quote:Originally posted by GenYus: I agree with Lainie. I think the different is the usefulness of the gift. The sleigh they examplfy is pretty useless as anything but a dust collector unless you have a sleigh thing. But a throw rug at lease has some potential use.
Also, it may have something to do with the skill of the hand-maker. If your throw rug looks like the sweepings from the yarn factory, I don't think it is a good present.
The other word I was looking for was "shoddy." Trinkets are shoddy.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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I love socks and gift cards. I'm not much into weird designed socks, though. Every year I get a package or two of white crew socks because SO knows that with socks you can't go wrong. Heck, I could be swimming in socks and I would still love getting them.
Gift cards are great for hard to buy for people, but I am always sure there is that type of store in the area. For instance, SO got a Starbucks card for a holiday from one of her relatives. It's great because Cath loves coffee...but not great because there are no Starbucks in this area (we're a Dunkin' Donuts town).
-------------------- "Silly customer, you cannot hurt a Twinkie." -Apu (The Simpsons) Posts: 2026 | From: 10 miles South of Boston | Registered: Oct 2002
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quote:Anything Used: If the box is crinkled, even slightly, they'll know it's been used!
What's wrong with used items? Is it that the giver didn't spend enough? Or are some people just wierded out by the fact that someone else has used the item previously?
I've both given and received things like used books and CDs on many occasions, and the fact that they were used didn't detract from my enjoyment of them one bit. A few Christmases ago I received a very nice set of dishes, in perfect condition, that happened to come from a thrift store. To me it seems kind of wasteful to demand a brand new item when there are perfectly good used ones available.
Although... upon rereading the article, maybe they mean regifting, or people getting rid of things they don't want anymore by giving them as gifts. In that case, I might be a little more inclined to agree.
-------------------- "Unseasonable is an odd word to begin with. It sounds like it's describing something that it's impossible to sprinkle pepper on." -- Nonny Posts: 5483 | From: Just south of Folsom Prison, CA | Registered: Jul 2002
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quote:Anything Used: If the box is crinkled, even slightly, they'll know it's been used!
What's wrong with used items? Is it that the giver didn't spend enough? Or are some people just wierded out by the fact that someone else has used the item previously?
As long as you aren't trying to pass off a used item as new, then I agree with you. I suspect that people who are not happy to received used items are people who have gone to some trouble and expense to choose a gift only to receive someone else's well used cast-off in exchange. You buy the latest best-seller, read it yourself and then wrap it up and give it to me for Christmas, fine, but do not be surprised if I am less than overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness and generosity!
-------------------- If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation. - Jean Kerr Posts: 18428 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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Although appropriate regifting depends on the gift and the person receiving it (the partially empty popcorn tin is just wrong, though. Food just shouldn't ever be regifted - yuk!), I don't agree that a crinkled box = used item. A lot of times when you buy something the box isn't perfect. Especially if you get things at discount stores or if the gift was mail ordered. I try to get things that the recipient would like, so if somebody cared more about the condition of the box than the fact that they were getting a gift, they probably don't really need to get any more gifts from me.
Gifts That Require Work: My dad is still thanking me for the Leaf Hog I got him several years ago, and my mom still tells me that the dishwasher I got her for a Mother's Day 5 years ago is the best one she ever had. Maybe my folks are weird, but they like to receive these kinds of things (even if they have not specifically "asked for, no begged for," them). It means they don't have to buy them for themselves, and saving someone a few hundred bucks is always a good gift, IMHO.
I think that you have to take people's preferences into consideration, of course, but if I were to receive a personalized throw rug I wouldn't be too impressed. It would probably end up rolled up in a closet until I needed to replace the throw rug in front of the washer and dryer out in the garage. Personalized gifts should only come from close family (i.e. parents, children, spice). I've received personalized gifts from casual friends, and it's kind of strange. Again, just my opinion.
quote:Anything Used: If the box is crinkled, even slightly, they'll know it's been used!
So, I guess my sister was faking her look of joy when she unwrapped that vintage kimono a couple of years ago?
Do antiques fall into this category as well?
