Christmas shopping - who's hardest to buy for?

[Yeoman Randi]

auntiehill wrote:

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This year, her ex-boyfriend---who has done a lot to help look after my Dad---is joining us for Christmas. I know him, but not well. I have no idea what to buy a 45 year old single Dad. He has his own home theater business, and he's doing relatively well. He just got a puppy--maybe some stuff for his new dog? I have no idea.

I like that idea! Also maybe a book about the breed (if it is a purebred), or some other kind of book relating to dogs? (BTW, he sounds like a really nice guy.)


Until recently, i would say it would have been my mother. She and i have extremely different taste on everything! Nowadays, the years we don't spend Christmas together i just have something sent to her (she is in Florida, i'm in NY) from a food company. I particularly like Edible Arrangements (she seems to love it when i send her those).

Nowadays (well, always, he was a tie with my mother), my husband is impossible to buy for.

[macloudt]

My dad is always hard to buy for. We live on different continents now so we don't exchange gifts, thankfully, but I have many memories of thinking what the heck to buy an "old man" (he was 42 when I was born) who is ultra-religious and doesn't really have any hobbies. In fact, my entire family struggles with buying gifts for my dad, though he appreciates most things, even if they are useless to him.

[auntiehill]

Yeo-ho-homan Randi wrote:

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I like that idea! Also maybe a book about the breed (if it is a purebred), or some other kind of book relating to dogs? (BTW, he sounds like a really nice guy.)

He IS an extremely nice guy---which is why we're glad he's my sister's EX-boyfriend. We were very glad when they split up. She's incredibly abusive and manipulative; she goes through men like a shark in chummed waters. Yet, she still gets them to do things for her, like fix her plumbing or babysit her son--after she's thrown them out. It's amazing.

I like him a lot more than I like her. If it weren't for my nephew, I'd have nothing to do with her.

I joked with him at Thanksgiving that I was going to get him a subscription to E-Harmony (he laughed), but I couldn't really do that to him in front of everyone. I think I might go down to PetSmart and see if they have something neat for his new dog.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

No one in my family is hard for me to buy for. I always buy gift cards, to places I know they go, unless they tell me exactly what they want.

[sidious618]

I don't have any problems finding stuff to buy for folks since I only give presents to people I'm close with and therefore know their tastes well.

[Holdfast]

I think I mentioned this elsewhere, but I usually buy everyone a variation of the same gift of either wine or chocolates/foodie treats, so nobody is hard to shop for! I order in a mixed case of mid-priced wine from the Wine Society, together with one of their Christmas Hampers, and get a few boxes of nice things from my local good chocolaterie.

That keeps me well supplied with pressies for everyone, as well as a steady supply of things to bring to Christmas parties. In fact, around the festive season, I usually keep the mixed case in the boot of the car, just so there's always a bottle handy at short notice.

However, once in a rare while, I break that rule and get someone something more specific. I don't usually like doing this, because then I have to think, and that's too much like hard work...

[JiNX-01]

Jesus. It's hard to shop for the man who has everything.

[RoJoHen]

MerryJinXmas wrote:

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Jesus. It's hard to shop for the man who has everything.

Jesus opens his gift: "This is so thoughtful, but I already have a bunch of Myrrh. Did you save the receipt? Maybe I can trade it in."

[Holdfast]

MerryJinXmas wrote:

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Jesus. It's hard to shop for the man who has everything.

I talked about the perfect solution to this recently.

I can guarantee, no guy would be disappointed with that! Not even Jesus.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Jolly Ole Saint RoJo wrote:

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Jesus opens his gift: "This is so thoughtful, but I already have a bunch of Myrrh. Did you save the receipt? Maybe I can trade it in."

Just don't get him a balm. "A Balm? What are you giving him a BALM for? It might bite him!"

(side note: For the longest time I thought the line was 'a BOMB'...)

[Tora Ziyal]

Holdfast wrote:

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I talked about the perfect solution to this recently.

I can guarantee, no guy would be disappointed with that! Not even Jesus.

Nah, Jesus would just re-gift it to someone who can't walk on water.

[JiNX-01]

Holdfast wrote:

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I talked about the perfect solution to this recently.

I can guarantee, no guy would be disappointed with that! Not even Jesus.

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to wait for the January clearance sales.