Getting gifts for your in-laws is one of those incredibly difficult and political challenges. You probably do not know them all that well and you probably have very different interests. But you also want to make a good impression and you do not want to seem as though you have not put thought into the gift. Box of chocolates? Come on, you can do better than that.
Which leads us to an alternative suggestion: using your different ages and interests to your advantage. If they are on the elderly side, chances are that you are a little more tech-savvy than them. They may not be aware of some of the more useful gadgets out there, and yet they may make a great gift!
Memory
Getting memory sticks or SD cards is a great gift for someone, which comes in a range of prices and which you can never have too many of. Whether they use it for backing up data, for having more space for photos on holidays or for increasing the memory of their devices they will prove to be very useful and something like a SanDisk Ultra Micro SDXC 64GB can be enough for them to carry their whole media library in their wallet.
Of course, pen drives can also make useful gifts, and particularly if you can find them in fun and unusual styles. Note though that these are not quite as versatile as SD cards, as they cannot be used in cameras or most phones or tablets.
Now, of course, if you want to go one step further, you can also fill this device with memories for them.
Fun Gadgets
You can also find a range of fun gadgets that your recipients will be sure to love and that will not cost you the Earth and that will have a fun novelty appeal. This could mean for instance a spy camera, a remote controlled helicopter (which you can get surprisingly cheaply), or wrist watches that pack cameras or other funky features and that can make them feel like James Bond. These are great for those father-in-laws that never quite grew up. Meanwhile, moms might enjoy foot massagers, useful kitchen appliances etc.
Getting this wrong can be naff though, so check with your partner before buying.
Alexa/Google Home
I got an Echo Dot for my own parents and it was an absolute smash. My technophobe mother is now finally able to enjoy all the music she likes by asking Alexa to play from Spotify and my Step Dad enjoys dimming lights and doing other things I helped him to set up.
Kindle
If you are feeling on the generous side, then a Kindle can be a fantastic tool for creating a whole world of reading possibilities. And this is one of those excellent examples of a piece of tech designed to be highly intuitive and user-friendly, so you will not be round there constantly ‘fixing it’.
Vouchers
There are a number of different vouchers that anyone can appreciate and this is a brilliant gift to choose because it requires no tech knowledge on your part and because it is something that it is impossible to have ‘too much’ of. Obvious suggestions are any vouchers for technology shops or alternatively even digital vouchers that they can use like iTunes coupons, Play Store vouchers, or Kindle store ones.
Medical Alert System
Do NOT buy this for your 60-something year old parents in law. This is how to be completely condescending!
And anyway, it is not a gift. But, if your in-laws are getting on in years and are not in the best of health, then this is a device you should consider buying for them for their safety and your own piece of mind.
