every idea, sorted so you can shop fast.

Memberships & subscriptions

This was the most popular answer, hands down. Costco alone came up again and again. Several of you said your parents renew it every single year, and you love it every single time. It’s a gift they’ll use every week.

• Costco or Sam’s Club membership (an Executive upgrade is a nice bonus)
• Amazon Prime or Walmart+ for a year
• AAA or AARP membership for peace of mind on the road
• Unlimited car wash subscription
• Streaming for a year: Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, or Kindle Unlimited
• Coffee subscription: I just heard about Trade Coffee – expert selected coffee + you get a free bag of coffee when you order the Discovery Trial.
• Meal kit subscription: We love Home Chef in my house. Or for something a little unusual and fun, try Wildgrain for delicious breads and bakery items delivered right to their door.
• Annual pass to a local museum, zoo, botanical garden, or farm so the whole family can go all year

Cash & gift cards

Let’s be honest: cash was a top answer. Lots of you apologized for it, but there’s no shame here! Young families have real bills, and a little help goes a long way. If handing over a check feels too plain, give it a purpose.

• Money toward a big-ticket need like new tires, an appliance, or a kid’s sports fees
• Grocery gift cards
• Airline or hotel gift cards for the kids who just want to travel
• Oil change certificates or a full car detail
• A gift card to a nice restaurant for date night
• Gift cards for a fun class like pottery, stained glass, or writing
• A big Costco gift card to stock up on the boring stuff

Experiences & tickets

So many of you said the same thing: no more stuff, just memories. One mom’s family even agreed to give experiences only. Bonus points if the gift covers the whole family, so the kids get to come too.

• Theater tickets or season tickets to a local Broadway touring series
• Concert tickets
• Tickets to a college or pro ball game
• A family outing “on them”: Dave and Busters (get a $50 gift card for $42 with code DBGAME42), the zoo, a Christmas show, Topgolf, or the movies
• A spa day or couples massage gift card
• A class to take together, or a show or dinner out
• Ancestry DNA kit for a fun one to open together

The gift of time & help

This one might be the most meaningful section of all. Grandparents, listen up: so many moms said they’d love babysitting help but feel like they can never ask. Offering is the gift. These cost little (or nothing) and mean everything.

• Date night babysitting coupons, like a monthly date night where you watch the kids
• A weekend away for the couple while you keep the grandkids
• A night at a hotel or indoor waterpark for the whole family
• A stack of homemade freezer meals, plus a nice set of freezer containers
• A cleaning service, even once a month (or a weekly vacuum-and-mop, if you’re feeling generous)
• A year of lawn or garden care
• Hands-on help: fixing up their house, doing a load of laundry, or tackling a project together
• A meal delivery subscription Home Chef Family Menu helps make cooking meals the whole family will enjoy so much easier.
• Lessons for the grandkids, like piano with Grandma
• Simply time together. A really nice dinner out with just you, your grown kids, and their partners

Nicer than they’d buy themselves

If there was one phrase I saw over and over, it was some version of “things I love but won’t splurge on myself.” Moms put everyone else first. This is your chance to spoil them with the upgrade they keep talking themselves out of.

• Really nice sheets
• Fluffy new towels – I love Target’s oversized bath towels.
• A luxury throw blanket – use code JESSICAT and save!
• A Coop pillow, or go big with a new mattress and bed frame – John and I have a Helix mattress and we are obsessed.
• Fancy skincare or money toward a skin treatment. For body care, I am loving this set from Osea. Get them this It-List from Elemis.
• Luxury bath, hair, and nail goodies
• Their favorite chapstick: John and I both love this Talova lip balm.
• Cozy slippers: I like the look and quality of these UGG slippers at DSW.
• UGG boots
• A quality winter coat from North Face or Patagonia. Save 30% on this men’s North Face jacket. This women’s Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket is really nice and popular.
• A down vest with matching mittens (one family gets everyone matching ones!) This women’s vest from Quince comes in six colors and these mittens from REI come in three colors.
• A luxury purse: I purchased this adorable Kate Spade bag and saved a bundle – nearly 70% off!
• Gold hoop earrings
• Nice earbuds
• A Yeti cooler in their favorite color
• A Hatch sunrise alarm clock
• An electric toothbrush (laugh, but people love it!)
• Recovery tools: a massage gun, red light therapy like JOOVV, or compression boots
• Fancy laundry detergent for that “treat yourself” feeling

