What do you get your parents for Christmas?

Going to get them one of those foraging courses.

They like walks in the woods and mushrooms, so ticks 2 boxes.

My old man is now almost impossible to buy for as his various health issues mean he now doesn’t smoke cigars, drink alcohol, eat chocolate or even drink coffee. I had the inspired idea of buying him a quality LED torch, but on visiting them last week he told me how much he liked the one I bought him for Xmas last year… Back to the drawing board!

The merino thermals I got them both the other year appear to have not been adopted into their wardrobes, which is a shame as the old man always seems to feel the cold.

So far we’ve got them a calendar of family photos, mostly grandkids and a couple of their angelic son and daughter in-law and we have also got a nice school photo but its hardly exciting stuff.

What does your dad do all day Steelsreal?

its a good question, not much. Hi hearing has gone and he never wears his hearing aids, he has diabetes so sweets are olut, half his foot was amputated a few years back so walking is out…

it is a nightmare…at this rate he’ll be getting a pompino frame & forks!!!

My dads getting a completely new front end for his old rockhopper (that he had for Christmas 5 years ago). He brought the bike to my house a few months ago for a ride and I was shocked to discover (and im not exaggerating) a full inch of play in the fork stanchions which he had apparantly not noticed!!

So I have got him some pre-loved Judys, a new disc front wheel and a hope mini brake which I found in the garage to replace the v brake which (and Im again not eggagerating) did absolutely nothing. He’s not very mechanically minded and clearly nothing has been adjusted since hes had it 🙂

Lucky Dad – but dont tell him!!!!

Mum is in a care home and does not know what day of the week/year it is
Dad may not see Xmas

When kids our parents could not afford much for the 3 of us so expectations were never that high. When we got married, had kids etc we were in a similar position so parents never expected us to buy for them. We in turn have done the same for our kids, told them to spend their cash on themselves and their kids.
Spending time with them and grand kids is enough for us.

Bizzarely we are buying the in-laws a wi-fi booster because they live in a thick-walled house and have put their router in an alcove in the larder behind some pipework so that it’s ‘out of the way’

You almost have to have line-of-sight with the router before it will connect and upstairs is a guaranteed wi-fi free zone.

I usually end up leaving it to the last minute and going to the 24hr petrol station. So more often than not they get charcoal briquettes, creme eggs and some porn.