Why spend $15 on a bottle of wine they don't want rather than $15 on the Costco pack of toilet paper that would make them really happy?
Is anyone actually happy to receive toilet paper, or is it more like "I realize you feel like you are obligated to buy me a gift, I don't want a gift, so instead I will ask you to buy me something I know I need so you can feel like you are buying me a gift"? Has anyone happily opened a package containing TP, or is more of a feeling like "okay, this is one less thing I have to buy this quarter"?
Most people want to buy a gift to make someone happy. They don't believe that receiving toilet paper makes anyone actually happy. I don't think they are wrong.
There's a middle ground between "don't laving bullshit I don't want on me" and "give me the most basic commodity so that I can survive". There has to be SOMETHING people take pleasure in, a book, a kind of good food that they wouldn't otherwise buy (exotic nuts or cookies or something, I dunno), something. Nobody who isn't in abject poverty actually wants to receive TP as a gift unless they have some sort of inability to relate and interact with other human beings, or they're intentionally being obtuse to make a point (but I repeat myself...)
I've never asked for toilet paper, as if you've read my gift rant thread, you know there is no way my parents would agree with that. But really, from anyone but my husband- that sounds like an awesome gift. (But anything from my husband is weird, as we share money. He's guessing what I want and spending my money to get it. What's the point of that? Let me just buy what I want.)
I have asked for nice bath towels. I was told they are too utilitarian and not a gift.
You know what a gift of nice bath towels would tell me? "I care enough about you as a person to understand your value system, and that you would rather me give you a gift of something useful than something that I spent money on when you don't need or want it."
If I asked for toilet paper, I think it would do the same thing.
"I understand you don't want to fill your house up with stuff for the sake of stuff, so I care about you enough to get you something useful that you need and want, so that you don't have to get it for yourself."
Please don't give me food for Christmas. I don't want food. I have food every day. Food is a "I couldn't think of anything to buy you, so here's a box of Harry and David Pears where 4 pears cost the same as your weekly grocery bill" gift. Other people might like expensive nuts, chocolate, or fruit. But if the gift is about the recipient and not the giver, knowing what they value is part of it. (Even if it's not my money it causes me SO MUCH STRESS when I see my mother waste money on stuff I don't want or need because she just wants to buy me something, and won't buy what is on my wishlist.) But when I run out of toilet paper...man, I wish someone had gotten that for me.
