Best and worst gifts

[Alex]

Actually, I haven't been to our mailbox in months (Lani checks the mail when she gets home from work) and I live in an apartment complex with a communal mailbox and no way to give the card to him unless I stand around waiting for her. Plus, tipping mailmen is stupid. As soon as they start tipping me for a well designed online billpay application I'll start tipping them for doing their job.

But I understand what you're saying. PM me your address. Next time I open my nightstand and see the card (could be months; I'm only reminded of its existence because I hid Lani's present in the drawer over the weekend) maybe I'll mail it to you.

Now that we've resolved that issue, how about the B&N card that is in the drawer with the Wal-Mart card?

As for the phrase "love to shop," that is a concept as foreign to me as "I feel god's benevolent presence."

[MouseWife]

I wasn't hinting around....

Dude. You see, you are the person I would love to have on my list. While I love to give gifts, I am very practical and if someone doesn't need something, I don't want to buy them anything. And, I would like that they understand this and forego all of the 'hurt feelings'.

The only frivolous gifts we gave were to the very young. Silly stuff that their mom wouldn't buy. I'd have bought them clothes but I didn't know their sizes.

My husband, isn't this way. I thought we'd agreed to keep it simple, just buy for the kids and a few family members.

He bought me some nice things. Damnit.

He was shocked when I bought him a birthday card this year. He said I hadn't bought him a card in years. I said I hadn't found one I liked.

B & N. I just bought their membership....Was going to give gift cards but luckily they had the books the kids wanted. After all I spent on them, I wasn't about to give them cards on top of it. They can use my discount. That's a gift, right? {editing to add this~ you seem to like reading, i.e., books. What a nice rainy day thing to do to browse around the store, like a library, but, you get to take home what you want to keep. This is shopping but it also could be just a fun thing...really...}

The concept of God/loving to shop. A good day at the mall with friends can be heavenly bliss.

[Alex]

Just for you, I'll make this offer. I'm uncomfortable getting gifts from acquaintances, but I'll make an exception.

Put me on your Christmas list for next year. Then don't get me anything. I promise no angst. And you get to have the perfect person on your list.

[MouseWife]

Deal!!

If you have a list, the offer goes both ways.

I really have no hurt feelings over not receiving gifts.

The only thing I ever want badly is to travel. And that I like to plan out myself. And, I don't need a group to go with. I miss the kids when they don't go but I don't guilt them about that either.

Ooo. Guilt trips. How many got that for Christmas?

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Now that we've resolved that issue, how about the B&N card that is in the drawer with the Wal-Mart card?

I'm sure the very next LoTer you see would be thrilled to get the B&N gift card that you will never use. Heck, you could just hand it to the next human you see and make someone's day.

If someone knows me well enough to get me what I want, and wants to take the time to hunt it down, then that is spectacular. But if someone doesn't know what to get me (which almost no one does) then I appreciate the thought of a gift card. Anyone that asked what I wanted this year got told B&N gift card (just family, I didn't do the gift thing with friends). I appreciate that while they really don't know me well enough to shop for me, they still want me to have something I want and will use.

What I really hate are the gifts that I've gotten where the person was obviously just in the grocery store because they were assigned to bring soda and picked up a gift while they were there. I've gotten a talking picture frame that way (actually, Indi loved that), a really crappy book of inspirational sayings about marriage (anyone that's ever met me should know I would hate that), and random boxes of really cheap chocolate. All for various wedding anniversaries. If you don't care about what you choose, don't care if I'll like it, and are just getting it because you feel obligated then please don't bother. Especially if you've been a member of my immediate family my entire life. I don't mind not getting a gift, really, but to get me something that any modicum of thought would reveal that I will hate is sort of offensive.