I hate Christmas

[PirateMary]

And I'd just throw your gifts in the trash. If you are going to get me crap, expect it to be treated like crap.

Have you voiced all of your reasonings stated in this thread to your family(other than your wife)? I mean, if you would just take all your reasonings here, put it in your revised edition of the "What you're gonna get me for Christmas, or die" list, and I'm sure you would be surprised by your results. If they only knew how adament(sp?) you were about this, I'm sure they would oblige.

 

[billd91]

You know my brother and I?

Seriously, we've been giving the same 2 gifts back and forth for 12 years. Whoever dies first gets them put in thier coffin!

Sounds like a bit of Pyrrhic victory if you ask me. And how are you going to verify that you're the one getting the gift? You're already dead! Sounds like an excellent opportunity for a last prank.

 

[diaglo]

Wow, I bet your fun at parties!!

he's fun on message boards. i mess with him all the time.

 

[spatha]

No. It is called being rude. You see, he chose a gift he would want to get, and assumed that since he would like it I should. I have seen chunks of The Waterboy and found it unfunny. He knows this. He also knows what I actually like, and ignored that in favor of a gift that would be great for him. That's the rude part. He got a gift for himself, disguised as a gift for me.

I returned the movie, unopened and exchanged it for something I actually wanted.

WOW that is an interesting perspective. Someone bought you a gift maybe hoping you might take the time to watch and maybe enjoy it. But you view it as some conspiracy. Better watch the skys I'm sure the black helicopters are coming for you next.

 

[Kanegrundar]

You'd think they would feel that way. But the majority don't. Most resent you because they need your help and hate you for trying. Many accuse you of thrying the impose Christian beliefs upon them, because you are an evil Western oppressor, while others try to steal your watch.

Wow. Simply wow. Just because you're miserable and angry doesn't mean that everyone else around you is. Many people practice a little thing called common courtesy and exhibit basic human decency. Seriously, I feel very, very sorry for you. I hope that you find the true spirit of the holidays isn't about what you get. Sadly, I don't think there's much hope of that happening.

 

[Storm Raven]

I guess he thought that maybe, as his friend, you had something in common.

We do have things in common. But not that. He knows that.

Yup, he got himself a gift disguised as a gift for you.

He pretty much expected that if I didn't want it, I would give it to him.

Look, for all of the people screaming about how the message was presented, and how it is blunt (or rude) and how unappreciative I am and so on, get the context here.

I have been getting lousy gifts for more than a decade. At first, I didn't mind because I didn't give out hints, or lists or anything like that. People got me what they thought I would like, and almost always whiffed. I pretended to be appreciative and kept much of the stuff because I felt bad returning it.

But I decided that if I was ever going to get stuff that wasn't just useless clutter, I would have to let people know what I would like. I tried subtle hints and polite suggestions. I was ignored. I tried more explicit suggestions, and was ignored. I gave out a list, and was ignored. I said I would really like things on my list and not other stuff, and was ignored. I pointed out that I don't care for surprises, and don't really get any particular enjoyment out of opening an "unknown" gift. Not only was I ignored, I have gotten lots of gifts that not only don't I really want, but I would never want.

This is a last resort. I have tried all the polite and nice ways of getting this message out. I can't figure out any way to get my point out other than hitting them over the head with a clue-by-four.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Sounds like a bit of Pyrrhic victory if you ask me. And how are you going to verify that you're the one getting the gift? You're already dead! Sounds like an excellent opportunity for a last prank.

Sounds like you know my brother and I.

The first to die gets stuck with the gifts.

One is a soundtrack of Flashdance, still in the wrapper, that was supposed to go to our sister.

The other is possibly the world's ugliest chia-pet. I'll bet the box is full of mold.

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

...You have less understanding of Christmas than the focus of a children's special, and to me, that's tragic...

Well, I guess I'll get one jab in before I leave...

They actually had plans to star SR in the live action Grinch movie, but when he kicked the Grinch in the nads and gouged out his eyes for taking his presents they had second thoughts. The deciding factor was when he made little Cindy Lou Who (who was no more than two) cry for giving him a lovely pottery dish for a gift.

 

[Crothian]

he's fun on message boards. i mess with him all the time.

He's not really that fun. He's a skipping record. He just syas the same things over and over for 4 straight pages. He has no good points and clearly doesn't understand human nature or the season of Christmas. I'm thinking his wife might one day become a saint though......

 

[freebfrost]

"It's the thought that counts" is an empty phrase that people who actually didn't put any thought into their gifts like to resort to to make themselves feel better about the fact that they didn't bother to buy the recipient something they actually wanted. I told you what you wanted - you got me something else. That's not thoughtful. That's rude.

I would prefer to get no gift rather than a gift in which the giver put that little thought.

I have to side with Storm Raven here. My sister is notorious for doing this - for years she would go shopping and buy things that *she* liked and sent them to me as gifts. I have received cheap sweatshirts emblazoned with hunting scenes (I'm not a hunter), a plastic toiletry travel bag (since I was travelling for work at this time which implied that already HAD one - a nice one in fact), books on topics that I have no interest in (but that she does), etc.

I appreciate thoughtful gifts, but sometimes you have to tell the unthoughtful people to not even bother...