10. Stationery with your name misspelled. This happened to me….twice.
9. Nose-hair trimmers - This would be considered an intervention with my family.
8. The gift to yourself. “I really wanted this, so I bought it for you.”
7. Underclothing. “I know you need socks and underwear kids, but you’ll just have to wait to see what Santa brings this year.”
6. Enthusiast/Professional items. They know everything about art/computers/photography/skiing, you know nothing, so why not buy them a brush/RAM/lens/poles so that they can exchange it for something useful?
5. The Re-Gift. YOU don’t want it but I bet THEY DO!
4. Nicknacks - The pinnacle of gift-giving can be found at Things Remembered. Seriously, there is more to giving than wrapping a box of junk.
3. Gift Cards - Now don’t get me wrong. Gift cards are OK from some people and in some situations and I don’t mind receiving them. But nothing say’s “I don’t care to get to know you well enough” or “I got this for you last night” like a gift card.
2. Suggestive items like cleaning products, exercise equipment, hygiene aids, Books on how to get a man, lingerie, etc. Just don’t.
1. Gift for an imagined recipient. Joey is into music and art, he gets a football. Susie is a working mom with too little time to spend with the kids, she gets a breadmaker. Cameron is 4 years old and he gets a tri-fold wallet. You get the idea.
I am guilty of a few of these. It just continues to amaze me how much money and how little thought goes into Christmas sometimes. I know the specific gift shouldn’t matter but it DOES say something about what you think (or don’t) about the recipient.
I have to say that mine and Jenny’s family are good gift givers. Most of these bad experiences came from friends and friend’s families. Many of my friends are subjected to the worst of the gift-giving feaux pas every year. I feel really bad for them, but hey, they have a great collection of kitten figurines.
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