-------------------- "But about the reindeer...what kind of a nose shines? How did he get it? Maybe it's not a reindeer after all. It could be something else." Posts: 2216 | From: Winston-Salem, NC | Registered: Nov 2003
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quote:Originally posted by qualli: Gift Cards are the best? Hmph... why even bother?
My wife and I love getting gift cards. Especially for stores like Best Buy, Circut City, etc. I'd rather get a gift card then a pair of socks.
I wonder where a gift card from a store that specializes in socks fits on the giftometer?
Gift cards are fine so long as the person buying them knows exactly where you like to shop. I still prefer an actual gift that someone picked out, though. And I never buy gift cards myself. To me the quest for the perfect gift is part of the gift.
Okay, I quested for the girls' Chanukah gifts on Amazon this year....
Nonny
Nonny
-------------------- When there isn't anything else worth analyzing, we examine our collective navel. I found thirty-six cents in change in mine the other day. Let no one say that there is no profit in philosophy. -- Silas Sparkhammer Posts: 10141 | From: Toronto, Ontario | Registered: Apr 2000
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As usual the problem with this list is that it generalizes on a topic that varies widely from person to person. I like socks, used things, and practical gifts. If someone bought me the right kind of vaccuum or kitchen item I would be stoked. I treasure every handmade item my grandmother gave me, as I'm sure most people would.
-------------------- Officially Heartless Posts: 3065 | From: The Montgomery County of the West Coast- Berkeley, CA | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by landmammal: I like getting books and movies, but don't kill yourself trying to pick something you think I'd like. Get me something you like that you think I won't totally hate (no war movies, in other words). That way, maybe you'll help broaden my horizons this year.
This is more or less my general rule of choosing presents, whether its books, movies, jewelry, clothing, whatever. I'd rather give you a book or movie that I love then one that I hate or that I don't know anything about. If someone asks for something specific, I try to review it to see if I think I would like it. Even if I never plan on watching the movie or discussing the book with that person, I think it should matter that I gave that particular item. If it doesn't matter who gives it to them, why not just get them a gift card instead?
I've had a lot of people tell me I'm weird, saying I should just get whatever the person wants and it doesn't matter what I like. But that just doesn't seem very thoughtful to me.
-------------------- If the sum of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the square on the other two sides, why is a mouse when it spins? Posts: 90 | From: Cleveland, OH | Registered: Nov 2005
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I don't mind practical gifts. If someone gave me an appliance I've had my eye on, but couldn't afford, I'd be very touched at their thoughtfulness.
-------------------- It's like they took a bunch of movies, put them in a blender and turned it on really fast!-Mystery Science Theater 3000 Posts: 2603 | From: Magna, Utah | Registered: Aug 2004
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quote:Originally posted by ThistleSmelt: I treasure every handmade item my grandmother gave me, as I'm sure most people would.
Well, that goes back to my distinction between a handmade item and a handmade trinket. Both my late grandmother and my mother have given dozens of people handmade (crocheted and knitted, respectively) baby and wedding presents over the last 70 or so years. All of those presents have been, and continue to be, treasured, saved, passed along to descendants, etc. But none of them were "trinkets."
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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I agree, Lainie, but I guess I feel the article didn't make that distinction very well.
-------------------- Officially Heartless Posts: 3065 | From: The Montgomery County of the West Coast- Berkeley, CA | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Soaps, bath salts, and other "neutral" toiletries
Hate, hate, hate this stuff. I use only unscented products and rarely wear perfume. Most scents make me sneeze, and these things are always loaded with perfumes. I'd rather have the partially-eaten popcorn.
Four Kitties
-------------------- If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales? Posts: 13275 | From: Kindergarten World, Massachusetts | Registered: Jul 2003
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I used to take great pains to buy gifts when the grandchildren were younger, but now I have no idea what they want/need, and DOYC only knows what the great grandchildren want. I write a check for each one of them and get a special card for each one of them to put the check in. It's always the right size and color, and believe me, they'd rather get $$ to spend on what they want than to get something they didn't care for but feel like they probably should keep because Grandmother gave it to them. I haven't shopped for Christmas in many years. Oh, except I always get a calendar with hummingbirds on it for my Aunt. That tradition started many years ago, and I suppose it will continue until one of us dies. And my Thursday lunch bunch exchanged gifts, but now there are only two of us left. We just send a card and talk on the telephone. My sisters-in-law and I swap little remembrances, too, maybe a candle, or a set of snowman salt & pepper shakers, or a note cube, nothing expensive.
