It's Christmas Time... Talking about Presents!

[Chae]

How do you go about giving presents (if you celebrate Christmas or something similar in your country, that is)? You can also talk about your attitude towards the custom itself and what you experience when receiving gifts. Go!

 

Gifts are a blessing for both giver and receiver. Yep, I greatly enjoy selecting and wrapping countless presents for my beloved ones actually, it's infinitely gratifying. I always look forward to their reaction and most importantly, how they incorporate it in their lives. Mostly, I select something very useful so they will be able to enjoy it for a long time. I trust my observations of hints they were dropping throughout the year, I'm strangely confident in knowing what they would like to have. I always get excited responses because I gift the unpredictable that's completely on point Especially when I craft the present myself (my ambitious creativity is boundless in this regard), people think it's not handmade Or when the person was not prepared that I would even consider something they wished for. The happier the person, the better.

The custom - I put a lot of thought into it so I'm grateful for the opportunity. I can express how much I adore the person and show that they mean something to me.
I dislike the mainstream element of the custom on a global scale, people only wanting overpriced and unneeded electronics that everyone has, boring. Group pressure presents for 2,000€ without an ounce of love behind it, that stuff. The type of present that is desperately begged for and thrown into a corner when it's been used for two weeks because a new trend emerges, you know what I mean? The more personal, timeless and specific a gift, the more considerate and loving. I'd probably have to celebrate my own "Chae-mas" with its own customs but I gotta work with what is there here and try not to fall into the mainstream trap myself, that's the real task here. Being heartfelt about it is very important. I also enjoy everything else involved with presents, the tree decoration process (I am 100% in charge of it because I like making everything pretty) and all the good food, some singing is also ok where everyone is improvising with their instruments hehe. Also, sitting inside when it's warm and there's snow outside, you have a fireside chat with music...

Receiving presents- I need to quote myself - "is like getting praise in material form". The thought of someone thinking of me is so nice, I feel so loved The feeling is not as intense when seeing someone unpack what I gifted, but I do enjoy presents a lot when they are subjectively and objectively tasteful. Joke presents or some random, non-personal plastic items upset me a little because of wasted money and effort but anyway, it's the gesture that counts. Some people see gifts as a mindless duty and that's how their presents look like - full offense here, I'm salty - but this is a manageable minority. What I understand is that they try, and that's all right, I see the intention
I'm very aware of the message that each present sends, it says a lot about the person and their perception of me. How I react to it tells a lot about me and them, equally. So I am vigilant in a psychological manner, sometimes unnecessarily so but I find it worthwhile. Usually, I prefer giving specific orders to receive what I really like and need Sigmund Freud be taking notes on that, if you know what I know you know what I meannn and even help the present-giver select the gift. My taste is a bit intricate and not easy to understand because I like oddly eccentric/geeky items so I am actually glad to help, it's in our mutual interest. Yes, even if I know what they give to me, it feels like praising. There's attention involved, and a sense of appreciation, I really like that. In short, I'm pretty much about that life

[The Exception]

Honestly, I find gift giving to be stressful. I don't feel sure what to get people unless they explicitly tell me what they want. I worry about whether or not they will like the gift I give them. I know it's primarily the 'thought that counts' but if they don't actually like the gift or see much use for it then it feels kind of pointless for me to give them something they don't really want. Being on the receiving end is also awkward when you don't really like nor have much use for the gift you received. Out of politeness, I act like I appreciate it but I its still awkward and I wonder if they can see through that expression.

I want to give gifts to people because I genuinely want to do so, not because I feel like I 'should' as I do with Christmas.

[Suzaku]

I only buy gifts for close friends who I have a degree of intimacy with. I like to surprise them. I also like to get them things I know they really need that will improve their life. Like if you actually need clothes because you don't have many I will get them for you and make sure they are in your aesthetic taste. I won't be that person getting you a fugly sweater. Or things like if you're a runner I'll get you the best quality running sneakers if I know you need a new pair. I've been told I'm a good gift giver. I got my ex fiance a Playstation Vita and a bunch of Playstation Network money.

For casual stuff I'll probably make mini stocking filled with baked goods or things like soap, gemstones, etc.

[Chae]

@Santa Claus be lurking

[Aster]

bumping for the holiday and later posting

[Aster]

I could go on about this subject forever...

On one hand I see Christmas as a big waste of money. Bah humbug. Blowing a whole bunch of money on a bunch of stuff do we even need? I feel like there is all this pressure to buy a ton of gifts, especially I feel like when you have kids, and there are all these over commercialized toys that they play with for a week max before they are forgotten. Then there is this feeling of obligation to show up to family events and some of them make you unwrap presents right in front of them, and it’s just a lot of... pressure. My husband doesn’t feel such obligations and wonders why I even care. If it was up to him he’d probably ignore Christmas all together and not feel the least bit bad about it. But on the other hand I adore Christmas, the general warm feeling, the music, the baking, the Christmas movies, just the general atmosphere.. I just don’t like what it has become. I see buying gifts as a duty, and I hate that I feel this way, and I tend to go about the process of buying them in a very fair and methodical manner. What I have learned from past mistakes is not to buy the commercialized toys. I’ve been going to a website called fat brain toys or I really like Melissa and Doug for kids gifts. I want to get stuff that lasts, more timeless, or something that will be used often. This year I came up with the idea for my mom and I to collaborate on an Amazon list for potential toys and then we each decided what our budgets were going to be. I let her get the first pick and then I’m going to buy the rest and save the leftovers for potential birthday presents. I will also buy for my parents and in-laws. I will search for hours online trying to find the ‘perfect’ gift for people and make lists with budgets. I would have liked to start buying Christmas presents back in November, but my husband likes going shopping the day before Christmas, I kid you not. Waits until the last second. And then you have to search through everything to get the right sizes. All the good stuff is gone. I’m wrapping presents frantically on Christmas Eve every year. We have very different ways of going about things. I’m a planner. And a neurotic. He’s laid back about it all. He says he’d hate to see me in an actual crisis lol.

As for receiving gifts, my mom and my husband buy me the best gifts. They just know me really well, my style, what I need, what I like. It’s really awkward when people give me gifts that I don’t feel is very ‘me’. I feel ungrateful for saying this, because it is nice they thought to get me something. But I’d say it’s a horrible and awkward feeling, I’d say the worst to deal with on Christmas, when someone gets me something and I didn’t get them anything. It almost makes me want to buy extra neutral gifts to drag out in case this happens to me. I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to get me anything, even if I get them something, no matter who they are. I do it because I want to, if they aren’t on the list of people I feel already obligated to buy for already, but I can feel both obligated and want to do something, but I think it does feel weird for me on the receiving end, so I try not to put other people in these situations. I’d tell them in advance I plan on getting them something. But what I really hate is when people expect you to get them things.

Oh, and I also have been copying my LSI Grandfathers way of organizing presents. I thought it was ingenious one year when he did it. Instead of getting name tags, each person has their own wrapping paper. So you can tell just by looking at the wrapping paper what presents belong to who. And then you also don’t have to waste more money on name tags. I also recycle gift bags.