My mother gave me an excellent book, but I already read it over the summer. She wanted to return it, but I think I convinced her to read it instead. She might, but it’s not on her Kindle.
My niece gave me a nice scarf, and a winter hat that’s about 3 sizes too small.
The weirdest gift given was pepper spray given from my father to my mother. She was very polite about it, but clearly she doesn’t want anything to do with it. In their neighborhood, I think the likelyhood of ever needing it is seriously low. And if she does, she’d probably be too nervous to use it properly.
This year my mum was very clear about me telling her what I wanted and then her paying for it. On the one hand, none of us are particularly religious and I’m an atheist, and I don’t feel comfortable about having other people pay for things I want just because it’s a certain time of year. On the other hand, she likes buying stuff, sometimes just for the fun of having lots of presents under the tree, and she’s not very good at buying gifts for me. At least there’s no extended family to worry about…
Anyway, the only duds were a pair of jeans that didn’t go over my thighs and a jacket that was a little too small and made of some unpleasant material that felt a little like coarse umbrella fabric. A quick trip into town later and I had some nice duds.
