What's in the bag?

[merryone]

The charity shop donation bag that is. Christmas is high season, and having a birthday at the end of Nov doesn't help. So far it's a set of eyeshadows which is more suitable for a youngster - It's good quality but the colours are all heavy matt or heavily glittered colours, which include bright red, bright orange, mustard yellow, dark teal and black! The most hideous pom pom hat which is bright blue with even brighter blue "foiling", a rather uninspiring grey purse that's too big to fit into my handbag, a book about poo (yes, I am known to have a lavatorial sense of humour) - but really?!!! bath bombs - not keen as all they do is colour the water and leave a load of glitter and mess to clean up, and some baubles full of bubble bath. Yes I'm an ungrateful cow but I wish people would just give me something that I'll actually use, or is of great beauty.(to me that is!) For my birthday I received what I can only describe as a hideous ombre glass butterfly, reason being that the person who gave it too me saw it and loved it so much that she bought one for herself as well - nice thought but completely not to my taste and wouldn't fit in with my decor, so that's in it's box under the bed as I don't quite have the heart to get shot of it yet!
I really really put a lot of thought into the gifts I get for people - maybe I'm getting it wrong too!!!

Ooh just spotted the box of wooden and metal puzzles that oh got, that can go in too..There's no way he or either us of that for that matter will bother - sort of thing that gives you a few mins frustration at the dinner table when something like that falls out of a xmas cracker....Ooh I'm sounding even more ungrateful. I don't mean to be horrible...but fgs!!!!!

 

[merryone]

Whooo hooo! Oh's family have just stumped up with a couple of bottles of prosecco and a M&S voucher for £60 - now that's more like it! They're a big family and they all clubbed into together but hey, ****** perfect, and so much better than a load of little bits and bobs that'll end up in the bag!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Cheap and nasty or expensive and nasty or just not your style- both a complete waste of money. Vouchers are better but not very imaginative but I suppose you can’t have it both ways.

I also try to find unusual things but perhaps I’m kidding myself! I think if I was constantly getting crap things from the same person I would try and suggest stopping the presents and going for a coffee or a donation to charity.

Years ago you gave people, especially females, treats that they just wouldn’t or couldn’t afford to splash on themselves but most people in my circle can afford to buy what they want at any time. Those on a restricted budget buying/receiving crap is even worse as the money could be used much better.

 

[merryone]

Cheap and nasty or expensive and nasty or just not your style- both a complete waste of money. Vouchers are better but not very imaginative but I suppose you can’t have it both ways.

I also try to find unusual things but perhaps I’m kidding myself! I think if I was constantly getting crap things from the same person I would try and suggest stopping the presents and going for a coffee or a donation to charity.

Years ago you gave people, especially females, treats that they just wouldn’t or couldn’t afford to splash on themselves but most people in my circle can afford to buy what they want at any time. Those on a restricted budget buying/receiving crap is even worse as the money could be used much better.

My rule of thumb when buying presents for people is to go for something that I know that 100% they'll like and if it means being a little unimaginative, then so be it. A bottle of someone's signature scent, or a bath products in the same fragrance, or something that's gonna be useful. For example I've bought friends radley brollies and a matching folding shopping bag , yes they were more costly than unbranded ones, but I'd rather pay a little more for something that's useable as well as giftable. Pointless taking a chance on buying cosmetics that they might not like - had my mate bought me a set of decent nail varnishes, I'd have been more than happy as you can't go wrong with something like that. I'm not gonna be decorating my face with bright red and orange colours any time soon, or sitting in a pool of murky coloured bath water with bits of glitter getting into all my orifices!
Like I said, I too could be getting it wrong, but I put so much thought into what I buy people. If you think somebody will like something, then you'll probably be wrong - If you buy something you know they'll like, then you can't go wrong! It could be as simple as buying someone a bottle of their favourite tipple, but fgs make sure it's their favourite tipple, put it in a fancy box or add a nice personalised glass to go with it - don't think "Maria drinks gin, so I'll buy her a bottle of lavender flavoured gin liqueur" cos it's more expensive -chances are it's disgusting and will end up being poured down the sink- or worse still served up to you when you visit lol!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

It’s terribly hard to second guess family you haven’t seen for years as you have little idea of size, colours, taste, diets all which change! Friends you are in regular contact should be a lot easier but sometimes you wonder are you on the same planet!

