I'm "re-gifting" this year, FReep mail me your addresses, ok?
Posted on 11/27/2009 2:56:24 AM PST by Scanian
Another huge value-de stroying hurricane is about to slam America, destroying billions of dollars of value. Another Katrina? No, another Christmas.
This voluntary December calamity is explained in a darkly amusing little book about the size of an iPhone. "Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays" comes from a distinguished publisher, Princeton University Press, and an eminent author, Joel Waldfogel of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton business school. He says that the crux of Yuletide economics, which common sense suggests and research confirms, is:
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Never forget those stripped socks from my Aunts growing up.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE H1N1 PANIC?
Remember THAT???
But only after we threw lots of money at it. IOW, follow the money, someone always makes lots of money on these panic deals.
Right, as families got together for Thanksgiving we were told it could spread Swine Flu.
But for shopping,,,not a word about being in crowds, shopping and spreading Swine Flu!!1
I want a refund on the $70,000,000,000 the idiot US Fed/Gov spent on the fraud MMCC research. I want it NOW!
Since retail giants no longer mention Christmas - perhaps Christians should no longer participate in the *holiday* shopping binge.
My adult family members long ago recognized the appalling consumerism we had been sucked into and no longer participate in wanton warehousing or swapping *stuff* no-one needs.
Christmas is for children and charitable giving.
Heve you noticed the the NY Post has one of the crappiest, slowest and downright worthless website? I do like to read a few of their writers and appreciate their mod right ed stance but that website, redone recently, like NYC, totally sux!
Gifts that people buy for other people are usually poorly matched to the recipients' preferences.
I think many Christmas shoppers buy gifts based on what they themselves would like. I've always tried to put some thought into gift buying so I wouldn't be guilty. Last year my list was short, a couple close friends and my granddaughter (my grandson was in juvenile lockup). I gave my granddaughter money and a set of “Brats” dolls. This year I’ll be looking for anything “Wizards of Waverly Place” and “iCarley”. I won’t be concerned with my grandson - he’s again in juvenile lockup, and he was such a nice kid before puberty. I have a girlfriend who mentioned she wanted a pair of flannel trapdoor footie jammies. That might take some time and effort to find.
Our family has been doing the same thing for the past 3 years - it's GREAT. Just presents for the kids, no one else.
It cuts the stress of buying and receiving junk, frees up time to cook and bake. The kids get a great Christmas instead of a couple of toys from relatives, which helps their parents budget, spend more time baking, etc.
It's stress free and pocketbook rich - a Great Christmas!
I have never gotten the “regular” flu shot and I have done my patriotic best to keep the lines shorter on this H1N1 vaccine. Might just be lucky, but in general, bugs bite me and the bugs die.
Query: Do you know, personally, anyone who has contracted this “pandemic” disease?
Thought not. Pardon my paranoia (you’re not really paranoid if they really are out to get you) but my antennae go up in light of Rahm Emanuel’s comment that one should never waste a good crisis.
Translation: keep’em scared silly,the sheeple will let us do all sorts of un-Constitutional stuff.
I certainly have noticed it. It is pop-up city and extremely slow. My computer had a memory slot burned out by an apparent lightening strike (the bane of Tampa Bay) and sites like the NYP are murder.
Still, I like most of their writers.
I just give ‘em a gift certificate and a nice card and that’s that.
At my age, buying appropriate gifts for kids and young adults is just not something I’m good at.
Ditto that. My four children all received just one gift at Christmas, plus a cash envelope for 1/2 price sales after... and they all loved it. They got to choose their gifts, plus save some $$$
I grew up half a continent from grandparents in Maine and Texas. Instead of wrong-sized sweaters from Maine and hats from Texas my sister and I got checks.
No problems with redemtion/returns/poor selection, and I promise you, we appreciated it more than if grandma had used lots of time picking out something we would have buried in the back of the closet lest our friends even knew we owned such a geeky thing.
Closing on on 60 myself, advice; unless you are so fortunate as to live nearby and KNOW what the kids/friends want, cash is king, nothing rude about it!
Try Vermont General store for the jammies...They can be ordered on line.
I, personally, and three of my children had H1N1, but it was no big deal for us.
We gave up trying to buy something for everyone years ago.
For the grandkids, a card and some cash. They know what they want, it is never returned, and I don’t have to risk body and soul shopping.
Give my son his cell phone for a combined birthday and Christmas present. It's on the family plan and we can always talk no matter where he is.
Dad gets a book and new PJs, (Bought five books for him in October...cause he loves to read. All conservative ones he's seen on FOX and I get to read them too) He also get to chopped the dates, nuts etc and sample all the cookies.
An Aunt's gives donations to the local animal center as do her kids and grandkids. They all love animals and at least one new kitten usually finds a home on their yearly visit.
