December 3, 2009

The Person

Everybody has one in their life. You know the Person. Someone you've known for years (and are probably related to), but don't really know well. Someone who has no discernible hobbies or interests, who you end up buying a fruit basket for every year because, well, at least it's edible and everyone has to eat, right?

Last night, I shopped online and cheerfully clicked Buy on the very last item for the very last person on my Christmas list, revelling in the bliss of knowing that all of my shopping was done for this year - and by the first week of December!

And then I remembered my Person. The Person I forgot to put on my list. The Person who causes me shopping anxiety every year. I probably shouldn't even bother caring at this point and just grab a fruit basket, but I'm a middle child and we aim to please, so every year I still agonize over what to buy them.

Dammit.

What do you give to The Person in your life? What's your fallback present for someone you seldom see, never talk to, and yet are obliged to provide with something cheerfully wrapped every December 25? Please - give me your ideas!
Posted by Lisa in Oz at 12:51 PM
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23 shout-outs:

  2. Hmmm...it really depends who the Person is (meaning male or female). I don't have any male Persons...but for the female ones, I just get a lotion set. It is a great fall back!!

    ~Working Mommy
    Come on by, stay for a while and leave a comment or two!!
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  3. Oh Oh I know *puts her hand up so the teacher can see*

    I have 4 of those persons to buy for this year. We don't usually buy for each other (my step-dads parents and brother & wife) but they buy for my kids. Anyway we are all going out for Xmas lunch this year so we have to buy for them. Know what I am getting them each....

    A nice Pen. You know like a parker pen, something nice in a box but not too expensive. Everyone uses a pen right? And is a unisex present! It's not very exciting but it is practical and I know they will use it!
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  4. @ KK - good idea! I usually go with something edible - everyone eats, right?!?

    @ WM - that's my problem, it's a guy. I can always give a girl bath/lotion stuff, but for a guy? I draw a total blank!

    @ Amanda - not a bad idea! He's not exactly...ugh, how do I say this and sound nice? Well he's not exactly the type of person who is into writing. Or reading. Or, um...anything related to either of those two things. But I am TOTALLY stealing this idea for someone else I shop for for next year, because she'd love it!
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  5. My adult sons get a card and $10 worth of scratchies (Lottery) from relos they don't see very often.

    Surprisingly, they get a lot of enjoyment out of them and if they win something, even better.
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  6. A gift card to Starbucks in a coffee mug.
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  7. A bottle of wine or nice alcohol (like cognac) if they are drinkers. If not, chocolates or fruit basket always works or if I am really stumped a gift card to Amazon.com.
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  8. Indoor bulb growing set? Or grow your own mushrooms indoors kit? Maybe sounds weird, but they are my fall back options!
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  9. I had that "person" on my list until this year... but, with the economy, we made a mutual decision to stop exchanging gifts. Since we both agreed, there were no hard feelings. Now, I can stop buying "edible arrangement fruit displays", and will no longer get ugly holiday sweaters. Hooray!

    ~Elizabeth
    http://confessionsfromaworkingmom.blogspot.com
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  10. Is he a football type guy?? Last year, my brothers got an ongoing football themed lotto ticket which I thought was quite fun. I think it actually came from a newsagency (or whereever they sell lotto tickets/scraties), and from what I remember they were bought for whichever specific team my brothers followed. Meaning if their team won, they won something...
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  11. Cookies. Everyone loves cookies.

    Popped in from SITS!
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  12. An Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble gift card or even to a supermarket near their home. An ornament for their tree. Chocolates. An certificate for a mani and pedi. A Yankee jar candle.
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  13. What about a chocolate gift basket or Coffee gift basket? Everyone loves Chocolate and Coffee. Nothing fancy would do.
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  14. StarBucks Gift card and a bottle of wine.

    I just gave away too much about myself, didn't I?

    Ooops.
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  16. Good luck with getting something for The Person. I normally get a giftcard for a bookstore. Hey, similar story came to NZ on a 1 yr work visa in 99..went home and came back :)
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  17. TIME.
    To have dinner with me, I'd pay.
    Sunny greetings from Cairo, Egypt!
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  18. hmm... homemade cookies or maybe a nice scarf (or is that too boring? i don't know, i always enjoy a nice scarf...)
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  19. I was going to say a bottle of wine, because alcohol always seems like the fall back gift here in Oz, but something I've been doing for the people I don't know what to get is sending them something from Oxfam Unwrapped. You can spend as little or as much as you like and send someone a chicken or a pig or clean drinking water for a village or whatever. You can have a cute card mailed to them or sent to you to give to them which lets them know about your donation. Makes you feel good because you are helping others and who can be mad at you for giving to a charity in their honour, and if they are upset, it dosen't matter because as you said, you rarely see this person. Good luck!
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  20. I have a girl Person who is part of a couple/Person. So... a basket with a bottle of wine, some gourmet cheeses etc. and a giftcard to Nordstrom's.
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  21. I like the gift card ideas you got above. Yeah, that works for the person. Good luck and don't let anxiety take over.

    Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest! I'm your newest blog follower.
    ReplyDelete
  22. I've got just the thing for you. If you don't know what kind of gift card to get (no hobbies) and you can't figure out a way to make it personal (don't know her that well), just go for a festive combination.

    - Get her an iTunes gift card with a bag of Pop Rocks candy and say, "You Rock" on the card
    - Get her movie tickets and movie candy, everybody loves the movies.
    - Get her a gift card for video and give her a list of your favorite movies as rental suggestions--maybe you'll find something in
    common.
    - Get her a gift card to Macy's or another place to buy clothes and write, "Life is short - buy the shoes!"

    Point being...you can make any gift card seem personal, even if you don't know the person that well.

    Good luck!
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  23. Found a beer belt - hold 6 beers around the waist... Now who couldn't do with a handy gift like that? I bought 3 - just to make sure I had all my awkward people covered!
    ReplyDelete

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