I don't remember that one but the one that sticks in my memory is from long ago where a lady posted that her husband always took his mother out for Mothers Day BUT she was not invited because he told her she wasn't his mother! What a jerk he was!!

I remember the story, but not all of the details. Was it possibly Chubbyrat?

Is this it? The melon ball story is almost at the bottom.

Dog house gifts

That old thread was quite refreshing....and many many old friends that are now missing. Thanks for the memories!

This reminds me that I'm still missing Marilyn Sue. As I recall, her DH once gave her a fork lift.

These are the old threads I remember, but I don't remember the mellon ball story:

Cat threw up in the washing machine

Dogs in elk

Something about keeping a gardenia alive

I always thought it would be fun to exchange gifts which came from a thrift store. Dollar store is a good idea.

I miss Marilyn Sue too. A fork lift! She was probably thrilled!

Several years ago, sister and I DECIDED the 2 of us and my brother/sil do NOT need to exchange Christmas gifts. Short of one of us winning the lottery and being generous, there's nothing we NEED. Sister and I have stuck with that decision, though we both do holiday baking baskets of goodies. Guess that's technically a gift?!? Doubt it's my brother's idea... probably SIL's but they still insist on giving gifts. I honestly don't feel any guilt over it?!?

socks, I hadn't seen the gardenia one, but here ya go! Thanks for turning me on to it.

Suicidal Gardenia

I'm still laughing "called several airlines re: CA -> NY gardenia rates, but they hung up on me."

There's more than one way to look at it. One (less selfish) way is to look at it as perhaps they have everything they need, might not be in good financial shape, might not want more clutter of trinket gifts around the house, might be saving for a big purchase and/or maybe they needed a melon baller. I abhor trinket gifts that only add clutter whether $1 or $100. I remember the melon baller story and how strange it seemed at the time. It stuck in my mind. Curious how it was left out what the melon baller giver received. Sometimes the things unsaid speak more than what's said. And nobody questioned what was given, just the automatic rush to the side of someone posting they were "wronged" whether they were or not.

Giving an expensive tool and using that as a reason to say "You do the melon balls" could be fairly countered with "Clean the gutters yourself, your hands work don't they?" Or "Don't you know how to take the garbage out?" or other things dependent upon the tool given. My one girlfriend was so hungup on "getting presents". She didn't care what it was, just wanted to receive presents. She could have 5 of an item but as long as it was a "present" it gave her validation. She'd never throw anything out and had a huge rental storage unit full of the trinket trash that people gave her. Seems like she felt that was the only way she would know that people cared for her. Sad really. Especially what so many people actually DID for her. It was a quirky shortcoming in an otherwise great person. And I see this attitude in SO many people these days. It really troubles me to see this so much, for more than one reason.

Years and years ago my sister, some friends and I all agreed to quit the requirement of statutory gift-giving. We still give gifts when we want to, not because we have to and it's either something like a meal paid, maybe some wine or beer, or paying cell phone service or a membership where the person goes. It doesn't have to be something expensive, though sometimes it is. There's also been times where someone mentioned they liked an object and has received a response of If you like it, you can have it. Enjoy! Besides the savings, besides the lessened trinket trash laying around, besides the less waste and impact on the environment, it's something the person wants, can use and enjoys. To me that's way more the spirit of gift giving rather than doing it because they are still a spoiled kid inside.

Which reminds me, I just bought cell phones and a year of service for my sister and a special friend (and considering she was hinting that she was approaching the end of her service in a couple months it may or may not be a surprise to her!). Need to get those delivered.

Years ago my wife's father bought her mother an expensive, powerful vacuum cleaner for her birthday. He was thinking its so much better than the old one she'll get done much faster and have time for other things. She took a much dimmer view of it and was livid.

I love getting practical gifts that I'd be hard pressed to buy for myself. Oh, yes, I love jewelry, but, unfortunately, what my husband has picked out in the past is about as far from my taste as possible. Of course, I love it because he put thought into it, but gee - it sure is ugly. So - I've got a good amount of jewelry that he's purchased and I wear because I don't want to hurt his feelings. And yes, I do frequently point out things I like ... such as "oh my - did you see Mary's bracelet? Wasn't that beautiful? I love that style" or similar comments. And even if we happen to walk by a jewelry store. Oh well. I love him and I love his choices even if they wouldn't have been mine.

But some of the gifts I've been happiest about are the household things. A pewter-color KitchenAid mixer, a sander and a put-together-by-him gift basket of furniture stripper, stain, sandpaper, brushes, etc. (I had some furniture I'd said I wanted to try to refinish), a gorgeous set of knives, and the like.

In reverse, I always feel that I never can live up to his thoughtfulness. If he wants something, he buys it. I know that he, too, has personal tastes that I would probably get wrong. I love him to bits but find him very difficult to buy for. I guess I'll start asking for a list from him ... although that takes some of the fun out of it.

My mil got mad at fil when he bought her a blender that first year. He bought her more appreciative gifts after that. He often gave me perfume for birthdays and Christmas that I didn't use until he realized I like flowers to plant and then he got me those.

I like practical stuff. It's become a joke with my husband because I would have loved the blender. For some reason, I'm particularly hard on them and have to replace them every few years. Some of mt best gifts have been ladders or power tools because I can do something with those. I ask for outdoor plants and shrubs for Mother's Day. Those are the gifts that keep on giving.