// November 28th, 2009 // NaBloPoMo
I find buying presents for my friends very stressful. As I’m not creative and cannot make things to save my life, buying seems to be the only option. First, there’s the budget. Does it look too cheap? Does it look tacky? Is it worth paying that much for a present?
Then there’s the person. Will they use the gift I’ve bought for them? Or will it turn into one of those ugly presents from relatives that you never use? No matter how long I’ve known people for, I still don’t know what they want for birthdays and holidays. I hate people who say, “Oh, I don’t care what I get,” because secretly, they do, and then try to hide their disappointment when you’ve gotten them something they hadn’t expected to get. Tell me what you want for your birthday, or I’ll end up picking the first thing that looks nice.
If someone buys me something, I will always buy them something in return. This becomes even more difficult when I hardly know the person I’m buying stuff for. If I had a choice between getting lots of presents (and having to buy people things in return), and getting no presents at all, I think I’d take the latter.
Because that’ll save me from buying someone a wallet shaped like a hamburger as a birthday present.
if you hardly know them, why do you hafta buy them a prezzie?
And now you don’t get a present. :p
Katharine Berry´s last blog ..Twitterbot for Plurk
I’m not good a present buying. Luckily generally none of my friends do the present thing and if they do it’s a fireman calendar. All to raise money of course.
E.´s last blog ..Pseudo self sufficiency
Presents seem to have gotten out of control…all about stuff instead of sentiment. My extended family is trying creative presents this year. Everyone either makes something (there are loads of possibilities, from baked goods, to a simple terrarium, to hand-printed dish towels [using fabric paint and flour sacks]) or donates/gives memberships to non-profits. Hopefully, the season is more fun than work!
Good luck to you.
-Austen
BTW, I can’t comment on your bio page…but I also once had an incident with a pigeon taking care of personal business above/on my head in Hyde Park. It was NOT pretty.
Austen´s last blog ..Gray Friday: To Buy or Not to Buy
Twitter: mirandabreon
says:
‘Tis the season, eh?
I’m with you—I love giving presents, but I hate buying them, because I never know what to buy. Gift cards? They’re my best friend. Of course, then I feel bad because I didn’t give a creative enough gift. Ah, it never ends!
Miranda´s last blog ..Happy Thanksgiving!
Gift cards or… I think you should just start giving people envelopes with slips of paper inside of them that say “Whatever you want it to be.”
Let them figure it out. Of course, if the point is to keep friends then that might not work.
I’m quite spasmodic with my gift giving. One year you might get a present, one year you won’t, it depends how organised I am.
Anyway, one idea you might like to file away is the ol’ calendar (or funky card) in the Ikea ‘Ribba’ frame trick. I usually cut a large picture strategically and use two frames to make up a pair. To give you an example I cut up one page from a Little Prince calendar where he is being pulled up into the air by a flock of birds. I cut out the flock and cut out the Prince and they look beautiful on the wall together. Cheap but special
(even better if you can do a little watercolour yourself)
I can relate :/ I hate buying presents too… usually a trip will consist of me looking at random things for someone, then realising that I’m looking at stuff IM interested in. Once that happens, I’ll proceed to think about their interests, pick out something related to that, and go “oh shit, since they collect this stuff, maybe they already have one” x_X
Ana´s last blog ..ButtonedORG – Now open!
ahh…well timed post…i agree with you on much of your post…my husband just fought the crowds for black friday…i’m trying to raise my daughter w/o commercials, little tv, lack of interest in all the “things”…so far homeschool preschool is succeeding but i know this will change if we send her to regular school…i agree with austen about the sentiment focus…i’d rather have our families go on a trip together than exchange gifts…
i really hate when they open what ive bought them in front of me… I dont want you to have to pretend you like what i got you on my account… especially not to my face…
ryan ´s last blog ..Day 108— The Only Thing Worse than Uggs…