Posted on 12/25/2004 7:57:48 PM PST by lowbridge
This thread is for those who got diddly, nada, zilch, zip, zero Christmas Presents this year (or any other year). Come and commiserate. You're among friends here.
And to those of you who offer the beautiful homily, "It's better to give than receive", please take the time to have a nice tall glass of shaddup.
Happy Homecoming to you and your dear hubby.
Please give him a big "thanks" from me, for serving our country.
Enjoy!
I'd never tell my beloved wife this, but I just want to get it out of my system: SHE GIVES THE WORST GIFTS IN THE WORLD!!!!!!! Even when I tell her specifically what I want, I never get it. For instance, every time I'm asked what I want for my birthday or Christmas, I mention the same CD. I could just buy it, but I'm conducting an experiment: how many times over how many years will I have to say I want this CD before I finally get it? This was the fourth straight year. When she asked what I wanted for Christmas last week, and I said I wouldn't mind having that CD I've been requesting for four years, she told me, "Well, this is the first time I've heard about it!" No...no, it wasn't. This was the eighth time. One of those times, we were standing together in a record store. I pointed at it.
This morning, we opened gifts. My gifts to her were a beaded purse, hair clip and earrings, all of which I'd seen her admire in stores and put back because she didn't want to spend the money on herself; three books, all on subjects she's very interested in; two CDs of music she loves; a mini-exercise trampoline she'd mentioned she wanted a month ago; a gift certificate; a calendar that featured her favorite painting; and a few other small items.
There were four packages for me. The first contained plain white T-shirts, which I never wear except when sleeping or doing yard work. The second package contained...wait for it!...even more plain white T-shirts! The third contained every guy's least-wanted Christmas gift ever: white, Fruit of the Loom briefs. I don't want to sound like Bill Clinton here, but I don't even wear white, Fruit of the Loom briefs, a fact you'd think she would know, considering we've been married 14 years and I have, on certain occasions, expounded verbally on my general hatred for that style, color and brand. I would actually have preferred a fruitcake to these.
The final box did miraculously contain a real Christmas gift: a wristwatch. And I honestly appreciate the thought, although I would have appreciated it more if it had been the style she knows I like (light, slender, 1930s Deco) and not twice as big and heavy as any watch I'd ever wear, with a thick band about an inch and a half wide. It looks and feels like a gym weight on my wrist.
By the way, that CD I've been asking for since 2000? Didn't get it.
Of course, I pretended to be happy about these godawful gifts, because I know it's the thought that counts, it's all about giving and not receiving, blah-blah-blah-blah-blah! But for crying out loud, with all the thought and effort I put into her presents, just once, I'd like to get ONE gift I actually wanted! I am seriously tempted to go out tomorrow, return every last thing I got this year, and use the proceeds to finally buy that &*#!%@ CD. If I can find it, that is. It's probably long out of print by now.
Whew! It's good to get that off my chest! Now, back to pretending to be overjoyed with my T-shirts and underwear...
One of my employees just left - he re-upped to return to Iraq.
I admire his decision, but I called him a choice name. He already had one in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan!
Ummmm...what's the CD? (I gotta know.)
And have you tried a Skagen watch? Light, slim...really stylin'. Not deco, but really beautiful.
The exact same gift I had given them the year before, never opened it was the same wrapping. It was a book I thought they'd like, but didn't know they could tell it was a book and they didn't like to read. But they'd forgotten who gave it to them. It was a huge coincidence that it wound up coming back to me. After that it became a tradition. Neither of us ever opened it, and gave it to each other for several years. I finally gave it to someone who did like to read.
"I've Suffered For My Art, Now It's Your Turn" by Marshall Crenshaw. It's all live club material with a solo acoustic guitar; the same type of show I've seen him do twice locally. Great stuff.
How is Netflix? I've been thinking of trying it.
My wife had to work, so I cleaned house and tended the fireplace all day. Hooooo-yahhhhhhh!
I got no presents on Christmas day but earlier I got FReeper ball tickets and hotel reservations and Ford theater tickets and New Indian Museum tickets.
It averages out.
You want a dog?
Don't buy the CD. It will ruin Christmas next year.
Our Forefathers gave you a gift that keeps on giving. It starts off with, "We the People...."
:->
~Corey
I got nothing on Christmas day but will receive one of the greatest gifts around March 19. I have a niece that became pregnant and was considering an abortion. She agreed to have the baby and allow my wife(40) and I(43) to adopt the baby (a boy). We tried fertility treatments a few years ago with no luck.
Congratulations! That is certainly the geatest gift there is.
Whoa, newspaper delivery in bed. Now that's service! I'm gonna have a talk with my paper boy ;-)
It sounds to me like she thinks you don't really want anything, so she's giving you token "useful" gifts. Rather than saying "you wouldn't mind" a certain gift, go for a real written list, have everyone in the family do this. Additionally, if you don't come right out and tell her in plain English that you don't like something, she'll keep right on buying it.
It also sounds like she got the underwear when she bought the T-shirts, which says to me it was a "what the heck, you can never have too much underwear".
Do you both a favor and be honest, even if you think it might initially hurt her feelings.
I used to get my husband mostly "useful" gifts, in large part because we bought things we wanted during the year when they were on sale or we had the money- and most of the gift-giving efforts were spent on the kids. However lately I have tried to get him at least one real surprise. This year I got him a DVD of Triumph live in concert. He loves it and was very surprised. I leave the sock buying to his mom.
That is wonderful!
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