My pleasure Athena, I like the little colored ones they have and also the little taller clear, blue and green bottles with stoppers. I forget what they're called. Those are perfect for a couple of buds from the large roses and the smaller wide open ones are perfect for a small bouquet of minis:) I have to replenish every once in awhile, one walks off with a grandgirl or son's girlfriend. Leslie

When I was a teenager, my mother would take my sister and I to the mall where we would pick out clothes, try them on. While we waited outside, Mom would which items to give us for Christmas. This is not only a fantastic way to spend time together, but guarantees that there are not returns, and best of all, we were always pleasantly surprised when we unwrapped our gifts. Dad, my most difficult recipient, would go through Northern Tool or Harbor Freight catalogue and mark a bunch of small to mid sized items. We could order them in advance and have them wrapped for the holidays. Sometimes things ended up on back order, so we would cut out the picture and box/wrap that. Remember it is the thought that counts. The best give I have received as an adult? Our first year in our home, my husband bought and installed a new hot water heater. I enjoy that gift every single day! Another one is the afghan that my sister hand knit for me from wool that I selected. The fact that she took the time to do it is what made it precious. The heirloom rugs that my mother passed down to me that my great grandmother and grandmother made by hand. Often in my family, I ask what folks are looking for, but then fill things out with small trinket gifts. Often people would ask for simple things, earphone, recordable DVR/CD, jump drive for the computer, slippers, rechargeable batteries etc and so on. I have also learned that food gifts are really nice. I find out what a persons favorite not often had food treat is. Remember it is not about quantity. Some examples are imported chocolate ($2 bars offered a walmart/CVS), baklava, often used herbs/spices, cheesecake (home made), black & white cookies, mini cannoilli (sp?), spicy stuffed peppers. One year I caught my father applying squeeze cheese (aerosol can type) to cheetoes. Can you guess what he got? (silly father) One year I gave my step son a box of 6 mini cannolli. I told him it was a gift. It was all for him. He could eat some now or save it for later, share it or not it was his. The look on his face was priceless.

We got two gifts in total. A vacuum cleaner and a pressure cooker. Both most welcome and the pc is still in use. No ’shower’ and only 8 wedding guests. Just parents, siblings and their spouses. DD got married during covid with the permitted 6 guests but a year later we had a party with 100 guests. They requested no gifts, just donations to two charities. The Italian side of the family found this diffcult to grasp and gave a lot of knickknacks they neither want nor need.

My mother is one of those people who loves to give gifts, but unfortunately, has no sense of what the other person likes. She orders junk out cheap catalogs, re-gifts (for instance, a make-up case where an eyeshadow or two was used), or wraps up prizes she won at bridge tournaments (keychains or BBQ tools marked "Delta Dealin' Regionals"). She is well-to-do, (maybe because she doesn't spend much on presents? ha) so she's not giving inexpensive items out of necessity. She just doesn't get it. Christmas is tricky--but my family chuckles. (My husband got a Humane Society calendar this year, the one they send for free if you've donated. He also received a plastic Thomas Kincaid corkboard/keyholder thing in a busted box that he immediately took to a "Dirty Santa" party.) But then I am left with boxes saying "As Seen on TV!," useless kitchen gadgets, hideous plastic decorative items and heavy sense of guilt for wanting to get rid of it all. "Gosh, it may not be much, but she chose it with love and wrapped it with me in mind. I can't just put it in a yard sale." I was wringing my hands over my quandary, as my closets slowly filled with unwanted items ("but my MOTHER gave me this!"), when a wise friend had a talk with me. She reminded me that when a gift is given to me, it is now mine to do whatever I like with it. It is not Mom's, with strings attached or say-so about what should be done with it. It is MINE. I own it and I have the authority to decide where it goes. And it is perfectly okay if I think it should be donated to Goodwill and be enjoyed by someone else who might love it and think they found a treasure, instead of sitting unopened and disliked in my closet. So I no longer feel bad about "recycling" her unwanted presents. The only time I've ever spoken to her about the issue was when I had to gently ask her not to give me clothes anymore, since her taste was so different than mine. Now I thank her And sometimes she does hit the mark and I am delighted by her gift. You cannot control someone else's desire to spend money on your presents. They enjoy shopping for you and they like thinking they found the ideal gift, even if it's expensive. Of course, if you don't like it, it makes you feel bad that they invested in it, but every so often you might get something you want and then the cost doesn't bother you, right? I think you're being very gracious about trying to decorate with this item to spare your mother's feelings. But it's not up to her what you do with it, because she transferred ownership when she gave it to you.