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Another Great Debate...The Gift Card

Pssssttttt...*whispers*...um, did you know Christmas is 37 days away?

37 DAYS AWAY!!!!!!!


Yikes!! I have got to get my butt in gear! I've got soooo much to do!


Like start the baking, do the shopping, get the tree, decorate the house, wrap the presents, do the shopping, trim the tree, get a cold, do the shopping!!!!!

Yikes! All that in 37 days?

Holy Hannah...there aren't enough minutes in the day.

And, now..."To Gift Card, or Not To Gift Card?"...that is the question!


See...I'm torn.

Right in half...like the angel and the devil on my shoulder.

It's a difficult existence that I live in.

I don't enjoy giving gift cards. It's impersonal, and boring, and lazy, and...and...impersonal.

Oh...I already mentioned that.


I feel weird giving gift cards...like, "Hey! Here's 50 bucks that would have been good anywhere, but now you can only use it at one store! Love ya! Muah!"

And...well..it always feels cheap to me...and kinda like I cheated.


"Yeah, I didn't put any thought into your gift, 'cuz I don't really love you that much...so I just picked up a gift card and stuck a bow on it..."

Here's the real kicker tho'...

I don't mind receiving gift cards! You know, for myself!


Aren't I a hypocrite?

Well...don't get me wrong...I don't want gift cards for every gift! Oh, no!

I want to be paid attention to and listened to and be surprised!

My bestie, Tara, is the world's best gift giver! She's the type of person who listens...all. year. long. And always chooses the best, most perfect gift ever.


It's a gift in itself...that type of gift giving.

*Sigh*

My "feeling cheap" always ends up getting the best of me.

We have a "price range" that we slot certain people into for our gift giving...if I "gift card them"...I'll always do the top of the range...and then add 5 bucks 'cuz I feel like such a cheapskate!

Ugh...what's a girl to do?!!!

Ummmm...perhaps shop, and decorate, and bake, and shop, and catch a cold, and get the tree, and trim the tree, and shop some more, and bake some more...

Comments

  1. I am the same way! I love getting gift cards, but I don't like giving them.

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  2. Do you know how much money retail stores make via unspent gift cards? Think about it! You buy the gift card, put the bow on it, and give it to someone...who forgets to use it. Apparently it is a huge money maker!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have come to the point that if I am giving someone a gift card I might as well not bother giving them a gift. I guess it depends on the people in your life tho!

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  4. or you could call your great gift-giving bestie and she could help you brainstorm. Though she's been slacking this and has NOT been a good listener--may want to drop your expectations this year :)

    Besides, you are so CAPABLE of giving great gifts! You gave ME the BEST GIFT EVER! You should blog about that one someday--or maybe we can blog about it together. .. though I'm not sure I need the blog-o-sphere to know how pathetic I am :)

    Love you!
    Bestie Tara

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm not a fan of gift cards either for myself or for giving to others. I think they are lazy and impersonal too. That being said, gift cards are the ONLY good gift for Hubby. He's so picky that it's just better for him to pick out his own things. If it's not EXACTLY what he wanted, he'll make sure to tell you and make you feel bad! Rude, I know. What ever happened to "it's the thought that counts"?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Not a huge fan, I always feel lame giving them, and worry that the person will actually use them. Of course I have 4 or 5 from various places throughout the years I've yet to ever use. They just hang out in my wallet, allowing me to forget them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 37 DAYS!!! What's a mom to do? Thanks (I think?) for reminding me.

    Oh, and I totally agree, I'm torn between gifts and gift cards too. I think a trade off is to give a gift card for a certain store that they really like or for food (like a pie shop.)

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  8. I too struggle with the quest for the PERFECT gift to give. But really, have you ever gotten a gift card and thought to yourself, "LAME". NO!! Do it! :)

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  9. Oh man, I feel the exact. same. way! It is totally impersonal to give them, but I love receiving them because it ensures that I can get something I want! Such a toss-up.

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  10. I like gift cards, but I am to the point now where I think instead of gift cards, I am just going to start giving good ol' cash. In my head, it's not impersonal, because they can use it for whatever they want, wherever they want.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh I love me a gift card. That says to me "I love you enough to let you buy your own gift rather than risking getting it wrong". LOVE A GIFT CARD.

    And I love to give them too, because it's easy and I am a lousy gift giver. I am an anti-Tara.

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  12. I could have written this post...only you did it for me. I dislike gift cards for all the reasons you said, and I always spend more than I would've otherwise. However, I don't mind getting them. I stopped buying them several years ago.

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  13. I agree with Patti, I never get a gift card or cash and think "They didn't care enough to spend time picking something out." However, I have, many times opened gifts and thought to myself "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?"

    ReplyDelete
  14. I don't like giving them either, unless it is to teenagers because they love them. But then I think about it and I love them too. But I feel cheap too but just remember how much you like it and at least you will not be wasting your money on something they will pretend to like!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I actually LOVE receiving gift cards. It's so fun to have them waiting in your wallet for shopping jaunts!

    What if you combined the gift card with something a bit more personal, like something homemade to hold it that's reusable? Like cute little mittens or stockings that hold the card and double as Christmas tree decor. Maybe if it's for a teacher, a photo of your child on the front. Just a thought.

    Hope you get through that to-do list with ease!

    Love your site. :)

    ReplyDelete

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