The One About Gifts

I hate shopping for presents. doesn't matter who it's for--best friends, non-best friends, brother, father, mother, grandmothers, random people at church etc.--shopping for presents is a stinkin' chore. I'm not insinuating that these people aren't important to me; I wouldn't even be buying a present for them, much less rambling about getting the right gift, if they weren't. the only problem is me.

yes, that's right. I'm such a stinkin' people pleaser that I HAVE to get the right gift for that particular person. half the process of giving a present to a friend is picking the perfect one.

don't tell me I'm alone.

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every year, whenever Christmas (or a birthday) strikes, I go into panic mode depending on how close this person is to me. the closer they are, the more panicky I get. I brainstorm and go over conversations I've had with that particular person in my mind, wondering if they had possibly hinted at what they wanted and I had obliviously looked over it. when nothing comes to mind, I wander around aimlessly in malls and shops for hours and hours (slight exaggeration) looking for the "right" gift, which usually ends up being a gift card.

yes, I am very thoughtful.

don't sweat it, you say, as long as it's from the heart, they'll appreciate it, right?

HA. HA. HA... ha... ha... hahahaaaaaaaa.

whoever told you that forgot to mention that they were secretly disappointed with the ugly Christmas sweater you gave them last year. yeah, they also forgot to tell you that it went out with bag of old clothes going to the Salvation Army.

alright, that is rather unfair. I guess, some people really do appreciate getting whatever they get, buut let me explain something. we all know there are two kinda of people in this world: people who like surprises and people who don't. but what nobody tells you is that under these two labels lie subcategories. for example, it's really not that simple for those who claim to love surprises. I mean, do they really love all pleasant surprises or are they relying on the fact that this pleasant surprise you're giving them is actually that blatantly obvious Xbox 360 they've been talking about for ages? hmm, didn't think of that did ya?

now, for the former, it's easy peasy to find a gift for them because you know no matter what you get, they'll love it. to top it off, you actually WANT to get something super duper awesome for this person just for being so... grateful. these are the people who really understand and appreciate the fact that the gift is from the heart and it's all that really counts.

as for the latter, they are essentially the polar opposite. these kind of people who "love" surprises yet are so picky are a nightmare (okay, not them, they just make a nightmarish scenario.) these are the people that make Christmas shopping a chore and a bore.

sigh.

ohh, the spirit of Christmas. I could talk about it forever, but I'll stop now. I just wasted three minutes of your life. you can thank me later.