Our dollar store has a wonderful assortment of greeting cards (including seasonal ones for Easter, Mother’s Day etc). The nicest ones a dollar… well now probably $1.25. But there are plenty that are 2 for $1.25. If mailing of course there is stamp cost. (For my ever appreciative Dad, cards are a delight. His 98th birthday card I sent last month was not especially grand. But I did add a nice note, including a reminder that he was getting NYT weekend deliver as gift. He said he spent 30 minutes looking at it, thinking about my family.)
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I was so happy when I discovered the dollar store as a source for occasion cards, thank you cards, Mylar balloons and party supplies.
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At Trader Joe’s, all cards are 99 cents. And they have great cards, including blank-inside models.
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I do always pick up a few of their blank “all occasion” cards. Very nice for .99.
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This reminds me of a silly similar tradition I had with someone. For maybe 30 years we swapped a particular Christmas bag back and forth. I have about a million Christmas bags, but he loved that little tradition, and if you can make someone happy that easily, then why not.
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Maybe this. You said you’ve drifted apart and only see each other a few times a year. It’s hard to buy for people you don’t see all the time. I’d definitely honor her wishes, but if you feel you must show up with something make it a jar of jam or some tea — something consumable.
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Exactly!!! She likes giving gifts!
As someone who does not like to receive gifts, I would take the person at their word. I don’t like, “stuff,” (though I’ll always happily accept a bottle of Jack Daniels). Gifts are not my love language. I am also someone who doesn’t like to buy gifts.
BUT, it does make me sad for @conmama if she is one who does like to buy gifts.
This is the issue in the whole love language thing: how a person receives love can be different from how someone shows love. Maybe conmama’s way of showing love/affection/friendship is to give gifts. But now she’s been told not to. And, if that’s also how she feels loved, if the friend no longer wants to give her a gift, maybe conmama now feels less loved.
I hope I’m making sense.
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Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez asked for no gifts.
The gift was their guest’s attendance.
I’m sure they meant it.
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You make sense. 
While we may have our own love languages (mine is words) that doesn’t mean we can’t have tendencies or understanding of the other things like gifts or time together or touch or whatever.
When I would be concerned if someone feels they can ONLY show caring through gifts and see no other way. It also doesn’t have to mean “no gifts ever” but maybe not a schedule or planned gifting.
My friend of 50+ years and I have given different types of gifts over the many years. These days, we mainly give tokens or little things that remind us or one another or take each other out when we meet up (we live in different states, HI & CA). We still talk with one another over the phone and even travel together but gifts are just “one more thing” to have to figure out and we both have more than enough “stuff” and are working to declutter.
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I put a like on your post but really wanted
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Technically everyone in society has gifted him over the years - but he’s also gifted us with convenience.
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At an annual holiday get together with 2 friends, we still exchange gifts. They are a variety of items, including great cookies from the baker. We laugh over explanations - sometimes it is regift (3-pak of the big fancy liquid soaps was too much, so she gave us each one of them) or garage sale find etc. I am not so good at gift giving, but part of my gift is to host the dinner (which come to think of it is now in retirement is usually brunch). Also I have some books tailor picked for them, either from library sale or hand-me-down after reading myself. This year their gifts included a cute little red bus tin and tea from London.
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