Hi all,
I could not resist posting this any longer, although it is churlish of me in the extreme... I had better write it here than have it pop out of my mouth.
My in-laws bought almost all of their gifts for others this year, from stocking stuffers to the BIG present from an MLM.
Second year in a row, and all from the same MLM.
Why? Because the recipients would love these things? (Candles, scents, soaps, small kitchen entertainment items).
Nope, because my SIL is a rep, and they want to help her out. She is definitely on economuc outpatient care for the past, um, forever.
So, this is my DH parents, and if he and my kids do not mind getting $200 worth of scented shower gel, candles and fondue pots for Christmas, I should not mind either. Having trouble storing it all, though, as we don't use it normally, and we need to use it or display it at least once, to show our pleasure with it. I need to wait three years before tossing or donating, too.... But appreciating family makes the effort worthwhile to us.
Hmm, maybe it is the need to keep it in our closet, combined with the over priced expense with it, (markup is extreme) combined with the utter lack of thought about what the gift recipient would actually like that gets to me, more than the gift itself. Oh, yeah and the thought that my DH's gift from his mom is actually another gift to his sister in disguise...
Ack. I did say I was being churlish?
We are blessed with family, and had a great christmas this year, and had many loving things said all around. I will count my blessings tonight. Thanks for listening to my rant.