Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with presents

You are talented in many ways. In bed.

iamkimiam — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:15:15 -0800

Give me your best fortunes! I bought some beautiful ceramic fortune cookies to give as holiday gifts this year. I need some good fortunes to put inside them. I'm looking for short phrases that are sweet and funny. Nothing directly sexual or romantic, but bonus if they sound better with 'in bed' at the end.

A gift idea to last throughout the ages

AnnaRat — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:15:28 -0800

What gifts do you give (or receive) either every year to the same person, or gifts that you always give to people at a particular age? Or, are there any products or books that are released each year that you think are worthwhile. I am, of course, after suggestions of things you like / the receiver genuinely appears to like. For example, does the newest baby in the family always get a Bunnykins set for their first Christmas? Does your aunt always get you a pair of cashmere socks for your birthday? I've nearly finished my Christmas (and Quonsar) shopping. I would like to streamline my gift shopping a bit more though, for future years (and birthdays). While finding something perfect and new each year is great, I do also like creating a bit of a tradition with a gift that is appreciated, though not unexpected.

On my part, I always buy my parents the latest release of Quaff: Best wines in Australia under $15. I used to always get money from my aunt from the teenage years through my twenties, as she said her grandfather had always done that and she could rely on it for buying a good pair of shoes each year. As a kid, our neighbours used to give me a Darrell Lea Bo-Peep Jar of rock candy, and I used to always look forward to it. I buy my grandmother, who is difficult to buy for, a beautiful boxed flower arrangement of miniature roses for her birthday each year (the shop was near my work and is filled with gorgeous flowers and makes you want to buy the lot and fill your house with flowers - if you ever need to order flowers online in Melbourne, this is it).

I have from <1 year old nephew through to grandmother to buy for each year. Stocking stuffers to major gifts, suggest away, please!

Unless he's keylogging me, in which case he gets what he deserves, the Grinch. ;)

kathrineg — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:51:45 -0800

I need a way to keep a browser state with tabs, cookies, passwords, forms all saved but password-protected and inaccessible. I have Mac OS 10.5.7 and I usually use Firefox, kinda hate Safari. This would be somewhat like Firefox's "Private Browsing" but instead of erasing my settings when I go out of the password-protected browser, it would keep everything ready and waiting.

So it would be like when you go from "private browsing" back to regular browsing, and Firefox restores everything automatically. Except that all the data associated with it would need to be password protected/hidden. No one should be able to access anything by clicking through folders, searching the drives, etc.

Switching logins is too onerous. I have some password protected documents but it's getting really old to move stuff from my browser to there, remember to close the document, etc.

I don't need anything with a force password, or anything completely invisible. It's okay if you can see the program/plugin and tell that I'm keeping something secret. It just needs a password so I can foil a certain Santa-hating member of my household who is adept with computer stuff, without going nuts trying to erase my tracks.

Help me get into the spirit!!

Melismata — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:35:46 -0800

Help a "non present" person adjust their attitude during this holiday season, or any time of year for that matter. I am just so not into shopping for and giving presents. For people under sixteen, absolutely. For a huge occasion such as a wedding or major anniversary or 50th birthday, no problem. But the rest of the time, it just seems inane to find gifts for people who can buy what they want themselves and don't need frivolous trinkets. (And, I couldn't care less if people give me presents, except for maybe the huge occasions as mentioned above.)

Some people just love to shop and find little items like stocking stuffers, and proudly display them to me. They love this whole process; I am just not one of those people (again, children are an exception), it's just exhausting looking for "the perfect gift" for the 20th year in a row. (I hate shopping in general, which is weird, since it's my mother's favorite activity.) The holiday season is very important to the people around me, so I always feel like I have to play along. My mother enthusiastically calls me and says, "What's on your Amazon wish list?", and I usually reciprocate with the same, because it's important to her, though I don't get the appeal of it at all.

There are parts of the holiday that I do like; the music, the lights, the cookies. I'm not an anti-holiday scrooge; I just can't deal with the present-giving to adults.

