I asked my husband specifically for a nice set of knives or one of a few kitchen gadgets this year. Cleaning supplies, I’d agree, but cooking is a household chore, and a hobby of mine, so I appreciate gifts related to it.
Silly response: IMO, it’s only ok if you’re a grandma. Mostly because my grandma got everyone socks and underwear, in addition to pants for the boys, costume jewelry for the girls, and a toy for tiny kiddies–every single year at Christmas.
Serious response: Yeah, it’s tacky, because it looks thoughtless. I wouldn’t do it. I would, however, give someone close to me money for a gift if I knew things were tight. Some people think that’s tacky, too. I would say it’s less so than just assuming you know exactly what someone needs and would buy for themselves. If you know exactly what kind of practical gift to buy and know it will be welcome, that’s an exception. Just buying your 30 year old son a pack of Hanes out of the blue? Tacky. Why bother to buy anything? Being broke yourself is no excuse, either, because there are plenty of creative options for gifts that are just as inexpensive.
ETA: However, I firmly agree with this:
It is even tackier to complain about a tacky gift than to give one.
IMO - never romantic, not *always *tacky. There have been times in my life when necessities would have been the preferred gift. When one is poor sometimes one is grateful for getting the things he needs.
And the truth is, now that I’m not-so-poor, I often will have Mom buy me towels and blankets for Christmas because it is something that I might not bother buying for myself.
I’m going with practical gifts for my mom this year (and last year as well, IIRC). She’s a bit past middle-aged, doesn’t go out much, and already has an apartment full of tchotchke.
IOW, the “usual” presents of clothes and jewelry would be overkill (arguably wasted if she never wears them, which would be entirely possible), and other things like picture frames and the like, while nice, would get lost in the clutter.
Besides, she’s on a fixed income (and, thankfully, practical to a fault), so practical gifts are more appreciated. (I hope!)
Many years ago, my sister was fixing up an old house, trying to make it liveable. My Christmas gift to her was a toilet. My sister was delighted, but our mother launched a public diatribe about this, saying that giving someone a toilet for Christmas was an insult. Ma, she needed a toilet. What’s wrong with giving someone something that they really need?
I’m sure that every time my sister took a dump, she thought of our mother.
I like to give practical gifts when needed, but I generally only do it with family. My older brother and sister-in-law have gotten practical gifts for the last few years, and it’s because they need practical gifts rather than “fun” ones. With friends, I tend towards the “gag gift” end of the scale with something that’s funny or thoughtful that they’ll laugh at. I don’t generally give gifts that I know they’re not going to find useful, though, and the funny gifts are normally silly books that make perfect bathroom reading. Very few of my friends actually need anything practical that I could afford to give, but most of them could use a bit more fun in their lives.
My fiancé and I were practical and only asked for gifts that we’d need for Christmas. Why? We don’t need a bunch of “fun” stuff right now, but we do desperately need a little bit of help with stuff to make our house more of a home. This includes more shelving options, socks, and stuff like curtains. My favorite gift last year was one I didn’t ask for-- fancy blank note cards and envelopes from Crane’s. (Apparently I write some wonderful thank you notes, but really, I enjoy writing notes on card stock with my dip pen and pots of ink!) I am just at a point in my life where I don’t need fun stuff, but I desperately need help with setting up our household. We’re not getting married for close to two years, and that’s a bit too long to “just wait” on some of the stuff.
Like a lot of people said, it depends on the person giving and the recipient.
Example: if Suburban Plankton were to give me a gift certificate to get my hair done at my salon, it would be a “non-gift” because I get my hair done every 8 weeks anyway, and it comes out of the same bank account (all our money is joint). If my mom gave me the same gift certificate it would be an excellent gift because then I wouldn’t have to pay for it and it would mean she was thinking of something I’d appreciate.
Last year, my folks gave my brother and SIL, gift certs to Target and Raley’s (grocery) because they have been a bit strapped the last couple of years. I got a totally unnecessary grain mill because I wanted to try grinding my own wheat for bread making and such (btw, yum!). We were both thrilled with our gifts. If my parents had bought me Target and Raley’s gift certs, I would have been thankful, but thought it was a bit strange since I can easily afford groceries and sundries.