Fabulous and Not So Fabulous Gift Ideas for your Spouse & Family

First of all, ask yourself, do they really deserve it? I mean, when you look at an item in a store, do you think of all the snide comments and rude remarks that flew between you and your spouse, (and mother in law), or do you just get that shiny happy Christmas feeling, and would buy them the world if you could?

Shiny Happy Christmas? Yep, me too! Its so funny how the bad stuff disappears, isn’t it, (kind of like childbirth)?! I often wonder if it’s the shopaholic in me, or the excellent spirit of giving and Christmas Joy. Hmmnn, lets not examine that one too much…

Coffee Mug; once I did a personalized coffee mug gift. I was in Wallmart frantically last minute shopping, as usual, when I saw their photo center with a big line-up of people ordering personalized coffee mugs with pictures on them. The Mugs were super cheap and only took 24-48 hours to process. Perfect! I went home on the hunt for a great photo with our whole family included. Hmnnn.... hours later (there are NONE). I decided to go with a picture of just our kids on it. I photo-shopped in some Santa Hats and Snow on a picture of the kids (from the summer) and it looked fabulous! I should mention here;

Always open your mug in store; Open the box, unwrap the bubble wrap, and make sure your mug doesn’t have a picture of some old dude with a beer in his hand, or a couple on their wedding day, (people you’ve never met). Can you imagine what ‘Mother in Law’ would have thought? Another mistake to live down… that was a close one. After two trips to return mugs, not mine , I finally caught on. They are cheap and fast for a reason; this place is a disorganized nightmare. Once I actually got my mugs I had to laugh out loud they were so funny and cute. Perfect! I sent one to my mother in law, one to my Mom, and I also put one in my Husbands stocking and let me tell you, those cheap cute Wallmart Mugs were the best gifts they ever got, (according to them). Nice! I think I am going to buy some again this year.

The mug is such a neat way for the family to stay in touch with;

• how many nieces and nephews you have
• how 'big' they are getting
• and what they look like, (so when your extended family visits you won't accidentally walk past their kids while asking where they are, oops! A forgivable mistake if you don't follow it up with calling their kids by the wrong names for the rest of the day. Sigh).
  

Sadly, our family all live very far away from one another, so it’s next to impossible to see each other more than once or twice per year, (if that).

Note to Self; Put our birthdates on the mug this year too, and send to all the family members, just so nobody ‘forgets’ to send money and gifts. How could they when they are sipping coffee all year out of a mug with our faces plastered all over it! = Mug-stalking…

Cheese; never listen to bored Deli Attendant serving cheese at sample table in grocery store on Christmas Eve while desperately searching for stocking stuffers for your man. My spouse loves cheese, and so when I saw the round little cheeses on the tray beside the sample I said to the kid serving it, ‘Mmm delicious! Does this cheese need to be refrigerated then?” I asked, because I had noticed it wasn’t. He had a huge pile of it just sitting on his little counter. Instead of finding out, dummy behind the table says “no this cheese is wrapped so it’s ok”. I assume, in retrospect, he must have meant while he was serving it, it was cold enough to sit for awhile. But what I meant was, could it live in a stocking, hung by the chimney with care for oh say, eight hours or more? So I grabbed a handful of ‘said cheese’ and picked up a small multi tool and a box of chocolate on my way to the register. Finally, I am done horrible don’t know what to get frantic shop for man who needs nothing and hates everything! Now I can go home and drink wine and wrap presents, my favorite part of Christmas, (besides the Turkey, oh, and the presents)…

Needless to say, the morning stocking was a joke that will haunt me for the rest of my life. As long as I live, I will be the wife that gave my husband rotten stinking cheese in his stocking.

I Dared; this awful gift was a blue ray DVD player for my husband. I was so proud; sure I finally got something right. But no, it turns out a ‘mere woman’ should never deign to know anything about electronics. ‘for gods sakes, didn’t I realize we don’t need a DVD player because our computer, (attached to the TV), has a blue ray DVD player built in?” Well how would I know that? I can’t even remember the last time I watched something that wasn’t involving shapes and colors and made for a toddler on the cable channel ‘Baby TV’.

Of course, I returned the Blue Ray to Costco… and bought myself this really nice cashmere sweater, and a jacket, oh, and some boots… Thank You Wonderful Sexy Man, and "Your Welcome.... "

Horrible Camera for Stepson; another humiliating waste of good money. This stupid fisher price camera made especially sturdy for kids was genius! Or so I thought, reading the excellent reviews on Toys R’Us.ca. Score , I thought, the perfect gift for my stepson who dropped our $600.00 video camera at my sisters wedding and broke it. We’ll get him his own camera and he can stomp on it and it will still work.

FYI: Those "review writer" people are liars, or employees of Fisher Price! The camera, once opened, and turned on was black and white, with a display so grainy and horrible you couldn’t even tell WHO the picture was of! I think the pixels was something like minus 5. Of course I lost the receipt… can you say garbage? I think it was thrown directly into the wrapping paper garbage bag with many looks of disgust shot my way, again, I had violated the ‘no buy electronics’ rule. Sigh.

Note To Self; This Christmas dump kids at Parents and Fly somewhere nice for Christmas, thus avoiding any present buying whatsoever = Winning