10 Last Minute Gifts for Grandpa That’ll Make Him a Happy Pappy

Finding the perfect gift for your grandpa can be tough when you have plenty of time to shop, and it only gets harder when you find yourself shopping at the last minute. Luckily, there are plenty of gifts out there guaranteed to make your pappy happy, even if you only have a short time to put your present together.

So let’s not spend any more time chatting – on to the list!

1 - Text a Digital Gift Card

Practical, Personalized Gift for Grandpa That Can Be Sent in Seconds

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Text or email a digital gift card in just a few clicks

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Okay, okay, we understand the concern about sending someone in the greatest generation a digital gift, but hear us out. GiftYa digital gift cards are easy to send and to use, even for those of us who struggle to stay up on the latest technological trends.

As the gifter, you can customize these practical gifts for any occasion. And don’t worry – they’re at the top of many people’s wish lists, so your grandpa will be happy to unwrap it.

Choose from thousands of local and national brands to get started. Add a photo of you and your grandpa together – or even a video clip – to give the wrapping some personal flair. Jot your message, and it’s off. You can send it immediately or schedule it in advance – the choice is up to you.

As the recipient, grandpa can choose how he wants to redeem his gift. He can use it from his smart phone like a digital gift card, or link it to a card he carries every day anyway.

Not sure where to start? Here are some great birthday gift card options to get you started:

• Share a Home Depot gift card so your favorite Mr. Fix-It can stock up for his next project
• Text an Omaha Steaks gift card and treat him to the ultimate dinner in 
• Send a Cold Stone Creamery gift card to sweeten his day

Not feeling the digital options? You can always customize a physical Visa gift card for your grandpa with Gift Card Granny’s build a card feature, too. Just choose a photo of one of your favorite memories together for the front, add a personal message, and a physical card is on its way.

2 - Upgrade His Fishing Gear

For His Me-Time or for Spending Time Together

There’s something special about a day spent out on the water. Getting out early when the lake is as smooth as glass, watching the morning fog burn off as the sun climbs higher and the day goes on. For many people, spending a little bit of time in the serene solitude of nature is what fishing is all about. Well that, and reeling in a fish worthy of starring in their next fisherman’s tale.

Help grandpa toward his goal of getting a prize-winner on the line when you pick up some new fishing gear for him. If you know a thing or two about fishing you can buy him exactly what he needs, but you don’t have to be an expert fisherman to pick up (or even make) some lures for him to use.

Bonus points: go with him on his next fishing trip for a little bit of quality time.

GiftYa Recommends: Buy a Bass Pro gift card so gramp’s next fishing tale is even grander than the last.

3 - Treat Him to His Next WWII History

You Can Never Know Too Much About the Battle of the Bulge

Tell me if this sounds familiar: every time you stop over at grandpa’s house, there’s a war movie or History Channel documentary muted on the tv. His coffee table books? All glossy re-colorized photos of WWII planes, tanks, and automobiles. If this sounds familiar, you’ve got a WWII grandpa on your hands.

It may seem like he knows everything about WWII, but grandpa would probably disagree. Check out the recent releases section at your local bookstore to see if any new histories have hit the shelves. Not sold on hitting the history books? Find grandpa a title on his latest home project or another hobby, whether it’s refinishing furniture or building model ships.

GiftYa Recommends: Pick up a Barnes & Noble gift card so he can find his next favorite title on his own.

4 - Let Him Tell His Story

Gather His Funny Stories and Life Lessons in a Beautiful Hardbound Book

Everyone wants to feel like they’ve made an impact on the world, and as grandpa gets older, he may find himself reflecting on the life he’s lived. Help grandpa preserve his legacy by capturing his stories, adventures, and advice over the course of the next year, and then bind it all into a beautiful keepsake. Sound like a lot of legwork? Don’t worry – that’s where Story Worth comes into play.

Once a week, Story Worth will ask you to select a question for grandpa. Next, they’ll send it to him via email. All he has to do is hit reply. At the end of the year, all of the stories and wisdom grandpa has shared are bound into a keepsake book for you both to cherish. The best part? Getting started takes just a couple of minutes.

So if you’re looking for a thoughtful gift that will let grandpa know how much you care about him and his story.

5 - Custom Garage for His Custom Cars

Make His Garage as Stylish as His Hot Rod

Perfect for the handyman, the weekend warrior, or the vintage car enthusiast. After retirement, grandpa has a lot more time to spend working on his passion projects, whether that means finally knocking out those finicky renovations that will make his house a dream home or tinkering away on a restoration project. Either way, he’ll need the tools for the job.