 

[merryone]

It’s terribly hard to second guess family you haven’t seen for years as you have little idea of size, colours, taste, diets all which change! Friends you are in regular contact should be a lot easier but sometimes you wonder are you on the same planet!

You're not wrong there and I'm referring to the people who I'm in regular contact with. It took a good few years for it to dawn on one of my close friends that I don't do crafting any more despite telling her even when I was crafting that I needed a serious cull. I mentioned many times that I'd stopped doing it altogether, but still the crafting bits kept coming every birthday and Christmas.
Fairly recently after finding so many Harry Potter questions popping up in pub quizzes and the like, that I'd watch the films, I went the whole hog and bought the entire boxset, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I downloaded the audiobooks and enjoyed them even more. I'm 58 years old, I enjoy watching and reading Harry Potter, but I have no interest in the merchandise that goes with it, especially soft toys, cheap toiletries & trinkets - I'm still offloading cart loads of this sort of thing. Somebody did buy me a couple of sets of HP trivial pursuit questions, which were keepers, as was the Hedwig hot water bottle 'cause at least it was useful. I know 58 is no great age, I have a young outlook, but kiddy's toys - er no thank you!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I think we are all guilty of buying stuff we might like ourselves for others! I agree soft toys and film merchandise should not feature in adults lives.

 

[merryone]

This year by coincidence I received a hamper of retro sweets for my birthday, and then at xmas I got a tub of retro sweets...sadly there was so many hard chews, which my failing teeth wouldn't stand up to these days, I couldn't enjoy half of the bliddy things. I'm working my way through about 50 tubes of love hearts and parma violets. I used to love those chewy drumstick lollies but I think I'd rather hold on to my teeth - a tub of celebrations or Cadbury's hero's would've been better - hey ho

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I bought those retro sweets but they were nothing like I remembered from my yuff !

 

[merryone]

I bought those retro sweets but they were nothing like I remembered from my yuff !

Funnily enough the ones I did eat, actually did taste exactly the same, and as nice as they were, I'd have loved to experience the taste of those rock hard chews again, but common sense outweighs the risk. I remember one of them used to have a fizzy sherbet centre.
Seriously folks, I loved those sweeties back in the day, but again please think - would you give peanut brittle or a tin of toffees to your nan?!
Considering these sweets were enjoyed by people of my age and older, who might have a full set of falsies or need to be a little more careful with their teeth, it's a damn shame that nobody can come up with a tooth friendly softer chew incorporating those good old flavours. I can see it now - Hardcore version & and Nan version. Not very PC, but what the hell - I'd buy 'em!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Perhaps it’s because I seem to find everything ultra sweet now even old favourites!

 

[merryone]

Took the bag down today, and I did giggle when I looked around and saw just how many sets of those wooden puzzles there were! Saw a nice little dress that I thought would be quite handy to throw on for casual wear, good brand, good price and in good condition...but I stopped myself as I remembered that I've got enough clothes. I'm doing one in one out and could think of nothing I'd want to throw out, and lastly I remembered that for me it's no longer about "throwing stuff on" I aim to achieve a more "put together" look these days. I gave myself a sharp slap on the wrist and walked out of the shop!

 

[Vienna]

I`ll be calling into a local charity shop on Thursday. I have a couple of toiletry sets which I`ve been given at Christmas and I won`t use the contents so they can be donated plus a few other odds and sods of clothing which no longer fit. I intend to have a mega cull in the near future and now I`ve spent the giftcards I was given for Christmas and my birthday I want to try to have 12 months without buying anything other than absolute necessities. I have more than enough clothes, shoes and bags so the only things I may need to buy are undies.