Has your relationship with someone changed because of a gift they gave you? — Page 2

tht reminds me of the scene in TOOTSIE where dustin hoffman gives terri garr the chocolate cherries from jessica lange's father.

i guess i just feel, "wow, i hoped i was held in greater regard than that." i guess i just feel foolish in a way.

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I am a horrible gifter. I acknowledge this and I think my friens think it's an excuse. But it's not. I'm just super, super bad at gift-giving. I have zero imagination for it (except in the 1-out-of-a-thousand gift ideas) and I'm really uncomfortable accepting gifts because it seems I'm completely (almost completely, anyway) surrounded by thoughtful people with WONDERFUL gift skills.

The worst gift I ever got was a freaking watch fob. I didn't even own a watch at the time! I had sold it to buy my friend a beautiful whale bone comb for her long silky hair and guess what? The Bitch cut her hair the day before I gave her the freaking comb! We are no longer on speaking terms. Oh, and her haircut made her look like a little gay boy.

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I love Sueleen. End of story.

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I'm one of those people who takes great care and consideration into what Im getting a person. I'll often start thinking about someone's christmas or birthday gift MONTHS in advance just because I want it to be right.

Im not tooting my own horn here by ANY means, but I had a family member (who was unfamiliar with this practice of mine) ask why I bothered to go to such great lengths for a present -- why there had to be so much meaning behind it, and why did I start trying to put together the perfect birthday gift for someone 2 weeks ago, when their birthday isnt until April?

For me, the reaction from the person opening the gift is one of my favorite things in the world. Maybe I remembered something that they'd told me in conversation months before.... maybe I tracked down something I knew they'd love but would never think to get for themselves (ie: I got a friend a scale model of his prized car, in the color it was originally painted when he first got it).... or maybe it's something fun and so intune to their personality it just makes them laugh and say "BOY do you know me!"

I have to say I've been pretty lucky with getting gifts as well, and aside from the generic baskets of bath stuff I typically get from my grandfather and his fiance (my mom's dad), everyone pretty much knows my taste... and a lot of my friends are like me in the gift giving respect.

I got one iffy gift for a birthday a few years ago.... from someone VERY important to me and while I love it now (it was an article of clothing which I'm actually wearing as I type this), I was a wee bit miffed when I got it. The gift was followed up that evening with a phone call from the friend who gave it to me, apologizing for it and explaining why it was this and not what they had wanted to get for me. It took a while for me to not still be miffed in the back of my mind, but in the time since then they've more than made it up to me with their thoughtfulness.

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My favorite Christmas tradition is the "Lighting of the Gift".
Every year I get out what has now become my FAVORITE gift of all time given to me by a very good friend of over 15 years who was in my home weekly. It is a fiber optic floral arrangement in a lucite box that changes colors as the music box plays "You Light Up My Life" His commentary as I opened it, "The minute I saw it, I thought of you."

PS He's a homo, it was from Kmart, he's no longer a friend (but not because of the gift) and fer criss sake, would I ever have listened to Debbie Boone?

A good friend gave me some sexual aids/toys. We quickly moved from a plutonic relationship to a sexual one.

peach, I would have sent the thank you note and included the shipping receit with a note saying something like: "You may want this back for your financial records." Then I would still be as gracious as can be expected and they're left feeling like an idiot.

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I'm with b'way. I'm a terrible gift giver, especially if I'm not around the person much. But if I am going to give a gift, I totally obsess and try to make sure it's something they truly like. Not something they need, but something they like.

The clearest case of someone proving they didn't know me at all was when my ex- gave me a x-mas present the year after we broke up. He knew I was (am) on a diet, not eating that much bread, and when I did (do) eat bread it's whole wheat. Well, he gave me a Panini Maker for Christmas. *sigh*

Anyone want an unopened panini maker?

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Gifts that come with conditions aren't gifts, they're bribes.

Well, for Christmas my best friend got me something that was so not me that I wondered if I was wrong in thinking we know eachother as well as we do. It didn't hurt our friendship because, frankly, gifts don't matter.

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another time a guy gave me a gift and it only took 6-8 weeks to get rid of it, that changed our relationship.

(sorry bad Will & Grace joke)

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