I'm also a lousy present-wrapper, it always looks like a 6-year-old has wrapped it, even though I've been wrapping presents for years. I just wish this whole thing would go away, but it won't, and I don't want to disappoint these people. So, my question is not how can I get away with not giving presents (in fact, I have already done the "no presents!" thing with a few relatives), but how I can have a better attitude about the whole thing? How can I appreciate buying a cheap snow globe for someone that was made by slave-waging, dependent-on-America people in India or China? Am I overthinking this? Am I just a curmudgeon who needs to lighten up (hard to do, with other issues in my life)? What are your strategies for coping when other people love something, but it gets harder and harder to keep faking it?

What is a better gift for my recently laid-off girlfriend?

smoothvirus — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:09:41 -0800

One for the ladies - should I get my unemployed girlfriend some nice jewelery, or some nice green cash? So I've been dating my current girlfriend for more than three months now and things are going really well. But, she got laid off a couple of weeks ago, and she's worried about paying her rent come January if she has not found anything.

I have been in the jewelery store looking at some nice things in the $100-$200 range but have not purchased anything yet, her birthday is tomorrow. I am planning on taking her to a nice dinner tomorrow, but now that I've thought about it a bit, she might appreciate a little cash in lieu of a nice pendant.

Just for the record, her job search is going well, she has four interviews just this week. She's never been laid off/unemployed before, but I have and I never got that many interviews in a week. So I'm proud of her. She's been very worried but I have been very reassuring. I know she'll be fine.

Affordable Luxuries

Miko — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:45:30 -0800

What are some great gifts for Holiday Season that convey a sense of luxury, yet cost between about $25-75? Everyone's had a hard time for the last couple years, and nobody's got a lot of money in my family. In the past when in this position I would sometimes go for quantity in my gift-giving, and get a bunch of littler, less costly, sometimes kinda jokey gifts to really stretch my budget.

But this year I was thinking that the last thing most of us need is more piles of middling-to-cheap stuff, and that rather, it might be nice to get people some gifts that are true luxuries. By "luxuries" I mean things that are a level of quality up from the everyday/discount item - things you might look at, and consider for yourself, but then reject in favor of the cheaper and more ubiquitous version. Things you wouldn't splurge on yourself but would love if someone did it for you. An example might be a really nice pair of leather driving gloves as opposed to drugstore stretch knits.

Specific suggestions of things you love welcome. A variety is fine, given that I have men and women of varying ages to think about.

But even with this philosophy in play, I won't have a ton of $ to spend, so I'm willing to spend what I have on fewer items that feel like they contain a lot of value. I'm just wondering what might be out there that I can afford but will still make the recipient go "OOoooooh!"

Gifts of an "Adult" Nature

Diagonalize — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:40:26 -0800

What kind of stuff does a 20-something "grown-up" not know he needs/wants? No surprise, my boyfriend's birthday is coming up. He's turning 27, and his parents have been needling him to add things to his wishlist. Gifts are a big deal in his family, and the Amazon wishlist has been a crucial part of that for years. In the past, his list was populated almost exclusively by video games and the occasional movie, but lately, he's been trying to move towards a more grown-up selection. Well, that's super, but when he sits down to try to add "grown-up" stuff to his wishlist, he gets this panicked, "deer in the headlights" expression. I know there are plenty of things he likes/wants, but he has no idea where to start.

Him: scruffy, quiet, socially-capable, 27-ish, physicist

Likes: adventure/RPG video games, reading political and science blogs, puzzles (a la MIT Mystery Hunt), food (eating, not cooking), and Philip Seymour Hoffman films

Dislikes: mushrooms, Will Ferrell movies

Mostly clueless about: fashion, cars, power tools, professional sports, fine wine/booze, and any music other than classical or showtunes

Clearly, he's not a guy's guy, and I've had little luck finding a "manly, but not too manly" guide that wasn't just all gadgets. We'd love to point his family in the right direction, but with the lone exception of an iPhone, his wishlist looks about the same as when he was 14 (video games and Star Trek). He doesn't want to be viewed as the eternal teenager, so what do you want/need when you're "all growed up"?

