<p>Just to “wrap up” the bad gift stories – I just finished reading yesterday’s paper (not bad for me …) and had a good laugh over the “Ask Amy” column. Apparently we’re all on the same wavelength about gifts …</p>
<p>[Ask</a> Amy - The Denver Post](<a href=“Ask Amy – The Denver Post”>Ask Amy – The Denver Post)</p>
<p>Yikes Blinker… </p>
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<p>Sure puts wanting that little blue box from Tiffany’s in a whole new perspective!!</p>
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<p>Can’t do much for the broke folks, but even from Zimbabwe, one can order from amazon and get it there pretty quickly. One can even pay Amazon $3.99 for gift wrapping. Or send an Amazon gift certificate.</p>
<p>I’m not a great gift giver but my wife and I have a deal. I found it intimidating to buy someone with such a well-defined sense of taste things that have an aesthetic component. So, I have upgraded her life with technology – a Walkman many years ago, a fancy Japanese electric rice-maker, an iphone, etc… She tells me things she wants and I usually can find a great price on them online (I think I am quite a good online shopper). She wanted a super-fancy easel ($1500) that I found on sale for $800 with shipping. This year she wants computer speakers for her studio (so she can listen to books while painting). One year, she called me from a jewelry store and said, “Would you like to be me a beautiful pair of earrings as a present?” I said, “Sure.” She charged them to the credit card. When she gets compliments on the earrings, she says, “My husband got them for me.” They compliment me on my taste. We chuckle. But, I do know how to get exactly what she’d like.</p>
<p>thing I have figured out over the years. She loves flowers. I used to ask my assistant to send her flowers any time my travel schedule was heavy. She would call my assistant sometimes and say, “Don’t send them this week. I would rather buy a plant.” Got to get my new assistant on to this. When we had our anniversary long weekend in Paris in the fall, I had them put a big bouquet of flowers in the room. The room was on Starwood points but the flowers were priceless.</p>
<p>Both my son and I are very hard to get gifts for. For me, I have most of what I want in life and the things I want to upgrade or replace would be hard to get without me. The ties she buys I often don’t wear. She’s got great taste but not for what I need in my work milieu. Or, she’ll buy super-expensive sweaters that I’d never buy and 50% are great and 50% never to be worn. By now, she checks with me. This year for Chanukah, she’s going to fill her old ipod (replaced by her iphone) with music and books. Last year, she tried to give me a CD with photos of the kids and our travels over the years, but somehow couldn’t figure it out. I’ll have to go do it at some point. I don’t feel badly taken care of and hate to get expensive presents I don’t love. </p>
<p>My son actively doesn’t want gifts. He says, “You guys are great. If I need something, I tell you and you get it.” [It helps that he is frugal and doesn’t ask for much so it is easy to get him most of what he asks for. For example, another pair of sneakers because his only pair is worn out or headphones for listening to audiobooks (cheap because he loses them) or a suit for Moot Court. His big ask was a PS3 two or three years ago and I found a used one on Ebay for a great price.] So, he continued, “Once I have what I need, presents are likely to be things I don’t need and probably won’t use.”</p>
<p>Shawbridge - My S and H are exactly how you describe Shawbridge S and yourself. H buys his clothes usually when on a business trip and he forgets to pack something. He loves upgrades to electronics but that is certainly out of my area of expertise. This year he wanted an upgrade to his remote and told me where to find it on Amazon. It’s all good.
“…hate to get expensive presents I don’t love.” This is H to a tee!</p>
<p>There is a you tube video my friend sent me called Merry Christmas B ch! I thought it was funny! I have a rather sick sense of humor sometimes!</p>
<p>Yes, the urn probably tops all Christmas gifts. H tends to buy practical gifts like the popcorn popper our first year of marriage. Just what a romantic newlywed wants–not! He’s said he’s given up on jewelry because I don’t wear it. The truth is I would wear it, but often the pieces he buys are a bit too much for me to wear daily. They are more special occasion type things in my mind. He always offers to let me return them, but I know he would be disappointed if I did so. Probably one of my favorite gifts was when he gave me a “gift certificate” for a shopping trip to my favorite city. He handled the hotel, etc. All I had to do was figure out a date and go. Like others, DH tends to want electronic stuff and it’s best to leave those purchases to him. He will put it in a shopping cart online for me to see though. </p>
<p>I’m hoping to get some decorating, cleaning and online shopping done today. We had a neighborhood holiday brunch yesterday, and I watched one of my nephews for the rest of the day/evening after that. Nothing done–boo! </p>
<p>I did have fun this week picking up some items for a care package for DD. I found some gourmet treats at TJ Maxx, some funny Christmas socks (for a little cheer during finals), and some scented hand sanitizer. I’ll throw in some of her favorite fiber bars and some hot chocolate (a favorite when she studied in HS). I may have her brother, DS, make her a CD today. I just need to go to the post office tomorrow. If I’m really organized I’ll pick up Christmas stamps then. I have an odd tradition of getting my car oil changed and making out the Christmas cards while I wait. I’m still waiting for the cards to arrive though. </p>
<p>Have a great day all. I’m going to view the suggested video and then begin a busy day.</p>
<p>H is very hard to buy for, since he will buy whatever he wants when he wants it so that the only things you can buy for him are things that he DOESN’T want. But this year, he has asked for something very specific.</p>
<p>He is close to “Platinum” on his frequent flyer carrier. I guess being in the top level gets you some great perks the whole next year on that carrier. So what he wants for Christmas are airline flights–and he plans to spend a whole day flying from airport to airport to airport while he racks up these miles.</p>
<p>Husbands…:eek:</p>
<p>Rofl!!^^^^</p>
<p>downtoearth–had to watch it twice. Made me LOL.