I grew up half a continent from grandparents in Maine and Texas. Instead of wrong-sized sweaters from Maine and hats from Texas my sister and I got checks.
No problems with redemtion/returns/poor selection, and I promise you, we appreciated it more than if grandma had used lots of time picking out something we would have buried in the back of the closet lest our friends even knew we owned such a geeky thing.
Closing on on 60 myself, advice; unless you are so fortunate as to live nearby and KNOW what the kids/friends want, cash is king, nothing rude about it!
I spent plenty on books this year. I pre-ordered Sarah Palin's book @ $8 from WalMart online and had each delivered to each person on my list... for free.
Cheap price, great gift... They are selling it for $14.50 + S&H. I told everybody to enjoy it now, and pass it along to their local library. That's where libs will read it! They're too cheap to buy it. (I also sent 4 copies to our local library from Wally's).
I try to avoid buying clothes online - I like to personally check out what I buy, and if it doesn’t fit it’s easier to return to a local store.
I’ll check out Vermont Country Store - I occasionally browse it when I’ve got noting else to do.
Nope - granny gowns but no footie jammies.
what were your symptoms? how different from regular flu?
I think there was a time when gifts were generally appreciated because the recipients didn’t have much in the first place.
But how do you gift people who have air conditioned houses and vehicles, 40” plasma televisions and cell phones that take pictures?
Not easily.
They have them in the catalog:
TWO PIECE FOOTED pj
RED OR BLACK PLAID
small, med, large up to 3X
No 47716
One piece (ALso availble in grey fleece)
same sizes
No.44003
Was more like a cold, sore throat, chesty cough,high fever. Goes into infections very easily. Drs around here are giving antibiotics with the tamaflu....At one time over 20% of our students were out with it....
BTW Canada has discovered that the individuals that are taking 2000 units of D3 daily are not getting it. Those on the placebo are....
A few years back we instituted a new policy on family gift giving.
Only gifts of good cheer can be purchased for Christmas exchanges (for adults that is) Food, Wine, Alcohol, etc. And usually we unwrap the gifts and then share them around and talk and catchup on family news and happenings.
Everyone likes food (and most like booze) and usually have their guilty pleasures they don't get much of normally. Alot of our female family members have specialties they prepare that another in the family likes and will make a batch or dish to give them. Its alot more fun alot less money and alot less hassle.
ALso consider giving Conservative books to your local high school and any homeless shelter.
LOL!!
>>>> "BTW Canada has discovered that the individuals that are taking 2000 units of D3 daily are not getting it. Those on the placebo are...." <<<<
VERY interesting, do you happen to know where you learned this, hoosiermama?
It wasn’t different from a regular flu. For most people, it isn’t. For me, very mild, for my children, normal flu, aches, cough, sore throat, fever, one up-chucker.
It wasn’t different from a regular flu. For most people, it isn’t. For me, very mild, for my children, normal flu, aches, cough, sore throat, fever, one up-chucker.
It wasn’t different from a regular flu. For most people, it isn’t. For me, very mild, for my children, normal flu, aches, cough, sore throat, fever, one up-chucker.
From FR. Am on a Med/science ping list that listed the article regarding h1n1 and d-3 on it. IIRC neverdem is the pinger.
Christmas is for honoring the birth of our Savior with gifts from the heart, not necessarily extravagance and mountains of toys. When I was a wee one, relatives gave baked goodies, hand-made scarves or sweaters, that sort of thing. “Santa” brought modest gifts; I recall receive a doll (note: just one) with some hand-made clothes (courtesy of Mrs. Santa, aka my mom) one year, which felt like the best Christmas present ever.
Nowadays, I watch some of the shows on HGTV that show you how to sell your overpriced house, and see MOUNTAINS of toys (which the experts are quick to say, “put those away and out of sight”) covering almost every surface of the house—and the true meaning of Christmas as well, at this time of the year.
We’ve forgotten a lot about what’s important in life.
I'm "re-gifting" this year, FReep mail me your addresses, ok?
Look at it this way. You can’t compete with their current possessions. What small thing are they currently missing? Maybe they need a gardener, and maybe you garden. Give a gift certificate for a few hours of your gardening—or some other thing you can do, but which they lack. Buying someone already overloaded with STUFF more of the same isn’t much of a gift, is it?
I got my wife a really neat reloading outfit - I'm sure she'll like it. ;-)
I can’t stand George Will. Here he is pontificating about the “correct” gifts to give to others, while most Americans have a list of only the most pragmatic, practical, budget priced items of necessity for this Christmas season. George Will is simply utterly out of touch.
Guess I’ll have to get the catalogue - I still have a month.
WOW! That’s as good as buying her a new vacuum cleaner!
LMAO !
Keeper !
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