Help me make my boyfriend's birthday awesome with fiendishly delightful present wrapping and delivery!

t0astie — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:32:15 -0800

It's my boyfriend's birthday soon, and I want to make the present giving AWESOME! Have already purchased presents and booked flights to be with him. Am organising special birthday meals for him, and a couple of activities too, so most of the day is pretty much sorted. But I really really want the present giving/opening experience in particular to be super fun for him. I'm thinking along the lines of a treasure hunt with clues so he has to hunt for the presents... Or wrapping the presents in a giant box and painting it like a cake with sparklers on top! Or multiple layers of wrapping disguising the present...Or, um, something else. But I don't know what exactly. I just want to make it a completely excellent fun surprise for him. Some background

Him: mid-thirties engineer. Likes:dinosaurs, robots, sci-fi, machines, beer, puzzles, poker.

Me: mid-thirties journalist / photographer. Handy with glue, cutting, drawing, writing, pics, collage and general crafty stuff. But even simple woodwork or electronics would be beyond me.

Equipment available: minimal. Can go to the hardware store, and there's a not-very-good craft store in his town too. I don't have a sewing machine. Everything basic like glue, paint etc is easily available where he lives, but more complicated stuff not so much.

Finances: low. Am broke after present and plane-ticket buying. Could go $20-30AUD extra. Aiming for ingenuity and surprise over extravagance.

Location: Outback Australia. Really.

Timeframe: Nine days til I catch the plane and another eleven days in his town before B-Day. If it's going to be massive in size, must be constructed in 11 days. I won't be bringing a papier-mache fort or birthday banner on my discount flight, for example.

Help me hive!

He is really the best boyfriend in the world and deserves the Best Birthday in the History of the World Ever.

What takes good photos that takes good photos?

cincinnatus c — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:30:40 -0800

Help me find a good-looking (retro?) and affordable camera for a present. I'm looking to buy a digital camera as a present for someone who is not so much into photography as she is into lovely-looking objects.

Therefore, I'm looking for a retro-styled point-and-shoot camera. It should take decent pictures (I don't want a novelty toy) but shouldn't be too complicated to use.

This is the most stylish camera I've found in my searches, but I don't think it's available yet and anyway it'll probably be beyond my budget. I can afford to spend around £200, maybe slightly more.

Simple Easter game for the whole family?

banished — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:13:46 -0800

I need a simple Easter game that my whole family can play. The winner needs to be determined quickly. Any ideas? I have a whole bunch of little presents for my family, and I need a fun way to distribute them. (A card game maybe?), but I couldn't think of any that weren't a long drawn out process.

Firepit

jenfu — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:24:31 -0800

Quality firepit recommendation? I want to buy a firepit for my boyfriend. I should say another one, because I bought him one a couple years ago that is something of a piece of crap. It's shallow and doesn't have room to burn stuff well, plus it corroded with the elements and the cover is flimsy.

Anyone have good luck with a firepit that burns well, holds up under use, and looks nice?

This is the one I already have:

Thanks!

Doronophobia?

Sova — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:11:12 -0800

Is there a name for the dislike of the anticipation felt on receiving or opening gifts? I know this is perhaps a bit of an out-there question, but I'm looking for further information on people who dislike or even fear receiving or openings gifts. It's not the dislike of what the gifts are themselves, or strictly the fear of having to participate in a strained social situation when the gift turns out to be undesirable. I'm thinking of the specific idea of having this unknown 'thing' which causes anticipation, and those people who refuse to commit emotional energy to it.

Any ideas? Examples ranging from downplaying the opening of presents all the way to keeping them unopened for years would be great, as well as some explanation or even - holy grail of this question - a name.

When should Santa Claus Come to Town?

Point n Click — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:28:53 -0800

When does your family open Christmas presents from each other? My husband and I have only been married a few years, and haven't yet been able to find a good time to open Christmas presents from each other.

My husband's family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve, so we travel to spend all of Christmas Eve with them (decorating the tree, Christmas dinner, etc.) and then leave to travel to my family's Christmas on Christmas Day (again, all of the traditional Christmas things). Since we both typically have to work the days following Christmas Day, we have been celebrating "our" Christmas the following weekend, but it feels cheap and anti-climatic after having returned to work, and spent all of the Holidays with family.