We have spent the weekend decorating and fixing the washing machine. My rant is that a neighbor sent me an email asking if her D can interview me within the next two days for a project due this week (her other intervewie cancelled). This mom gave ME her 22yr old D’s contact info so that I can call her! :mad:. Uh–no, your 22y old D needs to contact me and introduce herself, etc. Another neighbor called last year to tell me that her 24 yr old S couldn’t do something for me that he and I had talked about. Uh, what? This is a kid I had done a huge favor for once and he needed to tell me himself. Why are these mom’s contacting me? When my D wanted to tell the neighbor something I gave her the contact info. I certainly did not do it for her. This must be what it feels like to some of the college admin folks when mom and dad make the calls, etc. I still have not replied as I am not sure what I want to say. I will meet with her but feel a need to give a message.</p>
<p>In your friend’s possible defense, oregon101, when I get two people together over the internet I give each one the contact info of the other. I expect the one asking the favor to initiate the contact, but both people usually find it handy to have the other person’s email or phone. So your friend may be expecting the daughter to give you a call. (Or not.)</p>
<p>Sorry for all of you who want jewelry and don’t get it. For me, I guess I haven’t grown up much. For Christmas, I still want the same things I wanted as a kid: games, books, toys. Nowadays the toys tend to be kitchen gadgets, but I don’t wear jewelry so I’m glad it doesn’t appear in my Christmas stocking.</p>
<p>CF–no, this neighbor clearly expects me to make the contact with her D. She was nice in her request but, just as the other neighbor (yeah, thinking our neighborhood has some issues :rolleyes:) called for her S she emailed for her D. She could have sent the same email and said that her D would be contacting me and she wanted to let me know.</p>
<p>I think I am going to get a new little TV for my exercise room–I need one and H can get into that kind of shopping.</p>
<p>Oregon, I might reply to the email saying something like you would love to help out, but since know how all over the map teenage schedules can be, please have your kid contact me directly.</p>
<p>oregon gives you pause for thought maybe those of us who complain should watch it. just made me laugh!</p>
<p>In that case, Oregon101, I’d send the neighbor a bright, cheerful email saying you’d be happy to be interviewed from the daughter, and you’ll expect to hear from Daughter to set things up.</p>
<p>CF–that is what my D advised also --so I will do it now.</p>
<p>Anyone else’s kids stressing about their first college finals?</p>
<p>my D just has one, but has papers of some sort. I think it would be normal to stress about it. Is your son badly stressed?</p>
<p>For the very first time in his life!!! </p>
<p>I think he is feeding on everyone around him stressing. That, and the fear of the unknown. He can’t get his head around having a 3 or 4 hour long exam.</p>
<p>If he takes a break, he sees everyone else around him studying…and thinks he needs to get back to the books immediately (it doesn’t occur to him that maybe someone else just came back from a break, or is about to take a break…) And he is on the borderline for grades in some of his classes, which adds to the stress for him.</p>
<p>At least he doesn’t have to take his calculus final…
although S immediately took the times he had slotted for studying for calculus and divvied them up among his other courses.</p>
<p>He will survive. he just doesn’t believe that yet.</p>
<p>I hope that D is stressing! She coasted through HS, getting decent grades with minimal effort. She seems to be rising to the occasion at college, but I guess we won’t really know until we see her first-semester grades.</p>
<p>boysx3, you’ve inspired me to call her tonight. I’ll let you know just how stressed she is 
(or isn’t :().</p>
<p>ellemenope,</p>
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<p>I’m beyond Platinum on a bunch of airlines. Occasionally the perks are worth it. I usually get upgraded to First domestically on American and British Air has a nicer lounge for its serious frequent flyers. Here’s a tidbit for your H: There is a website/bulletin board called [FlyerTalk</a> - The world’s most popular frequent flyer community](<a href=“http://www.flyertalk.com%5DFlyerTalk”>http://www.flyertalk.com) where people who are a) fanatics about frequent flier points/elite levels, etc.; and b) serious flyers exchange information. One thing they talk about are called Mileage Runs (they call them MR’s). These are flights for which you can pick up the most FF points per dollar. Twisted geniuses work these out and find flights that don’t cost that much but give lots of points. Take a look over there. Examples: [Mileage</a> run to EXP - FlyerTalk Forums](<a href=“http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mileage-run-discussion/1022259-mileage-run-exp.html]Mileage”>Mileage run to EXP - FlyerTalk Forums) and [Need</a> 11K BIS on UA before 12/14 - FlyerTalk Forums](<a href=“http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mileage-run-discussion/1024089-need-11k-bis-ua-before-12-14-a.html]Need”>Need 11K BIS on UA before 12/14 - FlyerTalk Forums) as examples. </p>
<p>It is a bit comic. I fly enough that I can’t imagine flying just to get points, but to each his/her own. [I was in London last week, which was my 10th London trip of the year, and I may have one more before year-end, and I fly to lots of other places also like Paris, Toronto, New York, Mexico City, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Denver at least once each this past year (and I’ve probably missed a few) … so I just can’t imagine flying for no purpose other than accumulating miles (though I’m happy to fly on vacation). Good luck. You might even register and ask for advice.</p>