The Christmas Crap-Shoot
Ok, I don't know if anyone else's Christmahannakwanzikkah gift-giving group is like mine, but it seems like either 1. the people I buy gifts for over the holidays have either gotten progressively worse at telling me what they want, or at least dropping semi-subtle hints to at least point me in the right direction, or...
2. my gift-giving kung-fu is in serious decline.
I'll accept that a sprinkling of 2) is a possibility, but I definitely think that 1) is the major factor here.
This presents a dilemma for our fearless gift-giving hero and maybe a dilemma for you too... Do you get person XYZ something, assuming no prior reliable intel on their wants/needs, and run the risk of getting them something they don't like/already have, or play it safe and get them a gift card/gift certificate/monetary equivalent? If you are dead-set against option 2, what do you buy someone who already has tons of shit?
I know some people don't like to give or receive gift cards or money because conventional wisdom says:
1. it is the mark of the unimaginative
2. it is the 'easy way out'
3. the recipient knows how much you spent on them
4. some gift cards have an expiration date.
I have to disagree on all points.
1. You know what crap you have and what crap you want, so what could be more imaginative and thoughtful than giving you the means to buy the crap YOU want??? Balderdash, I say...
2. Damn straight it's the easy way out! What's wrong with that? I'm not a huge fan of big crowds and long lines, so the less time I spend in a zoo-like shopping mall, the better.
3. I'm not so naive to think that if I buy someone a material object that they have absolutely no idea how much it costs, so chances are the recipient already has a pretty good idea what I spent on my gift to them.
4. True, some gift cards do expire, but it's usually not for at least a year, if not longer. If you can't motivate yourself to either drive to the store that issued the card some time in the next 12 months, or hell, burn 5 MINUTES online to redeem the card, then chances are you didn't deserve the gift to begin with :-) Next year you get a lump of coal, end of story.
I want to know what you think!
jms
2. my gift-giving kung-fu is in serious decline.
I'll accept that a sprinkling of 2) is a possibility, but I definitely think that 1) is the major factor here.
This presents a dilemma for our fearless gift-giving hero and maybe a dilemma for you too... Do you get person XYZ something, assuming no prior reliable intel on their wants/needs, and run the risk of getting them something they don't like/already have, or play it safe and get them a gift card/gift certificate/monetary equivalent? If you are dead-set against option 2, what do you buy someone who already has tons of shit?
I know some people don't like to give or receive gift cards or money because conventional wisdom says:
1. it is the mark of the unimaginative
2. it is the 'easy way out'
3. the recipient knows how much you spent on them
4. some gift cards have an expiration date.
I have to disagree on all points.
1. You know what crap you have and what crap you want, so what could be more imaginative and thoughtful than giving you the means to buy the crap YOU want??? Balderdash, I say...
2. Damn straight it's the easy way out! What's wrong with that? I'm not a huge fan of big crowds and long lines, so the less time I spend in a zoo-like shopping mall, the better.
3. I'm not so naive to think that if I buy someone a material object that they have absolutely no idea how much it costs, so chances are the recipient already has a pretty good idea what I spent on my gift to them.
4. True, some gift cards do expire, but it's usually not for at least a year, if not longer. If you can't motivate yourself to either drive to the store that issued the card some time in the next 12 months, or hell, burn 5 MINUTES online to redeem the card, then chances are you didn't deserve the gift to begin with :-) Next year you get a lump of coal, end of story.
I want to know what you think!
jms