LOL, true! This is a great guide for gifts for people over 50.

My husband and I really enjoy gift certificates to restaurants. We can use them when we decide. I mentioned that to my kids last year and now I have a drawer full of certificates. We got them on birthdays, Mother/Father day, anniversary and grandparent day. And we usually ask the kids to go eat with us. LOL

I just bought my neighbors a gift card to the local car wash.

For my aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary, I made a donation to the Cancer Society, since my uncle was battling cancer. For another aunt's 90th birthday, I made a donation to our local library, which I know she is a big supporter of. For my godparents' Christmas, I usually bake them something special; breads, muffins, cinnamon honey butter, candy. They're in their eighties and they don't need "stuff". I think those are good ideas for gifts that "don't take up space".

Over the years, for our elderly family members we have given, 3, 6, 9, or 12 month subscriptions to newspapers; rolls of postage stamps (yes they still pay bills by mail); smaller frozen home made apple pies to bake whenever they want; meatloaf mix in disposable pans for one meal plus sandwich leftovers; a box filled with an assortment of birthday, sympathy and get well cards; and gas gift cards. For our nieces and nephews that can buy whatever they want and are somewhat hard to please, we have made donations to the local food bank in their names.

Thanks everyone for responding. The most popular was a gift certificate to a restaurant. So I went to a lovely restaurant, got a gift certificate and feel that's the best thing as they really don't get out much. There were a lot of envelopes in the "envelope bird cage". They may be eating out A LOT!!!! I hope so because they are so deserving of it. Their 3 children had it at their church, had it decorated absolutely beautiful and had a wonderful spread of food. We had a great time and it was great to see the whole beautiful family.