What can I say? I’m a taker

Here's a virtual present that I picked out just for you. 

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There's nothing like some classic artwork.  

I think men get more giftcards than women.  Women can always get candles or lotion.  There aren't so many generic gifts for men.  If you don't want your giftcards you can donate them to my "bigger than 20" TV" fund.  lol. 

You should start some off the wall collection and tell everyone and see what they come up with.  I don't think it's selfish to expect people to be thoughtful in gift giving.  I agree that it's not the price tag but the fact that someone pays attention that matters. 

If you don't want your giftcards you can donate them to my "bigger than 20" TV" fund. lol.

Stop bogarting the gift cards, woman! Brad, gift cards do better in a warm climate, so please forward them to Bullhead City, Arizona....

kenny.jpg

Oooo, I love Kenny Rogers. Where can I get one of those?

The frustration of Christmas shopping madness and resultant frenzy and the fact that most leave purchases to the very last minute, does not really grant the buyer time to be original or thoughtful. Jesu-birthday or not, you could always undo your ba-humbug and share with lesser mortals.

The frustration of Christmas shopping madness and resultant frenzy and the fact that most leave purchases to the very last minute, does not really grant the buyer time to be original or thoughtful.

I don't understand this. It's not like people don't know Christmas will be coming around on December 25th. I keep my eyes open all year round for gift opportunities. Come on, people! You have all year to take note of what people like and want and act accordingly. There are sales all year round, not just in December!

There is simply no excuse for lousy gift giving. None.

I don't understand this. It's not like people don't know Christmas will be coming around on December 25th. I keep my eyes open all year round for gift opportunities. Come on, people! You have all year to take note of what people like and want and act accordingly. There are sales all year round, not just in December!

I thought the myth of Santa's little elves was just a urban legend.

I thought the myth of Santa's little elves was just a urban legend.

I do have a pointed ear....

A pointed ear a cloven elf doth not make.

Not far wrong. According to the late Dr. Kurt Koch, 'These elves often appear to children and even play with them. The moment an adult comes on the scene, the elves disappear.' (Kurt Koch, Occult ABC, p. 82)

Thank you, Art Bell.

Christmas if for the kids!  And kids make Christmas special.

Michael Jackson also thinks Christmas is for kids. He's always so disappointed when none are ever under his tree.

Hmmm..interesting.  However, I have to ask (since I'm evil): how much thought do you put into the gifts that go to the people that are giving you the generic gifts?  And by that, I mean "you" not the "we" of you and your wife.

I ask that because my husband does virtually nothing in the way of thinking about presents for other people, so I tell him he can't whine if that is what he gets on return  

I know that I don't fall in the list of generic gift cards considering I still have nightmares from making that dang Stardock fan lamp last year.  I'm never making another one of those- so yours is unique!  lol

Michael Jackson also thinks Christmas is for kids. He's always so disappointed when none are ever under his tree.

That reminds me of a comic.


Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

~Zoo

Heh heh. Truth be told I am all for gift giving but not of the monetized/purchased variety (this includes anything bought and sold or gift cards). This is not because I am a scrooge, but because it requires a great deal of effort to get something for someone that will actually be of any real worth to them. In my opinion the majority of the stuff given back and forth between people is largely unnecessary trinkets that just serves to clutter up a persons house! For example, every year friends and family from back home call me up and ask me what I'd like for Christmas. I really don't want them to send me anything at all, as I already have enough stuff cluttering up my place!

The best gift a person can give is their friendship/fellowship. It doesn't cost any money and makes everyone happy. That, and of course a nice big turkey dinner with all the fixings from time to time certainly doesn't hurt!

Just on a side note one of my friends comes from a very well off family. Christmas is the most miserable time of year for him, because it is a competition to see who can outperform the other family members in who bought the most expensive or exclusive gift. Oh, you got mom an Italian cruise? WELL I got her a new Italian car!!! Well that kind of lavish gift giving may sound exciting, it actually is quite destructive!

End of smug, hypocritical condescending liberal rant. I have to go finish my starbucks.

That is not true! We think about it all the time!

"Honey, did you get that present you were thinking about for Bobby Sue?"

That requires thought!

