Winter is a holiday season with Thanks Giving, Christmas and the New Year and supposed to be a cheerful occasion for all. However, for those who have chronic pain caused by arthritis, rheumatism, back pain, neck pain or other kinds of muscle and join pains, winter and holidays can become painful.
Hopefully, the list of gifts below together with other gift ideas for different kinds of pain found throughout the site for will bring back holiday, bring back the coziness, relief and smiles to those you loved. Some of the ideas are so simple, and sometimes too simple to make it to your list. Also, although I titled this post “for people who are in pain,” these gift ideas should be good for all – your friends, your spouse, mom and dad.
Heated Blanket / Heat Throw
This item is one of my favorites because when using it, I don’t just feel warm, I feel so cozy, so relaxing and enjoyable. Snuggling inside this plush heated throw while reading my favorite books or watching my favorite movies is among the best moments in winter. I have two heated throws in my house – one is on the couch, and the other one is on my bed. Also bought it as Christmas and birthday gifts for a few of my relatives. You can’t go wrong with this.
There are also other kinds of related products (that I haven’t tried but have seen in stores and online), including heated bed pad, and heated cushion. Maybe you can try and let me know how it’s working for you.
Portable Heater
This portable heater really comes in handy and becomes the most practical gift for those who always feel like central heating is not enough. Even if your house has central furnace, you’ll probably need one of those. I’ve had this Lasko portable heater for my mom for years – only use during winter; she does enjoy the additional warmth which helps relieve her chronic back and neck pains. I myself also use the heater quite frequently when cleaning up or doing chores out in the garage or laundry room. Sometimes, I use it to warm up my reading area and turn off the central heating to save some energy.
My co-workers even bring their portable heaters to work and place the heaters under the their desks! You’ll be surprise to see how many people have (bought and) rated these heaters.
Vaporizer / Humidifier
Heaters keep us warm, and thus may help relieve different sorts of pains; however, heat can make the air very dry, and this is when humidifiers and vaporizers come in. Humidifiers/vaporizers are devices that emit steam or water vapor to increase moisture levels in the air. Although not necessarily and directly relieve pains, humidifiers can moisturize dry air in your home and help with skin symptoms (caused by heat) and breathing problems (caused by a cold/flu). Turning on the device while your heater is running will make it more comfortable inside – less scratchy throat and less itchy skin.
Cozy Slipper
By looking at this kind of slipper I’ve already felt warm and comfy. More and more brands are offering this line of product, and you can find pairs of cozy slippers for women, for men and kids. In fact, some brands even offer the same design, colors for the whole family. I don’t even remember how many pairs of these slippers I’ve had – some given to me as gifts and some I bought them myself since they are so cute! Please note: if you/your friends or loved ones have foot pain, I have another post to introduce specific and specialty gifts for foot pain. The cozy slippers mentioned here are best at keeping your feet warm, but may not help with alleviate foot pain.
Ankle Compression Sleeves
These ankle compression sleeves are special kind of socks that are designed to conforms to the foot for a tight fit around nerves and muscles. These socks can keep you warm while at the same time help increase circulation and reduce inflammation, and thus help relieve pain and discomfort in your foot and ankles caused by muscle fatigue, plantar fasciitis, arthritis, edema, etc. The ankle compression sleeves also help with ankle/foot swelling caused by pregnancy; they are tight fit but not overly tight and made with comfortable breathable materials.
The compression sleeves work! My mom used to have severe plantar fasciitis in one feet and have been struggling for months to find some relief with steroids, cortisone shots, physical therapy, braces, inserts etc. She wore the compression sleeves at night and was able to manage to step out of bed by herself in the morning.
Comfortable warm socks
In the same family as the compression sleeves above but with different materials, purpose and style, these vintage-style soft warm wool socks will make you and those you love feel cozy in the cold season. These women’s winter socks are made of 35% wool, 29% cotton and 36% polyester with soft, breathable and odor-fighting materials. The vintage and trendy design warm socks that will go well with whatever you’re wearing, and a mix of bright prints makes these socks comfortable, warm and fun to wear. There are other similar socks for men, so check it out! It’s a great and practical gift for winter day.
Warm wool mittens
A pair of warm mittens for winter should also be a great gift, especially for those who always want to be outside or travel to regions with freezing cold condition. These stylish knitted mitten gloves will help keep the hands warm and comfortable. They can also be used as fingerless gloves while keeping your fingers free to use your phone or can be instantly converted into mittens. They are made of wool blend, comfortable and soft.
These warm mittens are unisex, so you can gift them to your friend, your spouse, mom or dad without issue.
Winter Warm Large Scarf
I’ve owned several scarves of different kinds, made of different materials that can be used for different occasions and weathers. However, when Fall is in and Winter is coming, I like wearing the long shawl warm scarf with tight weave and warm beautiful colors. These scarves are wide enough to cover the shoulders and upper arms from the elbow, and at the same time stylish enough to wrap around the neck, and soft enough to do so without irritating the skin when turning your head. It’s a little harder if you want to look for the winter scarf for men because there’s not as much choice in terms of style and color; you’ll likely see black, white and gray.
Keep on gifting – let’s spread your love and warmth to your loved one during this winter!
I have all the items you introduced here. The list should be longer, you can add the gloves, even some special warm clothes
Living by myself in a big apartment, the portable heater is a a must have to save energy and keep myself warm. I don’t have any chronic pain myself but does suffer from muscle and join pain in cold weather – due to age I guess. The heater is simple but help solve the problem.