minnow895

i alway try to keep in mind it's not the gift it is the thought that goes behind it.
a coupe of years ago i was looking a portalble camp toliest dad happened to walk by whild in the store,he sakede me what i wanted it for i said well my old bladder is just not as good as it used to be and it is a long way between rest areas for a truck drive.
for christmas i got that portable potty for my truckand my son which didn't have much money gave me airfreshener to hang above it .i laughed untill my stomack hurt and i had to use the porta potty.
back in high school day my broth kept asking me what i wanted i told him it was his choice after a few days i told him i didn't care he could gho out in the yard and get me some dog dodo that was the fist gift i opened from him we all had a great laugh he also gave me the ccr record i wanted so bad.When i look over the years i haven gotten the best gift of all the love and respect of my family.
so when you get a gift that just dosent fit you don't say a word just consider the thought that went into that gift,and than give it to them next year they will love it and forget they gave it to you last year
god bless everone

sueisallaboutquilts

I love stories like this. We all got mad at Mom one year when for her birthday she requested gifts such as a broom, toilet seat, etc. She came from the Great Depression and doesn't spend money!! (but spends it on her kids and grands) We get so mad at her and tell her to spend her money and quit saving it but she likes the security so it works for her.
One of my boys just got out of grad school and no job yet- broke.Well he bought me such a wonderful gift- a thrift shop pendant (locket actually) and inserted photos of his dog and cat. I laughed till I had to run to the little girl's room but he knew I would love it and I do :D

Quiltforme

I love the gifts my kids give me. One year on mothers day I gave them $20 and took them to Fred Meyers they shopped and shopped and I got the best gift. A picture frame that had their voices on it. A HUGE bag of m&m's and something else but this was the best because their dad didn't pick it out just them!! I will say I was very upset at my husband last year getting me a nuwave cooker. I thought this has to be a joke well after I got over my self I realized his intentions behind it. He bought it because he knew how much I loved to cook and the Nuwave cooker cut the cooking time in half so it wasn't a bad gift it was a bad receiver. I use this more than I use my oven and every time I use it I thank him for the wonderful gift!. Thank you for posting this you are right!!

Cyn

Those are wonderful stories. Thanks for sharing.

Willa

Good stories Minnow.
A co worker of mine had just gotten divorced and didn't know what to give his daugheter. She had just gotten a place(room) where she didn't have much room so he couldn't get anything for her "home". He asked several of us and we all suggested some nice jewelry she could wear to work(new professional office job), it would be something she could someday remember him by, and it wouldn't take up a lot of space in her room. He took our advice and spent HOURS in a jewlery store, trying to pick out the PERFECT one, feeling very uncomfortable the entire time. He said she acted as if he had given her that plastic jewlery you get out of machines that come in the plastic balls for .25 - .50. He said he would never spend that amount of time again. The next year he went into a store saw a cheap chess set, picked it up and bought it and gave that to her. He said that she acted as if he had given her the Hope diamond! They talked about those gifts later. She thought he gave no thought to the jewlery and lots with the chess. He told her it was just the opposite and had felt very uncomfortable in that store(too bad for him they don't carry jewlery at Auto Zone or in the hardware store)
So, as Minnow stated, it is the thought behind the gift and since most people can't read minds, they have to go off what they think would be enjoyed. Thanks for the reminder!
Have a great holiday season!

Diannia

I was about 7 or 8 when my dad let me pick out my mom's Christmas gift from me. I remembered her saying she needed some kitchen sponges...you know where this is going right? I found a nice long stack of sponges in all different colors and said that's what I wanted to buy her. Daddy said ok and we took it home and wrapped it. Mom kept saying she wondered what was in my package and I was soooo excited just thinking how happy she would be to open my gift...daddy just sat back and snickered. Mom told me years later it was soooo hard to act excited when she opened my gift but she did it. I never knew how bad a gift it was until I was older...

Diannia

minnow895

this year for christmas is slim pickings i am going through divorce but my grand daughter tols me her doll was getting cold and need a blanket so her doll is getting her own quilt as will the other two grand daughters as they said me to.my grand son plays with his sisters doll so he is getting a amish boy doll i mad i had all the supplies her at the house. my dad an son are getting apron for when they grill both of them love doing that .mom asked for a small quilt for when she was sitting in her chair and watching tv since i have a lot of left over material i will be able to make them all happy