Christmas Gifts for Parents: Joint Presents They'll Share

Christmas gifts for parents who still cook for everyone

In most families the kitchen is where Christmas actually happens, and parents tend to cook with the same tired pans they bought when you were small. Replacing one of them with something properly made is a gift they will feel every single week, long after the decorations are back in the loft.

Think about how they really cook rather than how a catalogue says they should. Parents who feed a crowd want a big casserole and serving pieces that go straight from oven to table. Parents who have downsized want fewer, better things. Either way, enamelled cast iron, good stoneware and heavy cutlery are the safe bets: they look lovely out on the table and they last for decades.

1. 1

   Signature Cast Iron Heart Cocotte - Le Creuset

   Le Creuset's heart shaped cocotte in enamelled cast iron, a little romantic and properly useful for a stew or a cobbler for two. A sweet joint present for parents who have been cooking for each other for decades.

   $185Nordstrom

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2. 2

   Set of 4 Magnetic Acacia Wood Trivets - Le Creuset

   Four magnetic acacia trivets that stack neatly when they are not in use. Handsome enough to leave out on the counter, and they protect the table through every holiday meal.

   $100Nordstrom

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3. 3

   Sofia Rectangular Serving Platter - Juliska

   Juliska's Sofia platter, with an intricate floral border in bright, painterly colours, made for the turkey, the ham or the Sunday roast. The kind of serving piece that becomes part of how the family remembers the holidays.

   $115Nordstrom

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4. 4

   Cobra Stainless Steel Oval Serving Tray - Georg Jensen

   Georg Jensen's Cobra tray in polished stainless steel, with the fluid lines the Danish house is known for. Use it for drinks before dinner or as a centerpiece; either way it looks quietly expensive.

   $260Nordstrom

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For slow mornings and long evenings in

Once the children have left home, a lot of a couple's best time is spent at home: the first coffee of the day, the radio in the kitchen, a film or a book on the sofa with the lamps on. Gifts that make those hours nicer get used constantly and never feel like clutter.

A proper coffee machine is the classic here, and for good reason: it replaces the morning trip to the café and gets used twice a day by two people. A beautiful lamp, a heavy throw or a radio with real knobs all work the same way. They are the small, everyday upgrades parents almost never buy for themselves because the old one still works.

1. 5

   Coco Throw Blanket - UGG

   A heavy, plush throw from UGG in a deep chocolate brown that forgives the odd coffee spill. Big enough for two on the sofa, which is exactly where it will live.

   $98Nordstrom

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2. 6

   Berry & Thread Medium Hurricane Candleholder - Juliska

   A Juliska glass hurricane from the Berry and Thread collection, with its signature pressed berry detail. A pillar candle inside turns the dinner table or mantel into the coziest spot in the house.

   $135Nordstrom

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3. 7

   Metro Radio CD Player - Crosley Radio

   A wood finished radio and CD player for the kitchen counter, with a clean, retro look. Ideal for parents with a shelf of CDs they still love and no wish to move everything to an app.

   $169.95Nordstrom

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4. 8

   Kyoto Serenity - Assouline

   A clothbound Assouline coffee table book of Kyoto's temples, gardens and quiet streets. For parents who keep talking about the big trip, it looks lovely on display and is a gentle nudge to finally book it.

   $105Assouline

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For the garden they never stop talking about

If your parents spend summer evenings outside or know every bird that visits the feeder, the garden is the easiest place to find a shared present. It is also where a joint gift shines, because the best outdoor pieces cost more than most people want to spend alone.

A smokeless fire pit stretches garden evenings well into autumn. A well made pair of hand tools is a pleasure to use for years, and a window feeder brings the birds close enough to watch over breakfast. All three are things they will use together rather than one person's hobby with the other's name on the tag.

Joint presents that bring the family home

The gifts parents tend to treasure most are the ones that pull the family back together. A digital photo frame that every sibling can send pictures to from their phone means new photos of the grandchildren appear on the sideboard all year, with nobody having to remember to print anything.

Something that gives everyone a reason to gather works too: a pizza oven for summer visits, or a turntable so they can finally play the records that have sat in the loft since the eighties. These are also the presents that make the most sense to split, because they belong to the whole family as much as to Mom and Dad.

1. 9

   AT-LP60XBT Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Stereo Turntable with Bluetooth - Audio-Technica

   A fully automatic turntable from Audio Technica: press one button and the arm does the rest. It pairs with Bluetooth speakers or plugs into a stereo, so the old record collection finally comes out of the basement.

   $259Nordstrom

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Joint gifts for parents who have everything

When your parents already own everything they need, the best joint Christmas gifts for parents are the ones that replace something worn out or add a small pleasure to a routine they already have. Ask yourself what they use twice a day, then buy a much better version: the coffee machine, the lamp by the sofa, the pan that does every Sunday dinner.

The other route is a joint present that is really time together. A pizza oven, a fire pit or a turntable gives them a reason to have the family round, and it belongs to both of them, so there is no awkward question of whose present is whose.

How to split a joint present without the group chat drama

Agree the budget before anyone suggests a gift, so nobody feels pushed into spending more than they want to. Then let one person shortlist two or three ideas, put them to a quick vote and have one person do the buying, so you do not end up with three people ordering the same casserole.

Do not let a joint present become the only present. A card from each of you, or one small personal thing alongside the big gift, keeps it feeling personal. And if your parents have mentioned something they would like, take them at their word: a gift that was asked for is far less likely to join the pile of unwanted presents, which 58% of UK adults say they have been given at Christmas.

If you want to keep track of who is putting in what, a shared HintDrop list lets the family see the idea, mark it as bought and chip in together, without anyone doubling up.