Bah Humbug: No Xmas in 2005.

[russotto]

Do not read if you've got the Christmas Spirit.

I present my top-N Reasons To Cancel Christmas Gift Exchanges in 2005

1) I don't know what some people want. I haven't seen them in months, I don't know what they have, I don't know what they like, how the f---- am I supposed to know what to get them?

2) My father's the man who has everything.

3) No, I don't know what I want from other people either. I don't want much, and what I do want is generally expensive, of the type I want to pick out myself, or both. Yes, I know I'm a pain in the ass; let's call the whole thing off.

4) Of course I'll say "Oh, thank you for the gift". I'll think "Dammit, I didn't get you anything. And now I'm obligated to get you something next year. And I sure as hell don't know what you want." How was I supposed to know my girlfriend's sister would buy me a gift?

5) The King of Prussia mall and mall parking lot. Enough said.

6) Internet shippers who lie about ship times.

7) Gift wrapping. Yes I'm bad at it. No, you don't have to point that out for the umpteenth time. And no, just because it was wrapped nicely doesn't mean I had it professionally done or that my girlfriend did it; sometimes I DO get it right.

8) My mom says "Christmas is for kids." Fine; I'll get stuff for my nephews, they don't have to reciprocate, and we'll call off the rest.

9) I'm Jewish. Technically. And no, that doesn't mean I'll do Haunnakah.

12 gifts to buy, down to 3 left -- at least until #4 came into play and I found out about it "in time".

[404Error]

Well here's something you can get your loved ones.

The 12 STDs of Christmas

I was going to put this in the WTF tread but given Russotto's rant I guess it fits here.

Oh, and it's probably NSFW.

[Cyber Wolf]

Originally Posted by russotto

Do not read if you've got the Christmas Spirit.

I present my top-N Reasons To Cancel Christmas Gift Exchanges in 2005

1) I don't know what some people want. I haven't seen them in months, I don't know what they have, I don't know what they like, how the f---- am I supposed to know what to get them?

2) My father's the man who has everything.

3) No, I don't know what I want from other people either. I don't want much, and what I do want is generally expensive, of the type I want to pick out myself, or both. Yes, I know I'm a pain in the ass; let's call the whole thing off.

4) Of course I'll say "Oh, thank you for the gift". I'll think "Dammit, I didn't get you anything. And now I'm obligated to get you something next year. And I sure as hell don't know what you want." How was I supposed to know my girlfriend's sister would buy me a gift?

5) The King of Prussia mall and mall parking lot. Enough said.

6) Internet shippers who lie about ship times.

7) Gift wrapping. Yes I'm bad at it. No, you don't have to point that out for the umpteenth time. And no, just because it was wrapped nicely doesn't mean I had it professionally done or that my girlfriend did it; sometimes I DO get it right.

8) My mom says "Christmas is for kids." Fine; I'll get stuff for my nephews, they don't have to reciprocate, and we'll call off the rest.

9) I'm Jewish. Technically. And no, that doesn't mean I'll do Haunnakah.

12 gifts to buy, down to 3 left -- at least until #4 came into play and I found out about it "in time".

Fairly easy answer for all of these:
1) Gift Card. The getter can spend the money on what they want instead of making do with what they're given.
2) Give a gift card and then Dad can still buy practical stuff when he needs it.
3) Hint that you want a gift card. You can sit on it until you DO know what you want.
4) Gift card, see #1.
5) Gift cards can get gotten for places that aren't in malls. Everyone can find something at Target or Circuit City or someplace like that and they're often stand-alone buildings.
6) Gift cards require no shipping.
7) Gift cards don't require much gift wrap. An envelope with a Xmas sticker to seal it will do.
8) Get Mom a Gift card. Suddenly she won't mind Xmas so much.
9) If you decide to do Haunnakah, Gift card.

As for the wrapping, counter that by putting the gift card in a tiny box, wrapping it, putting THAT box in a bigger box, wrapping THAT and, if you want, put all that inside one more large box and stuff that large box with lots of paper. By the time they get to the actual gift, they won't care how well it was wrapped.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Or just show up with 20 piercings and a tattoo of Charles Manson of your forehead. They won't even notice you didn't bring a gift.
I admit it makes next year tougher.

