My husband’s birthday is in 2 months. Dun-Dun-Duuuunnnn!!!!!!!!!!
Did you ever have to buy a gift for someone who is really hard to buy for? My grandfather was like that. We used to have such a hard time coming up with gifts for him. We’d get him something, he would thank us for the generous gift and then a year or two later, he would give it back to us. (“I found this cleaning out the closet and I don’t really wear it anymore–would you like it?”) Used to drive us nuts.
My husband, who shares my grandfather’s birthday–maybe this is an Aries trait???–is the same way. Observe the following conversation:
Me: Someone’s birthday is coming up!! Anything in particular you would like for your birthday? Him: Nope, not really.
Me: Are you sure? I’d love to get you something you want or need?
Him: No, really. I’m good. I have everything I need.
Me: Don’t you need a new shirt? Or maybe some new shoes? Your brown ones are getting kind of old…
Him: I just bought a new pair last week.
Me: Haven’t we had the discussion of “If it is less than 30 days before your birthday, do not buy anything for yourself”? It goes hand-in-hand with the “Do not open any mysterious packages that may show up on the front porch if your birthday is coming up and you did not order anything” conversation.
Him: But I don’t need anything.
Me: **sigh
I remember the Green Sweater Incident of 2005 when I gave him (you guessed it) a green sweater for Christmas. At the time, I was just starting out and had very little disposable cash, so I took on some extra shifts to earn enough buy him a beautiful cashmere/silk sweater. I thought it was lovely. He opened it, expressed admiration for it (“Oh this is really nice, thank you so much!”) and I thought I had scored a home run. Fast forward another year and I happened to find it in the back of the closet amongst a group of clothes that he never wore.
Subtlety not being my strongest trait, I said “Hey, this is so nice–why don’t you ever wear it? Is it too hot?” He goes, “Well, actually, I don’t really like it. It doesn’t fit–too big.”
Now, I don’t really care that he didn’t like it–I can’t hit a home run with every gift–but I hate that I spent a nice chunk of change on something that he will never use. I’d much rather he tell me it’s too big so we can return it and purchase a pair of slacks or sunglasses or an espresso machine that he will use and enjoy everyday. (Although, as it turned out, my 2013 espresso machine attempt turned out to be a saga as well: let’s just say that Macy’s gave me a $100 credit for alerting them to “resold” merchandise that was purchased with a stolen credit card.)
But getting back on track here, I think it’s always better to give a gift that someone really wants and will enjoy rather than just giving “something”. We all have enough white elephants in our lives as it is. You may think that everyone loves a Starbucks gift card, but what if, like me, they don’t drink coffee? I have finally bitten the bullet and decided that wish lists are the way to go. I like GiftList because it aggregates items from across the board. Interested in a full body massage? There’s a Spafinder gift card for you!
Want to go to a Red Sox game? Use your points to buy tickets. Dreaming of a weeklong trip to Australia to swim with the duck-billed platypuses… or “platypi”…or “platypodes” …whatever it is? Someplace somewhere will offer just such an attraction and you can book the trip of a lifetime! (I recommend using caution–though not particularly aggressive, the males do have venom covered spines on their feet and who knows what goes on in their little platypus brains?)
If I’m being honest, I’m an Amazon gal. I’m happy as a clam with a good ol’ Amazon gift card. It sounds stuffy and snotty, but most of the time, I’d rather just choose exactly what I want than someone else try to get me something that is almost what I want. Again, I hate for someone to spend money on something I’ll never use. SO a gift card really is the gift that keeps on giving!
For my husband, though….wish me luck. Gift cards go into the black hole that is the Dresser Pile, never to be seen again. Maybe I’ll get him a new green sweater. Or a picture of a new green sweater. Given my husband’s cappuccino habit, I think an espresso machine is the way to go this year. We may even figure out how it works one day. And who knows? This year, my gift may be a home run!
