Your mom wants something surprising for the holidays this year. And so does your dad. In our holiday gift survey, we asked parents and grandparents to reveal the number-one present they hope to find under the tree this season. What they told us is going to make your holiday shopping very merry and bright.
In past years, you probably spent a lot of time searching online and in stores for the perfect Christmas gift ideas for parents and Christmas gift ideas for grandparents. This year, there’s no need to stress out about it because you’ll know exactly what to buy.
So what do mom and dad want you to get them? And what do grandparents want for Christmas? In our survey, we asked 1,000 of them (250 of each — moms, dads, grandmothers, and grandfathers) to share the holiday present they really want this season — and what they don’t want. Here’s what they told us; consider these survey findings our gift to you.
Source: Based on a What People Actually Want This Holiday Season survey of 1,000 U.S. adults from October 26, 2022 to October 27, 2022.
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Gift Cards Are the Favorite Gift by Far
The number-one gift requested by moms, dads, grandmothers, and grandfathers is … a gift card! And it wasn’t even close. Gift cards were the most-requested gift across the board.
Almost 33% of respondents picked gift cards as their most-wanted holiday gift. Here’s how it breaks down across the generations:
• Moms: 39%
• Dads: 31%
• Grandmothers: 34%
• Grandfathers: 27%
The Type of Gift Card You Give Makes a Difference
There are all kinds of gift cards to choose from, including gift cards for restaurants, stores, and airlines, to name just a few. So, as you get ready to shop and celebrate the holidays without blowing your budget, which type should you get for your parents and grandparents?
A gift card that can be used anywhere, like a Visa gift card, was the top choice, selected by:
• 45% of moms
• 44% of grandmothers
• 40% of grandfathers
• 38% of dads
The one group that wants a different kind of gift card? Moms ages 35 and up. They preferred a gift card to a retailer like Target, Amazon, or Walmart.
The way gift cards function is similar to how credit cards work, since your parents and grandparents can use them to buy whatever they like. Perhaps that’s why they were so popular in our survey: Your relatives can pick out exactly what they want.
Skip the Fancy Jewelry
You might think mom would be thrilled with luxury goods like an expensive necklace, bracelet, or earrings, but jewelry is actually at the very bottom of her list. When asked the gift they wanted least, most moms (22%) said fine jewelry. Dads agreed — 21 percent chose fine jewelry, such as a watch, as their least favorite holiday gift.
Grandparents also said no thanks to fine jewelry:
• 26% of grandmothers picked it as their least favorite gift
• 21% grandfathers chose at gift they wanted least
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Holiday Gift Ideas for Mom
Here’s what Mom wants most:
• A gift card: 39%
• No gift at all — she just wants to spend time with family: 14%
• An experience (like a concert or vacation): 10%
• Clothes or shoes: 9%
• A homemade gift like a photo collage: 7%
• Electronics: 6%
• Jewelry: 6%
• Home goods: 5%
• Donation to a charitable organization: 3%
• Beauty/Health products: 2%
Holiday Gift Ideas for Dad
Here’s what dad wants most:
• A gift card: 31%
• Electronics: 14%
• No gift at all — he just wants to spend time with family: 12%
• An experience (like a concert or vacation): 12%
• Clothes or shoes: 10%
• Jewelry: 9%
• A homemade gift like artwork: 5%
• Donation to a charitable organization: 4%
• Home goods: 2%
• Beauty/Health products: 2%
If you’re thinking about getting dad the electronics he wants, but you don’t have the cash to pay for the gift upfront, applying for a credit card, and charging the electronics to it, is an option you may want to consider.
Holiday Gift Ideas for Grandmothers
• A gift card: 34%
• No gift at all — she just wants to spend time with family: 22%
• An experience (like a concert or vacation): 12%
• Clothes or shoes: 8%
• A homemade gift like artwork: 6%
• Electronics: 5%
• Jewelry: 4%
• Donation to a charitable organization: 3%
• Home goods: 3%
• Beauty/Health products: 2%
Holiday Gift Ideas for Grandfathers
• A gift card: 27%
• No gift at all — he just wants to spend time with family:14%
• Electronics: 12%
• An experience (like a concert or vacation): 10%
• A homemade gift like artwork: 10%
• Clothes or shoes: 8%
• Donation to a charitable organization: 8%
• Home goods: 5%
• Jewelry: 4%
• Beauty/Health products: 2%
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Who Buys the Best Gifts?
