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OH Geez what to do? (gift problems)


Talama

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So for my brother and his wife AND my BIL and his wife I got a magnet digital picture frame they can put on the fridge. Things are pretty tight this season and they were on clearance at Target and looked pretty cool, so I picked some up and figured I'm done.

 

Fast forward to the week of Christmas...now my DEAR DEAR DH, after a month of knowing that's the plan, suddenly thinks it's not good enough. BUT he has no ideas on what to do other than expect me to figure something out. I say well we can get a $20 bookstore GC for the ladies (who are both avid readers) and a shirt or BB GC for the brothers...or we can get a $50 GC to a restaurant for each couple and save the frames for other events...

 

Of course none of those are good enough either. It's not like they spend a lot of money on us, either, so that's not where he's coming from...if anything, we usually spend more on their gifts than they do on ours, but that's not really a concern for me.

 

Personally I wouldn't mind getting one of the digital picture frames for my fridge, so I don't see what the big deal is, but maybe I'm just completely out of touch? Is it considered a "lame" gift? Lamer than the other ideas?

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What if you did a movie basket theme for each family?

My daughter did this for her cousins. Microwave popcorn bucket, couple 20 oz sodas, couple boxes "show" type candy and a gift card for Blockbuster. She put some shredded paper in the popcorn bucket, added the other items and it turned out really cute. She got the popcorn, candy and shredded paper at Dollar Spot. All together with the $10 gift card she spent about $17 on each gift but they look like so much more and fun on top of that.

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do you do most of the gift organizing? (I suspect so) If so, and if these are his family - say fine and back off. let your DH handle it. go have a latte.

 

My DH drives me nuts with that.... I shop all year for people... once in a while he will criticize but that ends if he has to do it better...

 

I think the gifts are a great idea - especially if you can preload them

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Thanks for the responses, I appreciate the support! He really is such a pain with this stuff. As far as I can tell he hopes to win the lottery and buy everyone a new car or something LOL.

 

Something like this happens every year, you're right, conj, usually with a member of his family. If I tell him to do the shopping himself, then whatever gift I've suggested is suddenly wonderful, but I like him to feel good about it.

 

Anyway with much pushing and prodding he doesn't want to give something INSTEAD of the frames, but rather in ADDITION TO. So I showed him these long sleeved shirts on sale this week at Kohl's for $12.99 and suggested a $10 GC for bookstore for the ladies (that's enough to buy a book, right? Or do I need to up to $15? I always buy used...) and still give the picture frames and he's all enthusiastic now.

 

On a side note, thanks for the idea about the movie bucket vsa3janes...I need something for my stepson's GF and she's not into the girly stuff so I think that might fit the bill.

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Men!!!

 

Mine does the same thing.. he has 3 brothers and sisters, along with their spouses, and 10 nephews, 1 niece. Every year, I start hounding him in August to find out who we are buying for. Then it always changes the week before Christmas. We don't see one sister or her 7 kids (she has 2 a year, literally), but always have to buy for them.

 

This year he decided not to buy for his sisters, only for his brother. I'm not sure what he was thinking there! Then he did decide to buy for his mom (we only see or hear from her at Christmas because she's consumed by the other kids). So when he was helping me wrap, he asked me why I got his mom a gift ?!?! He even helped pick it out, lol.

 

I guess the moral of my digression is the fact that we always know better and somehow they like to step in at last minute and screw it up. If yours is like mine, he'll forget by then.. or won't be paying attention when they open it, lol.

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Mine is just the opposite.

Typically, I'm the one who has to pick things out. He never second-guesses what I buy...but I always do.

 

 

I actually love the picture frame idea! I would be thrilled to receive one. We gave digital frames last year, and preloaded memory sticks with TONS of photos. They were lots of fun.

I also like the ideas you came up with to give with the frames -- and that they're personal to each individual. You're doing a couple/family gift, AND a small individual gift.

 

I'd stick with the frames and maybe let DH pick out a small thing to go with them if he really wants a hand in it, or feels that he knows better?

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