Home, cleaning & garage upgrades

The practical gifts! These are the things your kids need but keep putting off because there’s always something more urgent. Trust me, they’ll think of you every time they use them.

• A robot vacuum
• A good stick or upright vacuum
• A handheld dustbuster
• A carpet cleaner
• A wall-mounted shop vac
• A power washer
• A backpack leaf blower
• A garage fridge
• A car jump starter kit
• A Skylight digital calendar to keep the family organized
• A big stock-up box of essentials: toilet paper, paper towels, laundry pods, dishwasher tabs, trash bags, and paper plates. Several of you asked for exactly this, and it’s a gift every busy household will use.

Kitchen favorites

The kitchen is where so many of these moms spend their days, so it’s no surprise it got its own list. A lot of you mentioned replacing dishes from your wedding registry. Ten years in, they’ve earned an upgrade!

• Luxury hand towels: Geometry towels are the only hand towels allowed in my home. Use code TURNER15 to save 15%
• An espresso machine (one mom said it’s the only thing she wants this year)
• A coffee maker
• A KitchenAid stand mixer: Without question, my KitchenAid is one of my favorite appliances. I love how sturdy it is, how it has a higher capacity for making bigger recipes and how easy it is to use.
• An air fryer: We have Ninja’s glass air fryer and are loving it so far.
• A bread maker
• A slow cooker
• An outdoor pizza oven
• A really good chef’s knife
• A new dish set, or start a Fiestaware collection they can add to each year
• Nice cocktail glasses
• Glass food storage containers
• A glass cup with a lid and glass straw
• A holiday platter and seasonal kitchen towels
• A tea or coffee advent calendar
• A steak or meat delivery box, like Omaha Steaks
• A box of fun, name-brand snacks they wouldn’t buy for themselves

Backyard & outdoors

For the kids who live on the sidelines of ball games or out on the back patio, these are the gifts that make everyday life a little cozier.

• Comfy sideline chairs for watching kids’ sports, like Kickback Rocker chairs
• Stadium seats for bleachers
• A patio heater
• A Blackstone grill
• A standing-height cedar garden bed for vegetables or flowers
• A Gardyn indoor garden tower
• A walking pad for indoor steps on rainy days

Travel

The travel answers came with the biggest exclamation points. Whether it’s a plane ticket home or a whole family vacation, this is the gift they’ll still be talking about years from now.

• A family trip together, with you and the grandkids along for the ride
• Airfare to visit family they don’t see often
• Airline miles or an airline gift card
• A weekend getaway for just the two of them
• A packing set or quality luggage set to go with the trip

Sentimental keepsakes

These were the answers that made me tear up. A few of you shared gifts from parents who are no longer here, like a handmade Christmas tree skirt that comes out every year. The things made by hand, or full of family history, are the ones that last.

• A family recipe book with their childhood favorites written in, plus blank pages to add their own
• Cookbooks from Mom, with notes in the margins
• A family history book or a record of your family traditions
• Something handmade, like a quilt, tree skirt, or ornament
• Art that captures a memory, like a custom house portrait or a painting of a favorite family place
• A book picked out just for them, a tradition one dad does every year

The bottom line

When I read through every answer, one thing was clear. Your adult kids want to feel seen. They want the help they’re too proud to ask for, the treat they won’t buy themselves, and more time with you. Pick one idea from this list, add a handwritten note, and you’ve nailed it.

Which of these would you want most? Tell me in the comments, and share this post with the parents in your life who need a little help this year!