I like them. If they are for a place the receiver enjoys, they can be just as thoughtful as a perfectly selected gift. I love to just get out of the house for a couple hours to myself and spend it browsing Barnes & Noble with a latte from Starbucks. But I'd drop $30 just to get a little me time. So when someone gives me the gift cards to those places, they have given a gift of "me time." I think of them while I'm there, and I'm very thankful they did that for me. My mom sent me one for Christmas to JCPenney so I could pick some new clothes for the new job. She can't be here to shop with me, and if she chose them they might not fit, I need to try them on. What I needed was to do a little shopping, and she sent me shopping trip. Very thoughtful. I gave gift cards to a couple who help me out a lot with kids' activity transportation. I could spend hours picking a gift to show my appreciation. But I spent 10 minutes stopping by a restaurant and movie theatre for gift cards so they can spend few hours together. I bought them a date night, and threw in child care from me. Dinner, movie and babysitter add up, but what couple doesn't need that? So I don't think they are thoughtless at all. Of course they can be. If someone sent DH one to Starbucks he would give it to me. So that just shows no knowledge of what he likes at all. It's not the card or the gift, both can be selected well or badly.

Moonshadow, I've not looked at the C180, but our daughters first digital was in the C series and it was super easy to use. Hers was purchased with one of Kodaks little printers. The first time she sent home prints of photos she'd taken and called to see if we'd gotten them I asked her why she wasn't using her printer. She said she'd used it. I was shocked at how wonderful this little tiny printer printed 4x6 inch photos with the quality of being professionally printed. I'd recommend getting her the printer also. The print paper and ink is very reasonable and if I remember right costs a bit more than taking the photos to Walgreens, but then you add in the gas and time and it's a great deal. Gosh, I just tried to search for them and I can't even find them for sale on their site. I wonder if they quit making them. Maybe they figure their newer combo printer scanner copiers are inexpensive enough and sell more that they didn't need the little printer docks anymore. If I find one somewhere online I'll let you know. But yes, even my camera which is aimed at someone that takes photos and is close to an SLR is extrememly easy to manage all the buttons and controls.

Like I said above, it's just a personal preference/reaction, but I always felt cash gifts said "we didn't put any thought into this." My late mother-in-law always gave me generous cash gifts, but I always wished she had bought something instead. I used to take the cash to Tiffany's and buy a piece of jewelry and then tell people, "My mother-in-law gave me this." Only technically true, I guess, but it felt so much better to me than saying, "My mother-in-law gave me the money to buy this." Unfortunately, it's all moot now since my jewelry got stolen years ago. :-( I should add that for certain recipients, like teenagers and college students, cash is probably the most appreciated gift of all. This post was edited by alisande on Thu, Nov 20, 14 at 12:47

Personally, I prefer cash. But some feel that's "impersonal". Gift cards are the modern version of the gift certificate or the trendy "check" (or "cheque" to my Canuck-lehead friends) being given as a gift. My gift shopping used to always include a stop at the liquor store for at least one person on the list. I knew that wasn't going to go to waste. A friend used to always give his grandmother a small ham for Christmas because she'd never buy it for herself. Some would be appalled, nay, even insulted if someone gave them grocery stoe food! It needs to be in little jars, in a box, flavors nobody likes, won't eat, and will be given away or thrown away! LOL I'm really bothered when someone says cash is a bad gift, impersonal or whatever. Doesn't anyone get tired of getting trinkets that someone else thinks is cute and you find abhorrent? But somehow that's a better gift than giving someone cash so they can put it toward their electric bill on a month they're a little short, or go to a movie, or put gas in the car to get to work, or put toward the heat bill or into a (heaven forbid) savings account or get the car repaired house reroofed or whatever else. What troubles me is there used to be a saying that it's the thought that counts. I buy someone a gift, it's thoughtful, right? They hate it so they return it or leave it on a shelf or whatever. But that's more thoughtful or personal than cash? I don't think so. If someone is considerate enough to give me cash and trust that I'll make a good decision on what to do with it, that, to me, is thoughtful. Our western society is so hung up on materialism. It's the gift not the thought. We have to spend more on that wedding gift than the Jones' spent or we'll look bad. Doesn't matter what the gift is. I could go on and on but won't. Consider that your Christmas present! :D This time of year often brings out the best, but also the worst in people. Lots of generosity at times, but also greed, selfishness, self-centered thoughts and after all, Christmas is about giving and receiving gifts right? There was a religious event that some people used to get into! :D I'll give you an example of why I don't like gift cards in place of cash. I had my oil changed last summer for about $17. I used a coupon and had it done. Hard for me to do that stuff anymore. :( I got an award from work - a $25 gift card of my choice. I don't shop at Macy's. I don't go on cruises. (I would have appreciated a gift card for the cruise though...) I don't have Staples in the state, much less nearby. There were 2 things I could see myself using. An oil change place or Amazon. I was going to go with Amazon but decided I'd need an oil change before leaving town for a trip so that could be OK. It'd pay for most of the oil change right? Not after it being a $65 oil change! LOL I got another card choice, same thing. I took a restaurant card but now wish I'd gone Amazon. Not sure when I'll get to the restaurant, but not totally sure what I want from Amazon either. Had a voicemail that I have another gift card coming from work. (I must really have them fooled, eh?) If they had options for Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, gasoline stations, or a prepaid credit card would be preferred. Keep in mind that the designation is important. They bank on people losing them or not using them. Extra profit, not unlike the post office selling stamps that don't get used. That's pure profit. And companies often get a discount so it appears to be more. But it could be worse. I remember when giving a turkey was often a Christmas bonus. Not everyone can use a 15# turkey. Some, a 15# isn't enough anyway. LOL How many people can't use cash?