WHAT DO WE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS?

I wanted to find traces of Atlantis on Crete, but changed my mind to BillW's
Peace on earth.

'To dream the impossible dream'

I'm just showin' off cuz I figured out how to post an image, yippee!!!!!

not to mention having these things shipped directly....its like going to the mall during the busy time and never having to deal with the lines, or the gift wrap, or the possiblity of them not being received until after new year


love the reindeer..good job!

Okay, I'll be the first to be "materialistic." I just ordered a Samsung 17" flat panel t.v. for our bedroom. The darn wall mount cost $170. c.i.

Buying your own Christmas presents, c.i.? That's cheating -- you're sure you'll get exactly what you want.

Well, we got a generous gift certificate last year and I admit, I didn't like it at all. One certificate for four people -- what are we going to get and agree on? I ended up buying things for my husband, since it was his side of the family. They may have saved lots of time and probably gotten air miles as well. It end4ed up taking a lot of time on my part and I was... miffed. I don't want generous in terms of money, I want generous in terms of loving thought. If not, it just doesn't count as much in my book.

Now, Quinn, I'm not picking on what you're doing. It is different if it is from a mom to her daughter and you've talked about it and know the store, etc. I can understand that a little more readily. But I'd still just buy my d. an outfit and tell her to take it back if she didn't want it. I could go through one of the national catalog places, like LLBean; all I'd have to do is pick it out and they'd wrap and send it.

I don't like gifts given because they're owed... and that's what the gift certificate last year felt like. Yuck. I'm still uncomfortable about it. For Pete's sake, don't anybody send me a gift certificate, OK?

I like the gift certificate idea almost as much as i like cash, which i like a lot. I hate taking things back so i end up keeping stuff i hate and then donating it to Goodwill after a couple of years. A waste of time and money. Small, inexpensive gifts, ok, but if it's going to be serious money, give me serious money. I HATE TAKING THINGS BACK. my mother finally caught on to the fact that i won't return things, i just won't use/wear them. Earlier this week we discussed what they'd like me to have for Christmas - and i'm to start looking. This process works for us.

Just crossed your gift certificate off my list, Piffka, okay?

I actually have to do the shopping for my family on behalf of my mother-in-law -- which wouldn't bother me except that I even have to buy my own gift and wrap it up and such. Kind of silly, I think. But my kids are happier that I'm buying Grandma's present for them than if Grandma were buying it herself so I guess it's okay.

Understandable...completely...no certificates for you!
Ive had some people that Ive had bad experiences with them on as well, perople that have asked for gift certificates for a certain store...then never used them...that irked me enough to never do that again...of course, I did it twice...and relative or not, you get what I buy you now, no wasted money on this end. Of course the gifts are probably thrown in a closet but, jeesh...rather it eventually go somewhere than just thrown out the window.

I buy my own gifts and wrap them as well, Ive done that for quite a few years actually...and when I bring them down to the family..they are so amuzed Christmas morning when I say..OH MY GOSH...thats exactly what I wanted...thank you Santa, whoever you are.
Im a goofball though, its expected now.

My mother used to do that, too. But I'm not allowed to do so by my family -- they like to surprise me. Of course, hubby demands a detailed list each December and he gets most of his ideas from the list (though he usually throws a bonus or two in the pile as well so I do get some surprises).

My father-in-law, may he rest in peace, used to give me a check. I didn't mind that. I knew he was getting feeble and couldn't get out, nor would know what to look for. I would always take the check and cash it, then use it to buy something I really wanted but didn't seem to fit into my budget. I didn't like to leave it in the bank account where it would end up paying for a light bill or something. As soon as I'd bought whatever it was, I'd write him a thank you and explain what I'd purchased and why. I think he liked that, even if he didn't approve of what I bought!

I also give my kids some cash as well as presents I've picked out for them. Obviously, any kid will like that, but mine have both told me that they like it when they get something they didn't expect. My d. won't even search for presents... she definitely wants a surprise. Makes it handy, I no longer have to hide them!

Then there is the surprise on your face as you try to figure out what the gift is. About 15 years ago, I got 3 gifts from friends (all received at the same gift exchange party) that were, simply put, bizarre. One of them, well, i still can't figure out which end of it is up. The other two made me seriously wonder about the sanity of the gift-givers and/or their perception of me. I now try to find a way to open gifts without people seeing me - the photos of that day still haunt me on occasion.

Gee Quinn, that makes me wonder how much money stores make on certificates that aren't cashed in? My sis (one of 'em) used to give my kids certificates for Barnes & Noble or some record store. Half the time I think they got lost, or were found, dog-eared and out-of-date, a year later!

Then there was the time we lost several hundred dollars when Grandpa's checks were misplaced. He finally sent replacements, but that was pretty awful.

Oh Beth, I've been both on the giving and the receiving ends of that scenario. What can I say, sometimes you get caught up in trying to get presents together, and boom. A really bad egg is hatched.

I would tell you the reason for being on the giving end of one of those fiascos, but it now sounds so lame, even to me, that all I know is, I done wrong.

I once pitched a bitch at my poor wretched husband on Christmas Day. It was quite soon after both my parents & my wonderful mother-in-law had died and I was expecting him to take over the lavish gift giving that they'd provided. I certainly did so for him. Well, he hadn't quite "gotten it" and through some perverse male thought process, decided to get me all my presents at the Hardware store. Omigod.

I freaked out and spent most of the day at the graveyard telling my mom all about it. I thought I was going to leave him, the horrible, ill-begotten creep. Finally I came home to pack my bags and he was so contrite and had found some flowers at least. All was forgiven but he is now TOTALLY aware that there is nothing, NOTHING at the hardware store that should be purchased for his wife. Nothing!!!!!!

I don't have the problems of receiving gifts; returning them for credit or exchange. My way is the most satisfying, because my gift is exactly what I ordered. c.i.

My want is that the gifts I buy will please the people I bought them for.

I actually have a large family I spend time with during the holidays that has a wonderful gift exhange of horrors thing that goes on. Since the children number 11, and half are married, and those each have at least one child, each family member picks one name and does 1 gift for that person. However, they all get a yankee swap gift for Christmas Day. There are finite stipulations to this particular Yankee Swap however, the gifts enclosed must be between 10-20.00 <or being of that value perhaps>. They should be hilarious, and joyful, or at least very wanted by a person in the family. Although there creep through a few items of the useful type, belive me, the rest are unreal. A large box sits at the door, and the Yankee Swap begins after dinner. I have received many a funny gift this way, and actually had a great time purchasing some as well.
So, it seems, not only the gift buying, but gift giving, and not the importance of the gift, but the joy had by all from a gift can bring many memories. Its a great deal of fun, and much better than returning, or something.

Yankee Swap? Sounds like what we call "The Game." Loads of fun and lots of white elephants. Even the littlest kids used to get in on the game, but we haven't done it for a while.

Best one might have been a moustache comb packed in about 30 boxes, the final one being the size of a TV.