But I don't want a Sherbet Dab.......

Callie22

Person_one wrote: »

Well, deliberately passive aggressive presents are an entirely different subject!

When things are well meant though, I find it really sad that its become about the thing rather than the thought.

Lol, he wasn't being passive-aggressive, he was just being a bloke. It's that whole 'I've noticed you need x, so I'm buying it for Christmas/your birthday and it'll make a FANTASTIC present and aren't I clever for thinking of it'. Hard to dampen that kind of enthusiasm really.

chris_n_tj

aliasojo wrote: »

I've got one of those. That's not the same thing.

I want a proper micro-pedi now.

*throws self on floor*

:rotfl:

This would be a better bet, get into all the nooks and crannies as my granny used to say

Person_one

MissKeith wrote: »

My mum's insisting on buying me perfume this year. I don't like perfume, I don't wear perfume and on the odd occasion I have indulged in a spritz, it smells revolting on me. I've already told her she's wasting her money and so has my sister but she's adamant I should use it. I've already warned her it's going to be tossed in a drawer or donated to someone who would appreciate it.

Maybe she's subtly trying to tell you something...

Ames

Any wrote: »

No one says that you 'have' to. Just that it's not rude or odd to do so.
Sorry, sometimes it is just impossible. My brother live 350 miles away, I see him twice a year and I have no idea what he does have and doesn't have most of the time. So saying 'family should know' is not as easy as it sounds. We live apart for 15 years and his interests in that time had changed greatly!

Well no, I don't 'have to', I could choose not to get a present from them instead.

I'm not saying they should know me well enough to get a personal, thought out gift (although surely close family should pay enough attention to look around the Christmas present aisles and think 'she'd like that but not the other'). Just that they should know me well enough that if I can't think of something practical that I need they can shove some book tokens in a card. Or music tokens. Or even a Caffe Nero gift card.

Craftyscholar

aliasojo wrote: »

Of course some people will have the ability to just *know* what 'so and so' would love and their gift giving is always a success.

Needless to say I'm not in that camp. I can spend hours trying to find something I think someone will like, still only to get it wrong.:rotfl:

I have a friend with that talent - unfortunately I'm like you.

Valli

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

My best mate's hubby bought her an entire (I mean retail-sized, he works in a shop ) box of Party Rings biscuits last year. When she rang me on Xmas Day I think she was close to pelting him with them, box by box...

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

We do Christmas lists or we ask each other. Makes sense. BiL's not getting any more itunes cards from me though, because he got £150 worth in August, for his birthday. I know he'll use them but it's a bit much when everyone gives the SAME gift.

I have bought a nice (looking) single malt. In a box. So it won't be a pain to wrap.

Mind you they don't always stick to the lists. Last year they clubbed together and bought me a kindle I didn't want. I love it.:)
(I just didn't THINK I wanted it!)

Any

Ames wrote: »

Well no, I don't 'have to', I could choose not to get a present from them instead.

I'm not saying they should know me well enough to get a personal, thought out gift (although surely close family should pay enough attention to look around the Christmas present aisles and think 'she'd like that but not the other'). Just that they should know me well enough that if I can't think of something practical that I need they can shove some book tokens in a card. Or music tokens. Or even a Caffe Nero gift card.

Eh?
You can just say 'oh I love surprises!'
I have friends that prefer that, and friends that don't.
It doesn't have to be all either or!!

emg

:oI know its not very moneysaving but I would rather have a surprise than buy my own present, even if I end up with something i dont like.

I have a friend whose family buy all their own stuff, give it and the receipts to the relatives who then wrap it and give it back. It works for them but I just dont get it, for me its about spending time thinking about someone and choosing something I think they would like rather than saying 'I'm buying this, will you pay for it' and just passing money backwards and forwards.

Having said that, we do sometimes fall back on Amazon wish lists in my family, especially now they have that little app so that you can add things from any other website to your list (hello LUSH and Paperchase!). If I am really stuck for ideas i will use someones list but then try to get a few little surprises to go with it (e.g. maybe a dvd made into a movie night hamper or something). We all promise to keep lots of wishes on our lists so that its not obvious what we will end up with.

Want2makeitstretchfurther

Ever since the year that I only got one christmas present and it was an iron chosen by ex's new lady to be given to me by the children, I have brought myself a present too! that christmas was one of the lowest points in my life, imagine it 4 kids ages 3-8 watching expectantly as i opened the present they had given me and ....................it was an iron and I never iron anything and being an ex good friend of mine she knew that too! luckily they left to go to their dads house just after that so i was able to lick my wounds alone for the rest of christmas!

Spendless

The givers idea of practical is not always the receivers idea of want or need. I have a relative who will only buy 'practical'. Last year this consisted of buying my 8yo daughter a coat. It was a waste of money because

DD already had a coat-along with many other school-children she gets a new coat in September for the start of a new academic year rather than for a new calendar year

The coat pretty as it was, was 'woollen' (I don't think it was pure wool) but it wasn't waterproof, so no good for school when the weather can change inbetwen drop off and pick up.

It was in a size DD was only just still fitting into (I hadn't been asked about sizing-just informed that is what DD was getting - after it had been bought)

By around May, with very limited wearing it was no longer fitting and was given to charity.

I'd far rather the money had been spent of something DD didn't have or something she needed.