No, or at least, probably not. Why, o why, do people ask for gift suggestions and then ignore them?
I was hoping for suggestions on what to get my mother’s spolit dog. I can’t afford a cedar bed big enough for her.
Yeah, I could chime in to this one, also.
I like coffee. My SIL knows I like coffee.
So she always buys me a gift pack of flavored coffees. Chocolate-Raspberry, Vanilla-Cinnamon, Toffee Nut Crunch - whatever. The thing is, I don’t like flavored coffee. I only like coffee-flavored coffee.
A pound of good (plain) coffee from Starbuck’s would be much more appreciated.
Well now he’s pouting, so I don’t think I can get him to agree.
Oh I’d agree for my swampy. 
How about a collar full of catnip :EvilSmiley
My mother always gets the worst of this. Mom likes penguins - as in, she likes to watch National Geographic shows about penguins, likes going to aqauriums that have penguins, etc. With a very few tasteful exceptions, she does NOT decorate the house with penguin things. However, Dad’s side of the family found out that she likes penguins, and that’s all she ever gets from them - penguin candle holders, penguin sweatshirts, very large penguin stuffed animals, penguin slippers, penguin flags…she donates most of it. Last year she got two three-foot-tall, composite resin-type material penguin yard statues. We still have them.
Mom also likes to visit lighthouses when we’re in Maine. Although she has lived in North Carolina her entire life, she has never shown any interest in lighthouses here. (She doesn’t care for the state of North Carolina either, but that’s another thread.) For her birthday, a family friend gave her a very large afghan emblazoned with the lighthouses of North Carolina. Mom’s facial expression when she opened it was classic.
This same friend also knows that I like Fiestaware. I have several antique pieces; while they have their own special cabinet, I do use them often. The friend called my mom last month and informed her that she wished to spend about $30 on my Chirstmas gift; she asked if that would be enough to purchase a set of antique Fiestaware. :dubious: Heck, a single plate of the right color can cost that much. However, the same side of the family that gives penguin stuff to Mom frequently gives me Fiestaware; I have a nice collection of the modern place settings and accessories thanks to them.
If I ambuying something for someone’s hobby then I sneakily try to see if he has it and I’ll ask other experts in this hobby if it is any good before getting it. And one way yo can’t go wrong with hooby supplies is to buy supplies that get used up, my bro is a hunter and he uses this deer attractant stuff and while I know he has some it does run out so he enjoys the refills this also works with golf balls, he’s got some but guaranteed he’ll lose quite a few and be glad he has more. And while it may not be fun we tend to exchange lists anyway so as to avoid getting expensive things that aren’t needed, but we still get stuff that we think they’ll like and if they don’t, ah well exchange it.
Possibly for the thing I noticed I miss the most about Christmas now - the face “light-up”, the overjoyed, “I’ve been wanting one of these, HOWEVER DID YOU KNOW?” (Or the alternative of “I’ve never even seen this before, wherever did you FIND IT?”) They know what you want, but they’re hoping to improve upon it to surprise you and get that little “reward” of seeing your face light up because you got something you never even expected.
And, the Dog’s Christmas Gift Rant:
You know, I really like those squeaky toys you get me, but I’m really hacked at you when you take them away. Just when I get them good and disassembled, you take them away. So please don’t get me more of them for Christmas! It really is distressing to find out that you’ve thrown away my favorite toys!
And you know, a bag of those chewy “rawhide sticks” wouldn’t go amiss. - nor would a bag of “Marrow Bones” treats. Those are excellent. In fact, if you want to get me a bunch of those, please do.
And a few packs of “Jumbones”. Those are excellent. You know, you really don’t get me enough treats. Ya think some of that Yuletide Spirit might prompt you to get me MORE TREATS for a change?
I’ve seen those “stockings for your dog” - don’t bother with those. I know darn well you’ll just take half the contents away from me practically right away, because I “might choke on it”, or you’re “saving some for later”.
Frosty Paws. Those are good. You could get me more of those.
More tennis balls. Those are fun to chase. I could use more tennis balls.
And you could slide me a couple slices of that turkey you’re having for dinner - a dog’s gotta eat too, ya know.
It’s after Xmas now, but just to clear things up…
There seems to be some confusion about rule #2. Note that I didn’t say not to give kids noisy toys. I simply said that noise potential is the first thing to consider.
What you do after you’ve considered… well, that depends on several variables. (E.g., “Is this person likely to retaliate with an ‘Animal Junior’ drum set for my 5 year old next year?”)
I have a horse. Every year I could fill a giant suitcase with various pieces of crap with a horseshoe or horse head on it. Last year I got a scented candle with pictures of horses galloping around on it. I never lit the damned thing. For some reason, I fear it would scent my house with eau de pony.
But at least I do better than my old church choir director. Every year he’d get gifts of crap with either piano keys or notes on it. He probably has 100 of those piano keyboard ties, a thousand man at the piano figurines, and ten thousand mugs with notes or sheet music on them.
I do cut people some slack with my own gifts. They’re trying to get something that interests me. I realize I can be a hard person to shop for. Plus, this year I was the giver of the most annoying gift ever: the quacking musical duck. For some reason, this silly duck in the toy store really made me chuckle. You press on his beak and he quacks out various ditties. I thought it was hysterical and a great gift for my 18 month old nephew. My sister in law informed me that they damn duck was a hit with my nephew who made the cursed thing quack repeatedly for their entire 10 hour drive home. I think she hates me now.