I put virtually no thought into them. 

Like I said, I'm a taker.

But that aside, if I'm spending 10X more on others than what I receive and people say "well we don't have your kind of money so we can't get you the kinds of things you guys get us" then why not substitute it with thoughtful gifts instead?

I think it's an either / or thing. If you don't want to spend much money on gifts, then be thoughtful. If you don't want or don't have time to be particularly thoughtful then you probably end up spending more on gifts.

When I was a kid, I put a lot of thought into gifts. I didn't have much money so I had to think carefully about what I got someone. 

A thoughtful gift would be (for example) a book called "the lazy environmentalist".  That's thoughtful. It took thought to do that.  A non-thoughtful gift would be a gift card to Blockbuster.

I'm looking at it right now. That was an awesome gift.

 

Thoughtfulness is, and will always be, worth more than any money you could muster to pay for a thoughtless gift.

In your case Brad, I can understand your not liking the gift cards. I guess too people (just generalizing) would think that they don't know what to get for someone who basically has everything. I've heard that said a lot and I think it's an overused phrase myself. I agree that it's the thought that count and knowing the person, one should know what might be of interest to them. Then again, there's also the feeling of being intimidated that maybe the present purchased might not be appreciated enough because it might not be liked or if the value to the buyer doesn't seem to be that much. It's a win/lose situation I guess. I always say if you get a gift, no matter how much you hate it, be thankful, that's what I tell my kids!

I Love gifts cards!

I prefer games or game accessories (Board Games, PC Games, Video Cards, Keyboards) for gifts and I don't want someone going out and buying me some crappy game like Wheel of Fortune for my PC or some kind of ultimate Checkers hybrid board game, I want to pick out my gifts! I can understand if you have the means to buy anything you want that gift cards are pretty much worthless to you, but for someone like myself that is on a budget, gift cards allow me to purchase those items that I've been looking at all year and buy them without guilt!

I'm looking at it right now. That was an awesome gift.

Yeah...well..you're getting a gift card to Panera Bread this year. 
KarmaGirl ducks

I think it would be really intimidating to buy a gift for someone who is wealthy. You don't want to come off as cheap, but you can't afford to buy them something that probably fits the quality and expense of items they are used to. And what can you buy for them that they don't already have?

Although I think gift cards are not the answer. I mean, do you really need $25 slotted for a meal at Chilis? Can't you buy a meal at Chilis yourself...if you do actually want to eat there.

I think cookies are the answer. Homemade cookies. Even rich people like cookies.

Second!

I think cookies are the answer. Homemade cookies. Even rich people like cookies.

Not super flexible, super hot, super skeletal '80s yoga chicks. They hate cookies.

people say "well we don't have your kind of money so we can't get you the kinds of things you guys get us" then why not substitute it with thoughtful gifts instead?

So, basically it comes down to the old "time or money" equation. They don't have the money so spend the time instead.


I think where I have a problem with gift cards (and I do, btw -- but no-one should let that discourage them from so anointing my mailbox) is that I was raised that you don't tell people how much you spent on a gift. (Which is where the "I don't have your kind of money" B.S. should also fall apart.) I was taught it is tacky to leave the price tag on a present. Whenever I see a gift with the price tag on it, I consider it a major faux pas. Now, what is a gift card, but a walking, talking, redeemable price tag? Talk about not keeping the price of the gift a secret!

It riles my sensibilities.

I always try and reach for the bizarre. It's very, very unlikely that the person you're buying a present for already has a cane toad that's been stuffed and dressed in a hunting jacket with pipe.

Or buy them a snow dome but take out the picture of whatever and replace it with a crayon drawing of their face, stick figure style. (crayon because it's water proof)

Or hollow out a book with a tedious title - an old dictionary or law textbook is appropriate - and then fill it with unlabelled clear plastic packets of wizz fizz*.

Nothing says rich like a book full of blow, but if you can't afford that wizz fizz is still pretty awesome.

Granted, they may not like it, but it's hard to say no thought went into a present like that.

*I don't know if it exists in the US, but it's like this white powder that, when you put it on your tongue, fizzes a little. You eat it out of a paper packet with a little plastic spoon. It's the bomb.