My husband suggested opening presents on Christmas Eve morning, but that feels like cheating. (Santa still visits both our parents houses.) And we could stay up late and open presents after getting back from my parents house on Christmas Day, but that doesn't seem like a good idea right before returning to work.

What does your family do? If it isn't Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, how do you keep it feeling "Christmas-y?"

Christmas fliter: Need help finding a present for my brother.

complience — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:14:58 -0800

Christmas fliter: Need help finding a present for my brother. hes 29. I've got a maxium of £50 to spend, Looking for somthing slightly intelectual. Can't be Media eg: books, music, videos.

any ideas welcome.

Have yourself an internet little Christmas

nax — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:07:41 -0800

Help me send virtual gifts to my kids overseas. A big part of our family Christmas tradition is Christmas stockings. This year both of my kids are working abroad in jobs that I can't mail a package to. So I want to stuff a Christmas stocking on line. I'm looking for something interactive along the lines of various online advent calendars like this one, but where you open presents instead of dates.

Does anyone know of a site or app (google? yahoo? facebook?) that will let me do this? Suggestions for what to put in it would be good too: I could stuff it with online gift certificates for games or music (assuming it's secure), fun websites, what else?

I know I can do this via a simple email, but I'd like a fun graphic interface as well. Tried googling it, but only got commercial sites. Thanks, hivemind.

Self-links welcome, if you do this yourself, or MeMail me to stay within the site rules.

Book-Hungry Mother

Weebot — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:23:23 -0800

[Xmas Filter] I'm doing my Christmas shopping, and I'm a bit stuck on what I need to get my mother. She likes culinary-cultural history books, preferably with recipes. Suggestions? She's been really into these books for a while now, and I was hoping to get some suggestions. She's gone through Salt, Cod, and all the other Mark Kurlansky books, as well as Lizzy Collingham's Curry and David Kamp's The United States of Argula.

She has also been a fan of food memoirs like Tender at the Bone as well as travel books with a strong culinary bent. You get the idea. So, any suggestions?

His name is MacGyver. He can fix anything.

dejah420 — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:09:43 -0800

Help me create a MacGyver.-theme silly present. In a conversation about old TV, my husband mentioned how much he had liked MacGyver.. As an xmas present, I got him the first season CDs, but I thought it would be really fun to wrap up a bunch of MacGyver.-y type things to go with it. For instance, I already have duct tape and paperclips.

But, I never watched the show, so I don't know if there are some particularly iconic things I should include.

Hope me, MacGyver. fans!

The perfect slippers

arcticwoman — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:27:26 -0800

Please help me find (online, or in a major Canadian store) some slippers that fit the following strict requirements: fluffy on the inside, thick comfy sole, and, most importantly, are closed around the heel without being a boot. It seems that everything I find that fits the first two requirements is clog-style, and that absolutely won't do. The closest I can find are moccasins, but the gift recipient doesn't like leather/fur. Any suggestions?

Help me find a Christmas gift for my brother!

I_love_the_rain — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:12:01 -0800

I need creative Christmas present suggestions for my brother! I want to find a creative or cool gift for my brother, and need ideas! A little insight into my brother: he's very environmentally friendly and extremely health conscious (no candy or sweet treats for him, he's all natural), he is a cycling enthusiast (read: bikes everywhere, doesn't own a car), and he enjoys unusual and simple things. For example, he enjoys vinyl records/cds with interesting or unusual music, likes watching rather obscure cartoons (Danger Mouse and Count Duckula are among some favorites, although I've already tapped into those ideas), and he's quite interested in new things; he's pretty open minded. After a few years of struggling to find what I consider GOOD gifts for my bro., perhaps the hive mind could give me some ideas? For me, I don't have a lot of money to spend, but am willing to travel around to acquire a neat gift. Thanks!!

What would you give Lord Byron?

