~Holiday Gift Suggestions For Homebound 'Mighty Oak'???

[Believe51]

HELP I am at a loss, I ususally never ask him what he wants for Christmas but I did this year and with no help from him (he said maybe his health which if I could of I would have bought him 2006!!). He has spent much time in the house lately and is going stir crazy, not to mention that he gets lonely without me bothering him like the weekends..LOL! You know the drill...home all day, nothing on ALL cable stations, too sick to leave the house, too fatigued to have a hobby. His fingers are not the same so he cannot even play his guitars, the keyboards, video games etc. His eyes will not allow him to read anything at this time, the newspaper is all he can handle. This man is a very sick little boy right now as he wages to win a war and I need to make comfortable while he trudges forward.

Any ideas of what I could get him?? He always gives such wonderful gifts to me. With another growth ring coming up (hehe) I wanted to make this holiday season special for him. We are working on time we did not expect to get and I think of that as a gift in itself. Only things missing are the gifts under the tree.

What did you want when you were homebound, fatigued and under the weather?? Something NOT cancer related. And Pink....he does not eat chocolate..LOL!!>>Believe

PS: I did not want to bother anyone with this but I am totally in the dark.

[Colleen007]

Does he already have an iPod? I got one for my first Christmas after being diagnosed and listen to it all the time. You can fill it with your own music CD's (after importing them into your "iTunes Library") or buy songs from iTunes.

[PinkGirl]

Am I getting a reputation? Someone warned me that this
would happen if I didn't stop talking about chocolate all the
time.

I actually lost my taste for chocolate when I was on chemo.
It was devestating....but thankfully it came back.

I was in the middle of chemo during the Christmas of 2005. The
gifts that I enjoyed the most were magazines ( I couldn't handle
reading a book), and new blankets and throws. I was always wrapped
up in something cozy. I can't think of a "big" gift for Ed because I
don't know him very well.

As a joke, some friends of mine got together and they each wrapped
up a box of Saltine crackers for me. I think I opened about six of
them on Christmas morning. I remember enjoying my "stocking" - lots
of little things - socks, lip gloss, scratch tickets (lottery). Sorry I can't
think of anything else. I'll post again if I think of more. Too bad about
the chocolate............184

[Jeanette]

If the " Mighty Oak cannot read at this time, how about a talking book. Just a thought, Hugs, Jeanette

[StephN]

Large print books or Reader's Digest.
Does your local library carry these?

Also, what about a very good quality magnifying glass with a light? My grandparents had one for each and it made their lives so much richer to be able to read or see things better. (I snagged one of those when I was helping mom clean out their house and find it handy!)

How about some very comfortable shoes he can wear instead of slippers all the time. Merrill is a good brand for something like that and they can be ordered on line. If the size is not right, easy to exchange. I got my hubby's from Altrec.com.

Hope this will help.

[Jean]

Does he enjoy old movies...my husband is a history buff, especially with the old black and white WW 1 and 11 movies....cowboy movies,
some Alfred Hitchcock classic thrillers....

[Mary Anne in TX]

Is there something he has always wanted to learn about? I went nuts with old movies, history channel DVDs, and birds! Maybe you could "feed" a postponed hobby!
Do you have old pictures around the house that could do with some scrap booking in a fun way.
Has he ever written down his childhood?
Does he have a lap top?
Turn your "little girl mind" loose to explore some way out ideas for your guy! Maybe wrap yourself up! Your his bestest gift, you know!
You will think of just the right thing at just the right time!
ma

[Mary Jo]

Hi Marie,

This may sound sappy BUT I think it's a wonderful gift idea. As a matter of fact I think it would be a great gift for each of you to do for each other. For that matter it would be a great gift for each of us to give our loved ones. It doesn't cost a cent. It will require some thinking and pulling things out of your heart. It will also require typing or writing.

My suggestion for you Marie is this................I suggest you write your "mighty oak" a letter telling him how much you love him...........telling him what you love about him.................writing about those "memories" and the things you find so special.

I know....I know.....it won't cure his boredom BUT I can't think of anything for that. Maybe puzzles - puzzle books - I just can't think of anything for that.

It's just something special. Something that will show your "mighty oak" (not that he doesn't already know what a wonderful wife he has and how much you love him) what a true "gift" he is to you.

Sorry for being a "sap!" I think it's a great idea. I'm giving that to my husband for Christmas and am also giving a letter from my heart to each of my son's and one to each of their wives.

Hope that helps.

Hugs Marie,

Mary Jo