Consider grabbing a new drill or expansive set of screwdrivers for grandpa to round out his tool collection. Or if he already has what he needs to get the job done, help him give his man cave a makeover with some new decorations for the garage. You could go with the classics – like a cool car calendar  or something shaped like an old gas pump – or make it custom like this personalized garage sign.

6 - Give Him the Drive of a Lifetime

Put Grandpa Behind the Wheel of His Dream Car for an Afternoon

Grandpa might love his Buick or his Cadillac, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room in his heart for other cars. Especially if those cars happen to be supercars. They’re super souped up, with record-setting specs, and they’ve got the price tag to match.

Luckily, you don’t have to have the pocket cash to drop a cool quarter million on grandpa’s gift in order to get him behind the wheel of his dream car. Just a couple hundred bucks will buy him an unforgettable driving experience at Xtreme Xperience. Their fleet is made up of some of the fastest and most sought-after cars in the world – from the Charger Hellcat to the Lamborghini Hurricán to the Ferrari Spider to the Porsche 911.

Xtreme Xperience has 40+ driving destinations around the country, ranging from racetrack experiences to open road excursions, so you’re sure to find one nearby. If not? It still might be worth planning a trip around. 

GiftYa Recommends: Text an Xtreme Xperience gift card to give grandpa an adventure he’ll never forget.

7 - Take Care of His Groceries

Give Grampa the Gift of One Less Thing to Worry About This Week

Nobody likes doing chores. But for older relatives, doing day-to-day tasks can be a real challenge. If your grandpa has recently stopped driving or has some trouble getting around, even necessities like getting to the grocery store to fill his pantry can be a major undertaking. 

Make grandpa’s week a little bit less stressful when you help him get his chores out of the way. If he lives nearby, it’s as simple as taking him to the store to restock. However if your grandpa doesn’t live close enough that you can stop in person, you can still set him up with all the groceries he needs delivered right to his door.

Text him a DoorDash gift card that he can use on grocery items or to order food at one of his favorite local restaurants. GiftYa also carries gift cards for popular groceries chains around the country, including Food Lion gift cards for shoppers in the south east, Giant Eagle gift cards for shoppers in the north east, and Albertsons gift cards for shoppers out west. 

8 - DIY Handprint Plate

Take the Hands-On Approach with a Homemade Gift

Nothing quite compares to a hand-made gift… literally. This cute dish idea is perfect for any grillmaster grandpa. All you need for this project is a plain old plate – it doesn’t have to be anything fancy – some enamel acrylic paint, brushes, and a little creativity. Setting the design is as simple as putting the plate in the oven for a while.

Not crafty? Not a problem. You can also find customized grilling plates or craft kits on Etsy.

GiftYa Recommends: Text a Michaels gift card to the crafty grandparent in your life and do a DIY project like this one together.

9 - Food Just Like His Hometown Used to Make

Take Him Back in Time with the Gift of Hometown Cooking

Some of our best memories are tied to food. The birthday cakes our mom used to make, grandpa’s homemade hot sausage, dad’s famous soup. Like any of us, grandpa probably finds himself craving the treats of his childhood from time to time. But if grandpa has moved away from his hometown, getting his hands on those nostalgic dishes isn’t quite as simple as swinging by the diner down the street.

Luckily for thoughtful last minute gifters everywhere, it’s easy to get creative with the gift of food. If you can get your hands on a family recipe, you could make grandpa his favorite food – just like his mom used to make – from scratch.

GiftYa Recommends: Can’t pull together an elaborate family recipe tonight? Not to worry. Text a Gold Belly gift card and grandpa can order from his favorite restaurants across the country, so he can still have his favorite hometown food delivered to his door.

10 - Permanently Reserve His Spot on the Couch

Everything He Needs to Enjoy an Evening of Channel Surfing

If grandpa can’t go a day without getting caught up on his stories, this one is sure to be a winner. These custom throw pillows include convenient pockets for everything he needs when he sits down on the couch – the remote and his favorite snack. That way once he gets settled in front of the tv, he can just kick back and relax.

There you have it - the best last-minute gifts you can find for grandpa.

Whether it’s for Christmas, a birthday, or something in between, we’re sure that these last minute gifts will put a smile on your pap’s face. Haven’t quite found the perfect gift? Check out the full GiftYa catalog – with thousands of local and national brands to choose from, there’s sure to be one that would make your grandpa grin. Happy shopping!