The year my mother-in-law died (1992), I was so depressed because I couldn't get her a gift. She loved dolls, so I took a little girl's name from the Salvation Army tree and got a doll (in honor of my mother-in-law), warm pajamas, M&Ms, and a bunch of other little things for her. It made me feel so good, you wouldn't believe it. I've done that every year since, except for one year when I couldn't afford it. That year, I opened this beautifully wrapped box from my daughter. Inside was an Angel from the tree, and on the back was listed the things she had bought for the child. That is the best gift anyone has ever given me. I cried. My daughter knows me well. I finally convinced my son he should do that, too, so for the past 5-6 years, I've received a card that says "Thank you and love from Child's Name." The first year, I asked, "Who is Child's Name?" My brain didn't make the connection, and we got a big out of it. Of course, the children always get me a little something, and sometimes it might even be considered to be a trinket, but I love it, no matter what it is.
-------------------- "This air we're breathing. Oxygen, isn't it?"~I’mNotDedalus, impersonating Vincent D’Onofrio.|"Sometimes trying to communicate can be like walking through a minefield."~wanderwoman "Give people a break. It's not easy doing a life."~Joshua Halberstam Posts: 4020 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Signora Del Drago: The year my mother-in-law died (1992), I was so depressed because I couldn't get her a gift. She loved dolls, so I took a little girl's name from the Salvation Army tree and got a doll (in honor of my mother-in-law), warm pajamas, M&Ms, and a bunch of other little things for her. It made me feel so good, you wouldn't believe it. I've done that every year since, except for one year when I couldn't afford it. That year, I opened this beautifully wrapped box from my daughter. Inside was an Angel from the tree, and on the back was listed the things she had bought for the child. That is the best gift anyone has ever given me. I cried. My daughter knows me well. I finally convinced my son he should do that, too, so for the past 5-6 years, I've received a card that says "Thank you and love from Child's Name."
Signora, have I told you lately how much I admire you?
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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quote:Soaps, bath salts, and other "neutral" toiletries
Hate, hate, hate this stuff. I use only unscented products and rarely wear perfume. Most scents make me sneeze, and these things are always loaded with perfumes. I'd rather have the partially-eaten popcorn.
Four Kitties
Agreed for different reasons. Its OK if my mom buys them because she knows what scents I like. However, I'd prefer not to get them from students or in a gift exchange as I have very specific scents I like & other that I can't stand. I'm also allergic to bubble bath so that gift always gets regifted.
AFA regifting, it really does depend. One year my dad was looking for a biography of a specific person. He did have a bio but it was out of print. I found it at a used book store & picked it up for less than $10 (hardback). He was thrilled & it meant a lot more to him than a 'new' gift from a swanky store.
And, believe it or not, my DD, AKA Princess Fashionista, requested clothes for Christmas. Correction, 'pretty clothes'. DS loves legos & DD loves clothes. Unfortunately, both can be very expensive!
-------------------- I cannot live without books-Thomas Jefferson *~* A child educated only at school is an uneducated child - George Santayana I'm going to pummel you with such zeal, Buddha will explode! *~* Never miss a good chance to shut up - Will Rogers Posts: 6585 | From: Dallas/Fort Worth, TX | Registered: Feb 2002
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I don't think there's any such thing as a universally good or bad gift. I'm with Signora; I'd love to have a charitable donation made in my name in lieu of Christmas or birthday presents; I live in a tiny apartment and the last thing I need is more "stuff." But even with that, someone who didn't know me well (or didn't care to) could screw that up by, say, giving the money to a church or anti-abortion group. If people want to give me stuff, I like high-quality liquor or fine wines, fair-trade coffee and chocolate, fruit (my grandmother gave me a subscription to Harry and David's Fruit of the Month Club for my birthday--best gift ever!) and other consumable items. I also like socks. A lot. The sillier, the better. So there, SixWise.
