Christmas Shopping

[firstfrost]

harrock and I played our annual day of hooky to run around and Christmas shop. As always, we found some good things, and some that are not so great, but most of them at least have some thought behind them.

Over the past years, I admit I've been mildly embarassed when I get a present for someone who didn't get one for me, or vice versa, but I've mostly managed to get over being mortified. The thing that I've been spending far more worry than is reasonable, now, is "what things are couple-gifts and what are single-gifts". What if we bought two things, but one is cooler than the other? I shouldn't get to make the non-cool one from harrock just because I'm doing the wrapping. But "two things for you from both of us" feels unaesthetic in a different way . Or, if we bought two things for another couple, and they're vaguely more appropriate for different halves - is it "For X from both of us" and "For Y from both of us?" Or "For X from me", and "For Y from him?" Or just label them both "For X and Y from us"?

I've definitely been worrying about this more than I need to... :)

Comments

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's definitely too much worrying.

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Or, if we bought two things for another couple, and they're vaguely more appropriate for different halves - is it "For X from both of us" and "For Y from both of us?"

This is my vote, yes.

[mijven.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's headache-inducing levels of worry to read about, can't imagine thinking it.

[twe.livejournal.com]

Having given a present for someone who hasn't gotten one for me isn't a big deal, though I do feel embarassed when someone gets one for me and I haven't gotten one for them.

I don't really worry about couple gifts either, but I don't have your extra layer of complication (HarrocK). (In most cases, it's a friend + a spouse, so I either get a thing for the pair if I can find it, or a thing for the friend if I can't, but I don't have your extra complications.)

I don't really see anything wrong about making the less cool present from Harrock if you're doing the wrapping though. ;)

Both of Us

[baronet.livejournal.com]

I would go with "from both of us" or "from and " with some appropriate names filled in. One of the advantages that society offers the married is that you can share the shopping responsibilites (and the wrapping responsibilites).

Re: Both of Us

[greyautumnrain.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Note that "share" sometimes means that one person does all the work. :-) Of course, this year nobody is going to be in much doubt. Our family members are all getting knitted/crocheted gifts this year, and I don't think they're going to be confused about who made them.

I generally don't get holiday gifts from friends. I admit it, its a lame way of dodging the whole issue, but the family-members-only gift policy is a real sanity saver.

[cfox.livejournal.com]

My family gets around this by addressing poorly-defined gifts from one of the family's cats or to one of the recipients cats, or both.

I think this is the sort of thing that would annoy me if I hadn't grown up with it, but it does solve a real problem.

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

We always had Christmas presents from the animals at our house, too. Or from clues to the present. ("To: Laura. From: Your feet"). On the other hand, "Santa" was more puzzling.

("Is this present from Aunt Susie Santa, or from Work People Santa?")

Gifts

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

If you get two gifts for a couple, and one is more appropriate for X, and the other for Y, X and Y can figure it out. So you can address them to "X and Y". And if addressing to the couple is OK, then saying "from both of us" must be OK, too.