Dear So and So

[channlluv]

Maybe she's looking to buy you something more expensive to show you how much she loves you.

Roxy

[bmccasland]

There's more expensive bike stuff - a gift certificate to TE? Not available on Amazon, but easily obtainable.

[jessmarimba]

She sounds like she feels that holidays are for acquiring "fun" stuff, not "useful" stuff. And since she doesn't understand that useful bike stuff means fun for you...she doesn't want to get it. Maybe? I'm trying to see her side!

I certainly enjoy shopping for my sister more than anyone else, since she's easy to get fun stuff for. And we don't do wishlists.

[Cataboo]

(((( Beth & Harold ))))

She sounds like she feels that holidays are for acquiring "fun" stuff, not "useful" stuff. And since she doesn't understand that useful bike stuff means fun for you...she doesn't want to get it. Maybe? I'm trying to see her side!

I certainly enjoy shopping for my sister more than anyone else, since she's easy to get fun stuff for. And we don't do wishlists.

I do put fun stuff on there! Cute bike baskets or cute grips or things that I don't really need, I'd like... but I haven't managed to put it in the budget as something I really need. Colored tires. So they're more "luxuries" vs things I actually need.

We started doing wishlists a few years back when it was becoming obvious that everyone wanted to buy each other gifts, but that we weren't spending enough time together or didn't have a sense of each other's hobbies enough to really figure out nice gifts. There were more and more gift cards and random cool things that we didn't have use for.

I'm not entirely certain my sister has hobbies, she's got ugg boots and perfumes on her wishlist. My youngest brother likes video games, computer parts, and bluray movies. My older brother has taken up hunting and likes high end cooking stuff. I'm usually happy with bike, kayak, ski, or book stuff... My niece makes one of all the toys she wants, and my brother in law makes one. My mother is always a problem. So we just keep amazon wishlists to make it simple and theoretically that means each of us can just log in, spend about 5 or 10 mins and order things in one big lot. If you have enough things on your wishlist, it's always a surprise what you get or don't and it's all stuff you'd like. I try to figure out some small item for each person that's not on their wishlist, but is more thoughful.

We've done the gift card thing before - but it is kind of nice having something actually to open christmas morning.

[snapdragen]

Dear ice cold doctor. yes, my father is probably dying, and I know he will need to be moved to a SNF then probably hospice. But you cannot tell us all this, and expect us to make a decision that very same day. Can we at least have a day or two to process what is happening? What is it, do you have kind of discharge stats you need to keep up?

[bmccasland]

Dear ice cold doctor. yes, my father is probably dying, and I know he will need to be moved to a SNF then probably hospice. But you cannot tell us all this, and expect us to make a decision that very same day. Can we at least have a day or two to process what is happening? What is it, do you have kind of discharge stats you need to keep up?

(((((Snapdragen & family)))))))
Probably pressure from insurance to move him out of the hospital. Where's the hospital social worker, who usually helps to set these things up? Like any of this is going to happen on a weekend?

[jelee1311]

{{{Beth & Herald}}}

Snapdragen I'm sorry about your father.

[lph]

Giftgiving can be really confusing. My MIL is so obsessed about giving the perfect gift (because otherwise "no-one will like her", you see ) that she almost chewed my 13 yr.old sons ear off for not having created a wishlist yet. Nevermind that it's his first year with grades at school, lots of homework and big end-of-year tests that he takes very seriously, plus he works 2 hours every day delivering the newspaper, plus we're going abroad (to JORDAN! ) for the christmas holidays as of tomorrow and won't even be seeing them until we get back in 2 weeks - nope, wishlists Must Be Written Before Christmas Or Else.

[channlluv]

There's more expensive bike stuff - a gift certificate to TE? Not available on Amazon, but easily obtainable.

I was thinking, Cataboo, you could ask for her to sponsor your next triathlon entry. Those are $$.

Roxy

[Owlie]

I don't know, I have a hard time buying for people who have hobbies that I don't understand. I'd rather get them a gift card for a related store (or Amazon. You can buy nearly anything on Amazon!) than try to make guesses. Granted, a wish list takes some of the guesswork out of it.

Dear former(?) favorite jeans:
You're possibly the oldest thing in my closet. Why do you still fit nearly perfectly, but have a hole in a very awkward place that is impossible to patch without it being obnoxiously visible?

[inkspot]

Dear Manuscript,

Why do you have to be so ridiculously hard to write? My hands hurt from taking pages and pages of notes. My head hurts from reading tons of articles to find one measly little reference. My neck hurts from hunching over my keyboard for hours each day. My brain hurts from trying to mangle all this data into a single, coherent argument. Seriously, can't you just write yourself and be done with it?

Sincerely,
Frustrated Researcher

[bmccasland]

Dear Herald,
You haven't eaten much at all these past couple of days, or drank any water either. Although you seem to be awake and alert, I'm sure you don't feel very good and I know that you aren't getting around as well as you could compared to a couple of weeks ago. Your vet called today and left her home number on my voice mail, if I should need it this weekend.

[kmehrzad]

I'm feeling your pain, Beth. That's a tough decision to make.

[OakLeaf]

(((((Beth & Herald))))) Thinking of you.

[Cataboo]

Maybe she's looking to buy you something more expensive to show you how much she loves you.

Roxy

When she doesn't get things for me on my wishlist, she usually only gets me $20-30 things - last year it was a $30 costco softshell. Which was nice, but I sort of have a gazillion softshells already. She did spend more on my birthday.

I did put a couple $50 items on the wish list, but I know she's got a lot of medical bills for her daughter & her husband lately. So she can't afford to show me how much she loves me!

When she called this morning, I told her I wanted the patagonia nano puff pullover and would order it and she could give me some cash towards it for christmas - 'cause even at 45% off it was $82 and I didn't want to ask her to spend that much on me. She is starting to understand good outdoor gear, because I let her & my niece borrow a lot of mine last winter to go tubing and because of all the snow.