-------------------- "If God wrote it, the grammar must be infallible. Perhaps it is we who are mistaken." -MapleLeaf Posts: 977 | From: Boston, MA | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Soaps, bath salts, and other "neutral" toiletries
Hate, hate, hate this stuff. I use only unscented products and rarely wear perfume. Most scents make me sneeze, and these things are always loaded with perfumes. I'd rather have the partially-eaten popcorn.
Four Kitties
Yeah, nothing says "I love you" more than a tube of shower gel. Why do people think these make great gifts? It's like giving someone toothpaste for Christmas, I'd just rather pick out my own! I'm surprised that no one has mentioned cosmetics yet. I always seem to get at least two "color sampler" type makeup kits every year, usually from clueless relatives. People seem to think that because I'm a girl, I must want more makeup. Especially the cheap awful kind in those kits from department stores. I'm in the camp of people who love getting socks for presents too, even better if it's the wacky novelty kind. I never wear plain white socks, so a few more for the collection is A-OK! My mom gets me a pair each of socks and underwear every year, the sillier the better.
-------------------- Kevin: Pink Bunkadoo? Randall: Yeah. Beautiful tree that was. Og designed it. 600 feet high, bright red, and smelled terrible. Posts: 71 | From: Portland, Oregon | Registered: Nov 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Morgaine La Raq Star: AFA regifting, it really does depend. One year my dad was looking for a biography of a specific person. He did have a bio but it was out of print. I found it at a used book store & picked it up for less than $10 (hardback). He was thrilled & it meant a lot more to him than a 'new' gift from a swanky store.
Last Christmas I gave my mother a book she had been looking for for years. It was long out of print and I located it in a bookshop in England thanks to Abebooks. I modestly tell you that I made her Christmas!
There is a huge difference between a thoughtful used book, especially if it is OOP and a book someone else recently read and decided to wrap up and give as a gift.
-------------------- If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation. - Jean Kerr Posts: 18428 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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Am I the only one who thinks boxes of chocolates are amongst the worst gifts I could receive? I dont need the extra calories, am generally allergic to at least one of the fillings. I have expensive tastes in chocolate and would rather someone bought me a bar of, say, Green and Blacks than a big box of inferior sweets.
I would, however, be delighted with nice slipper socks.
-------------------- I tried to get in touch with my inner child, but she isn't allowed to talk to strangers. Posts: 674 | From: Scotland | Registered: May 2004
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I consider "plain but necessary items" like socks, warm underwear or household devices, or "standards" like the obligatory box of chocolates or necktie the most disappointing gifts you can get - in fact, almost insulting... as if the person was too lazy or too indifferent to try and find out what you'd *really* like. The worst being having to stay polite and look delighted.
-------------------- Desperate, but not serious. Posts: 689 | From: Confoederatio Helvetica | Registered: Sep 2005
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It depends so much! My husband and mother have bought me almost identical items and the ones from my husband are perfect and the ones from my mother are icky. I would love just the right fun socks, just the right chocolate, bath stuff, kitchen gadgets. But the wrong ones are just junk.
And yet my mother spends a lot more time and effort hunting for the perfect gift, our tastes just don't coincide and years of me oohing and aahing over bad stuff has reinforced the badness. I still enjoy getting gifts from my mother, because the effort she puts in makes it sweet and she's so excited to give the gifts she worked so hard on.
My husband rarely puts a whole lot of shopping effort in, he just pays attention to what I like when we're shopping and stops by and picks it up. He still gets excited about giving, and he does put some thought into what he gets me.
As for handmade trinkets, I don't know many adults who would put effort into making a gift that wasn't a cool gift. It's easier to buy something than make something, so the homemade gifts we have gotten have been special knitted and woodworked items. And I know I only give handmade items to people I'm really close to, like I will make an outfit for a friend's baby but a co-worker will get something from their registry.
