I see you live in Iowa. I live in NY and we have a tradition to go and see the Rockets (sp?) every year. Maybe you can start a tradition like that with your son and daughter-in-law. It is a win-win situation. Everyone enjoys themselves and it is a nice relaxing day.

I always give an ornament and I think it's a lovely idea.

my sister would cut about 3/4" off the bottom of the tree and date it.
I started collecting the Sworowski (spelling) snowflakes, till I got laid off.
I bought my son for his first Christmas a Waterford crystal tree top.

When my daughter was young she wanted her own Nativity set. So I started her with the Fontanini set of the Baby, Mary and Joseph. My father built her a little wooden manger. Each year she gets a new figure. She is up to 25 figures for her set. She bought herself one of the wall pieces, so she has an entire village around the manger. You could quilt a table topper to put the pieces on. Make it with brick and rock and grass printed fabric to make the roads and fields of the village.

I started buying Waterford crystal ornaments for my kids and grands years ago....didn't really think they would be a "big deal", but as each one has left home, they have made sure to collect "their" ornaments from Mom and Dad. I also get the new babies the Waterford pram ornaments; and as each one gets married, the couple's first ornament is the "our first Christmas" ornaments.I ask each year if they want something different and the answer is always no....so I guess that's what they'll get from me until I go away from here....

I love the ornament idea. Through the years you end up with special ornaments that you wouldn't buy for yourself.
Even hand made ornaments would be nice. I have my big tree and then 2- three feet ones that I put only hand made ornaments on. I put one tree in the kitchen and one in the dining room.

my family loves to doodle and several are very good at drawing tho their styles differ widely so I thought I would buy some kind of tablecloth that we could do that on and date each addition and use from year to year even if all they do is sign their name. Anyone have suggestions on the material to use?

Every year grandma made the grandchildren a handmade ornament. We have 3 children so as they were born we ended up with 3 ornaments. When I first got married we could not afford to buy alot of ornaments so I had made stuffed ones out of felt which I still use today. I added grandmas ornaments for the kids and any ones they made me at school to our tree. It is not a fancy theme tree but with each ornament I remember the occasion or the giver and smile. I could not part with any of these as they are so precious.

Does the couple have a shared hobby, fav animal, interest, etc? Perhaps an annual ornament from Hallmark. Or one that depicts an event in their past year? I love Hallmark ornaments!
sandy

Please don't think me a ba hum bug but I (strictly for me) do not care to have "items" as gifts.

My ExMIL gave us items for special occasions but when the marriage ended, there was a "what to do with these" because they had been given to "both" of us. We stuck most of them in boxes for when the kids were grown but then they didn't want anything to do with the "items" as they had no meaning to them. I ended up giving them to Goodwill.

The "things" that still carry happy memories are the "things" we DID together. Nothing beats a memory to me. I loved going to the musicals and Christmas concerts and treasure those memories.

Hopefully your son and daughter in law will stay together forever and ever. I'd give them special memories together if you are nearby by giving concert tickets or something similar.

In the end, stuff is stuff and memories are forever.