[tomwed]

My best Christmas giving ever was when my kids were 4,6 and 8. I took them to the dollar store. And in a very serious tone I told them they had to each pick out a gift for my folks, thier aunts and uncles and their cousins. At a dollar a piece it wasn't much money. But they picked out a toilet plunger, a rat trap, the gaudiest jewelry you ever saw for grandma, i can't remember them all. No matter what they picked I said it was perfect and just what they wanted. They had to wrap the presents too.

Everyone loved what they picked out.

[Average Guy]

Originally Posted by tomwed

My best Christmas giving ever was when my kids were 4,6 and 8. I took them to the dollar store. And in a very serious tone I told them they had to each pick out a gift for my folks, thier aunts and uncles and their cousins. At a dollar a piece it wasn't much money. But they picked out a toilet plunger, a rat trap, the gaudiest jewelry you ever saw for grandma, i can't remember them all. No matter what they picked I said it was perfect and just what they wanted. They had to wrap the presents too.

Everyone loved what they picked out.

Thanks for sharing. That had me laughing out loud. I guess it is a good example of "it's the thought that counts."

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by tomwed

My best Christmas giving ever was when my kids were 4,6 and 8. I took them to the dollar store. And in a very serious tone I told them they had to each pick out a gift for my folks, thier aunts and uncles and their cousins. At a dollar a piece it wasn't much money. But they picked out a toilet plunger, a rat trap, the gaudiest jewelry you ever saw for grandma, i can't remember them all. No matter what they picked I said it was perfect and just what they wanted. They had to wrap the presents too.

Everyone loved what they picked out.

That is a REALLY great story! That is Story Number One so far.

[gomoho]

Originally Posted by tomwed

We all stand in a big circle around the Christmas tree like in Charlie Brown. Then we each take out a fifty dollar bill and pass it to the left. It used to be a twenty when we couldn't afford as much.

I'm in the same boat as Bonanza - I don't get it. Is there one $50 bill being passed and when the music stops someone keeps it or just how does this work. Sounds like it could be fun if I understood what was really going on.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Bonanza

So what happens after you all pass it to the left,
or am I correct in that nothing happens?
What am I not getting???

I think you're not getting that it's a funny story.

[gomoho]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

I think you're not getting that it's a funny story.

Guess I don't get it either, but sounds like if someone could figure it out it could be fun!

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by gomoho

Guess I don't get it either, but sounds like if someone could figure it out it could be fun!

Years ago, we had a group of friends. We were all young and didn't have any money so for birthdays we would send the birthday person $20.00 in a card. We laughed one time wondering if it was the same $20.00 we kept passing around.
It's like if I give you $20.00, next month for my birthday you give me $20.00, it's kind of a wash.

[billethkid]

How about we try to look at the same concept a little differently?

There are 10 people in a room.
They each owe someone in the room $50.
They form a circle so that the one who owes the money stands to the left of the person who loaned it to them.
The very first one passes his $50 bill to the right and says we are even, here is your $50.
Then that person takes the same $50 and passes it to the one to his right and says here we are even.

This repeats until the same $50 bill winds up back to the very first one.

They have all paid their $50 debt and it cost each nothing!!!!

[asianthree]

We just get gifts for grandchildren. Everyone else has enough

[DianeM]

What exactly is wrong with being happy to buy gifts for people I love? What exactly is wrong with appreciating receiving a gift from someone who loves me? What jury gets to decide when everyone has "enough"? As long as no one is going into deep debt buying gifts, what is wrong with gift giving? Gift giving isn't about "need". It's about delighting someone with something they don't "need".

Remember that the 3 Wisemen brought gifts to the child that lay in the manger.

[Bonny]

I also love giving gifts. Of course now, the money isn't as plentiful as it was when we worked. Always loved seeing the look on my families and friend's faces when I got them something they really wanted or liked.
Our family is smaller now and we have everything we could want. The kids always appreciate money now, but I do buy for my grandson. I love watching him open his gifts !!

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by DianeM

What exactly is wrong with being happy to buy gifts for people I love? What exactly is wrong with appreciating receiving a gift from someone who loves me? What jury gets to decide when everyone has "enough"? As long as no one is going into deep debt buying gifts, what is wrong with gift giving? Gift giving isn't about "need". It's about delighting someone with something they don't "need".

Remember that the 3 Wisemen brought gifts to the child that lay in the manger.

There's nothing wrong with it at all.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by DianeM

What exactly is wrong with being happy to buy gifts for people I love? What exactly is wrong with appreciating receiving a gift from someone who loves me? What jury gets to decide when everyone has "enough"? As long as no one is going into deep debt buying gifts, what is wrong with gift giving? Gift giving isn't about "need". It's about delighting someone with something they don't "need

I don't think anyone here said gift giving is Wrong!
Some of the commenters prefer to give a pass to shopping and gift giving.
I personally find it more enjoyable to have a relaxing gift-free holiday season.
But I don't think there is anything wrong with gifting. Not at all. It's just personal preference.

[tomwed]

I miss my folks. My dad would always try to find the perfect gift and loved gizmos. One year he bought all the woman an electric tweezer. The way it worked was that you would put it near an unwanted hair and just like in Alien, when you pushed the button, these prongs would shoot out, grab the hair and painlessly rip it out. The thing is that if you aimed it wrong there was a chance it could grab your eyeball. All the woman quietly said “Oh, thank-you Dad, now who wants to go first?”

[Schaumburger]

A couple of Christmases, my dad bought my mom an edger for the yard and then the next year my dad bought my mom a pruning shears for the bushes. Needless to say he received some funny looks from my mom. But he always had another gift (like jewelry or perfume) for her.

When I got old enough (about age 11), my dad would take me Christmas and birthday gift shopping with him to pick out a gift for her. When I left home to attend college, my younger sisters were recruited for this job.

How many of the guys on TOTV recruit family members to help them shop for the women in their lives? Or do you know your significant other well enough to get them "just what they want?"