Posts: 2115 | From: Texas | Registered: Sep 2003
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Two years ago my cousin who dose not have lots of money do to raising 3 kids on a waiters wages. Want to make sure everone in the family got a gift from her famly. So that year we all got a hand made christmas sock filled with apples, a jar of brown surgur with apple pie seasoning, bag of flower, bag of shortening and a set of instruction to how mix everything together and make her favorite apple pie. One of my favorite gifts that year and it also tasted good. Other years were similar had made things, in that they were useful and some thought went into them.
Since I purched a small house (900 sqr ft) on a 5 acre lot a couple of years ago. My sister just buy my a gift card at Home Depot. She figures that I do not have any room in house and plenty of room to work outside. She is right and I make good use of the card.
Posts: 597 | From: Bellingham, WA | Registered: Nov 2005
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My favorite gifts have been a Kitchenaid mixer and a vacuum. I don't like getting gift cards, as it's nearly impossible to spend exactly $20, and so I have to spend money to get my gift.
While I do love books, a gift card to Borders or the like is not a good idea. I can buy them much cheaper used- via a Half-Price book store or half.com. If I get a gift card then I don't get as much books as if I had just gotten the cash.
My step-dad asks for long underwear every Christmas- then again, he is an odd man.
Last Christmas my SIL gave us a wreath for our door with our names on it (she didn't have much money for gifts, so she made us something). She spelled my name wrong though. She was all upset, but it was an easy mistake to make, and no one notices anyways.
-------------------- Whereas as you are dancing happily in the fields of ignorance through which the stream of stupidity bubbles and flows. -BlushingBride My my space. Posts: 656 | From: Ohio | Registered: Jul 2003
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I actually like the bubble bath/shower gel sets, but then again I REALLY like taking bubble baths. Since most people do not use them they end up re-gifting them to me- which is a good thing!
-------------------- "My Very Educated Mother Just Said Uh-oh! No...Pluto..."~ Steven Colbert Posts: 3256 | From: Somewhere in Ohio | Registered: Apr 2004
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Our family is so dullly practical. We'd be lynched by the writers of this article.
Socks, handkerchiefs, underwear, ties and so on are always good safe gifts. The recipient needs them after all.
So long as it has been asked for, practical gifts are among the best you can receive. Garden shredders, windscreen wiper blades, a coffee machine and a paper shredder are among the dull gifts that have been given recent Christmases, and probably gotten more use and joy than a daft "presenty" present.
I'm not a huge fan of gift cards because I figure that you could just give cash. I wouldn't be insulted by receiving cash. I understand why they are bought though.
No, I've never bought into this idea that gifts are supposed to be presenty. I'd actually happily receive toothpaste if I needed it. Christmas presents are an excuse for someone else to pick up the tab for stuff you've had your eye on. If someone is really stuck of something to buy me, I'd rather they make a generous contribution to charity rather than buy me something I don't want. Some people are strangely insulted by this notion, I've never understood why.
Posts: 1985 | From: Reading, England | Registered: Dec 2002
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We're a practical present family. This year I've asked for a digital radio alarm clock from my mother and a nice bag for my knitting from my sister, while my sister is getting some new lights for her bike and my mother is having a bottle of perfume that she took me to the shop and showed me exactly the one she wants.
I actually don't know why we bother buying things for other people; we should all just go on a shopping trip together and have some fun while buying our own presents!
Vouchers are always very very welcome for me though - no one can be expected to anticipate my taste so it's probably best all round
-------------------- Silence should never under any circumstances be construed as agreement. A lot of the time, it's simply a reflection that someone just said something so stupid that no response could possibly do it justice. - Ramblin' Dave Posts: 8528 | From: Nottingham, England | Registered: Feb 2000
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quote: 8. Lingerie: In a similar vein, lingerie is a risky bet. Pick out something she likes, and that's the correct size, and you may have done well -- but the chances of this are slim (no pun intended). More likely you'll buy something that's too big (and therefore implying she's fat), or too small (and therefore implying she's fat), ...
You know, there are these little tags in clothing items (yes, you find them in lingerie, too) that tell you the size of the item. If you go and have a look at the items she already has, you'll get a good impression what size to buy for a gift. I'm assumig here that if you are close enough to consider giving lingerie to someone, you are close enough to have a chance for an unobserved peek in her wardrobe.
Style, now, is a much more difficult thing - but that isn't confined to lingerie.
