Here's a quick quiz about last Christmas:1. What did your partner give you?
2. What did you give your partner?
3. What did your parents give you?
4. What did you give them?
5. What did you give your kids?
6. How much did you spend?
I'm not really interested in the answers, I'm interested in whether you found the questions easy or hard. In a recent BBC news story:
...more than half of men have forgotten what their partner got them last year. And women were also forgetful of their gifts, with 43.2% unable to recall what they received from their partners.
Here are a few more questions:
7. What's the best Christmas gift you ever received as a child?
8. What's the best Christmas gift you ever received as an adult?
9. What's the most memorable Christmas gift you've ever given?
I bet those questions were easier to answer. Think about your answers. Can they help you choose better gifts for your loved ones this year?
Here's the last question in the quiz:
10. What do you really want this Christmas? What gift would make this the best Christmas ever?
Does anyone in your family know you want this? Maybe it's something quite inexpensive and simple but if no-one knows about it you're unlikely to find it in your stocking. Maybe it's inexpensive but would be time-consuming to organise. You need to let the person who loves you most know about it well in advance. Maybe it's expensive - but if everyone who usually gives you a gift clubbed together perhaps they could afford it between them, instead of giving you lots of CDs and chocolate that you don't really want. One year everyone gave Ed money instead of gifts on his birthday (which is at the end of November) and at Christmas. It wasn't enough for the 6" astronomical telescope he wanted, but with some money he had saved himself he was able to buy what he really wanted. Now he wouldn't swap his telescope for all the novelty socks and tins of shortbread in the world.
6 comments:
Last year my Wife got me a little DAB radio, as I'd recently sold my car and started taking the bus to work instead, and it was driving me mad not having a radio to listen to!
It's been used pretty much every weekday since (and I plug it in while I'm at work and listen to it all day too!)
Strangely I can't really remember many of my presents as a child. I do remember one little anecdote though - when I was little my parents used to buy me a few decent toys that they knew I'd get lots of enjoyment out of (which would be from them) and I'd get a few token things in my stocking from Santa. My cousin's parents would buy her a single big present, and pretty much everything else would be cheap stocking filler type toys that'd all come from Santa. I probably got the far better deal, but from my perspective Santa wasn't giving me a fair deal. From then on my parents made sure to fill my stocking with cheap novelties too!
I remember presents as a child for perhaps the wrong reasons.. or the right reasons. i dunno. I remember getting a game and playing with it with my uncle. I remember getting music and listening to it. I remember getting books i really wanted. i remember getting an outfit i wanted and thought i was the bees knees in (kids from fame outfit.. say no more). i remember one year getting a huge ghettoblaster which i hadn't asked for. that was a lovely surprise. these days i tend to ask for things i can use, or things i really want. E.g. my gran is getting me seeds for the garden. One year i asked for a sewing machine: mom gave me her old (new) one, since she doesn't use it. i prefer that kind of thing, or books. although we still get silly things too. As for giving presents... i work on the basis that i may be cash poor, but i am time rich, so all my presents are worked that way. e.g. i made a quilt for my gran last christmas (you've seen the photos of that). dad gets port and stilton. has done every year for a while. He looks forward to it - i think he'd be disappointed if he didn't get it for some reason. LOL. that and some turkey and home made bread to have a turkey sandwich with (as mom doesn't do turkey at home, and if i don't give him turkey to take home, he doesn't get a turkey sandwich. and its not christmas without a turkey sandwich!)
some good points though..
keth
xx
We're all pretty practical in our family and my children & I exchange wishlists. But I get little surprise presents for them too.
Hate to say it, but the most successful Christmas gift I gave was also the most expensive, a piece of antique china for my husband, which I bought at auction.
Last year my husband hit the jackpot with me - he gave me a really good pruning saw and secateurs. I've already had my present from my husband this year, a new bicycle. Practical presents in a good way, you see.
What I'd most like this Christmas is to be snowed in for a couple of days. We don't get much snow in Norfolk and I love it.
Hm, interesting questions. Thanks.
I can't really remember the best gift I received when I was young but I do know the most memorable. I'd told my mom I really wanted a butcher block for the kitchen. What I saw in my head was one of those butcher block islands on wheels where you can do all your veggie chopping. Drawers and a basket would be nice, too.
Unfortunately, she heard butcher block table which is apparently a particular style. I got a custom-made butcherblock style oak endtable. Definitely not a kitchen item. *sigh*
Ho Hum. Can't remember much about what I got - I preferred the presents when they were still wrapped thanks! Much more exciting, all lumpy and crinkly and sometimes they even smelled nice.
Love the pic of Scary Santa though, I'll remember that when I'm out with my debit card again next week :-S
Hazel xx
I love the scary Santa I think I should take it to school with me today - everybody is trying to oudo each other with the ammount of money they are spending on their children - one mam stated proudly that she had limited herself to £700 each for her children - they are 4 and 2 years old !! I almost fell through the floor I thought I was being extravegant spending almost £50 on a wooden palace/castle with fairies and witches and princesses to go with it - looks like I had a good deal ! My favourite recent present was a huge selection of incence from Star Child in Glastonbury - my mother really hit the spot with that gift !!
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