[dar512]

On the other hand, when you do know exactly what to get for a loved one, it adds to the anticipation of Christmas. I had a couple of great ideas last spring for gifts for my wife. Bought 'em in November.

I'm feeling very smug at this point.

[BrianR]

Personally, I do not like gift cards. They show a lack of thought and consideration. In my opinion.

I'd rather get an ugly tie than a $20 gift card to a mall that will only buy me a piece of the sales tax. Of course, I'd PREFER an 18 volt cordless DeWalt hammer drill (hint hint ) but if one MUST give a gift card (think troops overseas or otherwise unreachable relatives) at least give enough to buy something decent at the location that you buy the card from. Malls IMO require $50 minimum due to the pricing structure there. One good book at Waldenbooks or other bookstore costs around $30 - $50.

My position is to try my best to give a gift that shows I was thinking of the person and that I cared enough to remove the price tags and wrap it (or have it wrapped...no one has yet complained after they see my appalling lack of wrapping skills) and add in accessories if required. Batteries in the package with a portable stereo is a nice touch, as is candy with a candy dish. Or something like that.

Your mileage may vary, but I think I hurt more feelings with a card than a vacuum cleaner (yes, I've done that, unfortunately)

Brian

[glatt]

I love getting gift cards. I'd much rather get a gift card, especially to someplace useful, like Amazon.com or Home Depot than some lame gift I'll just throw away or stick in the back of a closet. But please don't give me a gift card to a clothing store or some crystal/brass doodad store.

Last year, I got a $100 gift card to Brooks Brothers. Sounds nice, I know, but there isn't much you can buy at Brooks Brothers for $100. I bought an average shirt (on sale,) and some socks. They were nicer quality than I usually buy for myself, but still, it was just a shirt and socks. I would have been blown away with a $100 Amazon card or Home Depot card. Instead, I felt as though I participated in the wasting of a perfectly good $100.

[xoxoxoBruce]

The surefire gift for a pet owner? Go to their vet and put money on their account. Works every time.

[BrianR]

Hear, Hear Bruce. I agree with that!

[wolf]

Russotto, the only question I have is, why are you waiting until NEXT year to cancel Christmas? There's still time left before this year's.

Or did you forget to save the receipts for all the crap you already bought and don't like enough to keep yourself?

[OnyxCougar]

American Express has gift cards that can be used anywhere AmEx is accepted.

Which is alot of places.

[russotto]

On gift cards:
1) They do seem to be a cop-out and lack consideration. Sometimes they're OK, as when you know someone wants a particular something from a particular store but it has to be tried on or is impractical to ship.

2) The old gift certificates were useful. You paid face value for them, and if the user didn't use them up in one go, they'd get store credit or (if the amount was very small) cash back. American Express Gift Checks (though they did have a fee) never expired. Some store gift cards work the same way. But those Visa and American Express gift _cards_ are just plain evil.

a) You pay a substantial fee to get them
b) They often charge a monthly "administrative fee" (that is, they decrease in value) after a short period of time.
c) To use them properly, you have to know how much is left on them. You can't just hand it to the merchant and say "here, finish this off and then put the rest on my other card". Rather, you must tell the merchant, "Here, charge 16.52 on this one and put the rest on this other card".
d) They don't work well when pre-authorizations are used, as at restaurants (where they may pre-authorize the meal plus an expected tip -- so the card may be declined even if you have enough to cover the meal and were tipping in cash)

If you don't need to mail them, US Treasury "Gift Certificates" (http://www.moneyfactory.com), particularly in the $50 and $100 denominations, solve those problems.

As for this year, I'm already into it and probably other people have already bought me gifts. It would be additional torture to try to stop this year's exchange.

[wolf]

What with all the Christmas discussion, we kind of bypassed Hannukah.

My Menorah

[wolf]

Christmas Rant

If you are listening at work, use headphones. At least if the occasional f-bomb would upset some damn tightassed self-righteous Christian motherfucker.

[404Error]

Oy! Great links! Thanks, wolf!