Don "carrying a card with all my SO's sizes in my wallet" Enrico
ETA: The best gift I'll be giving this year is part practical, part homemade. My Canadian friend Richard an I were trying to find worms for fishing bait late at night in a slightly intoxicated state this summer (long story). We didn't find many worms, but we founded the "International League of Wormhunters" in the process (did I say we were slightly intoxicated?). During a short trip to Paris later this year, the SO and I found a little garden tool set - small shovels, rakes and things like that in a handy bag. WE got that for Richard, and I designed an "International League of Wormhunters" membership card for him. He probably won't use the tools for wormhunting, but he's a great gardener, too, so he will use them anyway. And I'm sure he'll be ROTFL about the membership card.
-------------------- My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling, but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places. - Pooh Bear Posts: 2209 | From: Hamburg, Germany | Registered: Oct 2004
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This year, I've found the perfect gift for someone who has everything, something that one just can't get on their own. My sister is the lucky recipient. I'm going to give her syphilis ( http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/6708/ )! (She has that kind of humour, and I have a somewhat serious gift as well.)
Top that!
-------------------- /Troberg Posts: 4360 | From: Borlänge, Sweden | Registered: Nov 2005
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I have just stopped giving gifts at the designated times. I no longer give gifts specifically for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc. If I find something that suits a person in my life, I wrap it up and send it to them. The only thing special about the occasion is that I was thinking of that person and decided to send them a gift.
-------------------- "We take evil really seriously" Posts: 175 | From: Tokyo, Japan | Registered: Aug 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Don Enrico: You know, there are these little tags in clothing items (yes, you find them in lingerie, too) that tell you the size of the item. If you go and have a look at the items she already has, you'll get a good impression what size to buy for a gift. I'm assumig here that if you are close enough to consider giving lingerie to someone, you are close enough to have a chance for an unobserved peek in her wardrobe.
Better make sure you buy the same size from the same brand/manufacturer. Sizes vary widely, especially within the S/M/L/XL world of lingerie.
The best thing to do, if you can swing it, is to borrow a piece of lingerie (or any other clothing you're thinking of gifting her with) and take it to the store with you, so that you can actually compare physical size.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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I guess this makes me an oddball, since I love practical gifts, like a state-of-the-art vacuum cleaner, or some other interesting cleaning tool. My husband buys me beautiful things - leather coats, diamond earrings, expensive perfume - but I'd rather have gift certificates for oil changes or tires, a really cool blender, one of those electric tub scrubber thingies, etc.
-------------------- And on the 7th day, God said, "Let there be lips!" Posts: 296 | From: Munhall, PA | Registered: Jul 2006
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There are electric scrubbers? I've been whining about the lack of those for years! It has always looked so simple to me to design a machine that would take the tedious rubbing out of the scrubbing, and finally someone has stolen my idea (without even knowing it) and made a product of it. I want one!
-------------------- /Troberg Posts: 4360 | From: Borlänge, Sweden | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Troberg: That's the worst you can do?
This year, I've found the perfect gift for someone who has everything, something that one just can't get on their own. My sister is the lucky recipient. I'm going to give her syphilis ( http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/6708/ )!
These viruses are, quite possibly, the greatest things ever! My brother is a volunteer for AIDS action. Maybe I'll give him HIV. In fact, I see a disease for everyone!
-------------------- "Silly customer, you cannot hurt a Twinkie." -Apu (The Simpsons) Posts: 2026 | From: 10 miles South of Boston | Registered: Oct 2002
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I've done that every year since, except for one year when I couldn't afford it. That year, I opened this beautifully wrapped box from my daughter. Inside was an Angel from the tree, and on the back was listed the things she had bought for the child. That is the best gift anyone has ever given me. I cried. My daughter knows me well. I finally convinced my son he should do that, too, so for the past 5-6 years, I've received a card that says "Thank you and love from Child's Name." The first year, I asked, "Who is Child's Name?" My brain didn't make the connection, and we got a big ![[lol]](graemlins/lol.gif)
out of it. Of course, the children always get me a little something, and sometimes it might even be considered to be a trinket, but I love it, no matter what it is.
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