Skyanth — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 01:25:40 -0800

Special gift for a special gentleman? I'm looking for gifts for a gentleman. The gentleman in question likes special/pretty/tasteful things that are to do with (Napoleonic) history, cats, dracula, dandies, dueling, books, the romantics and goth. I got him a sword cane once and he loved that. I really don't want to give him clothing. I was going to give him cufflinks but I made the mistake of showing them to him to make sure he liked them and he loved them so much he got them himself, robbing me of the one solid idea I had. Bah. I would also prefer not to give him shaving equipment (he already has a nice set).

I've seen this, but the answers are much too clothing/shaving oriented.

What else. Oh yes, there will already be a bottle of some gentlemanly drink to go with the gift so no alcohol suggestions either. Sorry. :)

There's thought behind it, sure, but also twenty hours of knitting.

carbide — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 13:52:23 -0800

What are the most memorable, awesome or useful handmade gifts you've received or given? I'm in search of some inspiration, as well as cautionary tales. My extended family has been very polite in enduring handmade gifts from me year after year, but I think only a few people have really enjoyed what I've made them, and the pleasure in giving gets a bit lost that way. The success rate is better with friends but inspiration would still be handy.

I'd love a wide variety of suggestions so I won't say too much, but here's a few details:

- I can cook, sew, take decent photographs sometimes, bind books, knit, make prints, draw, etc, so anything goes.

- Previous gifts have included screenprints, cold-process soap, shortbread, cookies, handmade journals, and a roaring success in a portrait of my grandparents. Current plans include blank cards with suitable photographic prints on the front, some knitted hats for a few people who will definitely wear them, one well-targeted mix cd.

- Particular areas of difficulty are: teenage boys (not bookish or alternative, damn!), professional glam women in their mid 20s to early 30s (ditto!).

Any stand-out gifts you've made or received?

(Warnings about the chasm between intention and reception would probably be good, too. And weirdly, I can't find any previouslies.)

Bookfilter: what book(s) would my father love?

Acer_saccharum — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:40:59 -0800

Book filter: Getting a head start on Christmas presents - what books would you recommend for my kung fu instructing, deadwood watching, social work teaching freemason father? The last books my father really enjoyed were The Poisonwood Bible and The Davinci Code. He joined up with the freemasons shortly after he read the D. Code. He is a social work prof with special focus in aboriginal issues and community mental health organizations, has been teaching martial arts since before I was born and runs his own studio, and he and my mother ADORE the show Deadwood and have watched the entire series repeatedly.

I want to buy him a few books for Christmas that he will adore. I do not read up on these subjects and am at a loss. Help!

PS - If a movie/show/gadget/weapon is coming to mind, feel free to throw that suggestion in also. Much appreciated!

What do you wish you had when you graduated?

AceRock — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:13:27 -0800

What (item) do you wish you had when you graduated from college? My brother is graduating from college after this semester and I want to get him a present he will end up really appreciating. So, what (item or items) do you wish someone had given you when you graduated from college, or otherwise entered the real world for the first time?

I don't want want to limit ideas in any way, but if it helps to inspire: he's graduating with a degree in engineering, but he loves writing fiction.

How to continue the fun in Oahu

omnigut — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:49:16 -0800

Oahu filter: If you could only hike once, where would you go; where would you buy tiki objects to bring back with you (some sort of cross between cheap and beautiful?); and is tonight, 08/08/08, special in Chinatown? So I'm going hiking tomorrow or Sunday, I need to buy some tiki presents for some people in New York (not really wanting to spend more than $40 on each one, less if possible), and I would like to go out tonight.

Previously I posted this question. Update; I almost killed the new guy in her life, but didn't. Came here, made this photo, and then had an amazing time going from Smith's, to Amy's, to O'Toole's, back to Smith's, to Bar 35, across the road to the Golden Gate Lounge (against the advice of many), then onto the bus to fall asleep outside the dreadful Señor Frog's. A good night. Repeat tonight?

Random act of kindness

HotPatatta — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:51:41 -0800

What item do you use all the time and wonder how you ever lived with without it? I want to show someone special how much I care with a killer gift. Inspired by this essay, I'm in the mood to spend a bit of money on myself (aren't I thoughtful?) but I don't know what to buy. It should be something practical that I can use often, but it can be a luxury item or something cheap. I live in NYC, so I don't have a yard or much space to put something large.