It’s unanimous: Moms, dads, grandmothers, and grandfathers all agree that their spouse or partner is tops when it comes to choosing holidays gifts. No other person even comes close.
Who Gives the Best Gifts?
• Spouse/partner: 37%
• Parents: 18%
• Friends: 10%
• Siblings: 9%
• Other relatives: 9%
Whose Gifts Rate the Worst?
Ranking at the bottom of the best gift-giver list: In laws and bosses. Only 4% of respondents said their mother-in-law and father-in-law give good gifts, and just 1% said their boss does.
Regifting is Real — and It Can Be Pretty Awkward
There’s a lot of regifting going on: 41% of our respondents admitted they’ve done it. But when the tables are turned on them, things can get a little uncomfortable. Fortunately, many have a sense of humor about it.
Almost 1/3 of Moms Have Been Regifted a Gift They Gave First
• 68% thought it was funny
• 32% were hurt, annoyed, or mad
Yet this didn’t deter them from doing it themselves: 38% of moms have regifted what they didn’t want. Most of these unwanted gifts were from friends.
Almost Half of Dads Have Been Regifted a Gift They Gave
• 71% thought it was funny
• 28% were hurt, annoyed, or mad
Dads are even more likely than moms to regift: 47% of them have done it — mainly with presents from distant relatives.
Lots of Unwanted Gifts Are Sitting in a Closet Someplace
When they get a Christmas present they don’t want or need, the overwhelming majority of respondents said they hang onto them, rather than exchange them. This was the answer chosen by:
• 80% of grandmothers
• 79% of moms
• 74% of grandfathers
• 70% of dads
So Whose Gifts Do They Take Back?
Of those parents and grandparents who return or exchange gifts:
• Moms are most likely to return gifts from friends
• Dads are most likely to return gifts from parents or other relatives
• Grandmothers are most likely return gifts from distant relatives
• Grandfathers are most likely to do return gifts from distant relatives or coworkers
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Plenty of Moms and Dads Are Wishing for a Vacation
If you splurge and get your parents a trip as their holiday gift, expect them to waste no time in packing their bags. Of the moms and dads who chose an experience as the gift they most want for the holidays, a vacation was at the very top of the list.
While paying for a vacation can be expensive, you might want to think about splitting the cost with your siblings or putting it on your credit card to help cover the cost. This is one reason why getting a credit card can be helpful when you’re buying holiday gifts.
Time Together Might Be the Greatest Gift of All
You may not need to get your parents a lot of presents (besides a gift card, that is!). A number of moms and dads who took our survey said they wanted family time over the holidays more than anything. In fact, for moms, spending time with family is their second most-wanted gift.
For dads, family time came in third. Electronics like gaming systems edged it out slightly.
Grandmothers and grandfathers want to spend time with family most of all. Each of them chose it as their second favorite gift option.
The Takeaway
One specific holiday gift will please your parents and your grandparents this year: a gift card. Not only does this make your shopping easier, but it gives your loved ones exactly what they want. A gift card that can be used anywhere, like a Visa gift card, is what the respondents to our survey wanted most.
If you’re looking for other gift options, dads are partial to electronics, like gaming equipment, and both moms and dads would be happy to find airline tickets for a vacation in their stocking.
As you’re doing holiday shopping for your family, you can get a gift for yourself at the same time. With a credit card from SoFi, you can earn generous cash-back rewards on all purchases.
The SoFi Credit Card offers unlimited 2% cash back on all eligible purchases. There are no spending categories or reward caps to worry about.1
Photo credit: iStock/seb_ra
1Members earn 2 rewards points for every dollar spent on purchases. No rewards points will be earned with respect to reversed transactions, returned purchases, or other similar transactions. When you elect to redeem rewards points into your SoFi Checking or Savings account, SoFi Money® account, SoFi Active Invest account, SoFi Credit Card account, or SoFi Personal, Private Student, or Student Loan Refinance, your rewards points will redeem at a rate of 1 cent per every point. For more details please visit the Rewards page. Brokerage and Active investing products offered through SoFi Securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. SoFi Securities LLC is an affiliate of SoFi Bank, N.A.
1See Rewards Details at SoFi.com/card/rewards.
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