Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with presents

Nifty, gifty shopping in London?

gallusgallus — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:45:53 -0800

LondonCommerceFilter: Business trip to London (from US) coming up, and I've got a free initial jetlag day that I'd like to spend shopping-- preferably for cool, unique, not-too-expensive, suitable-for-gifting items I'd be unlikely to find in the US. I'm specially interested in women's accessories (scarves, jewelry); toys and games; (travel-friendly) foods; tchotchkes; and used/antique books. Any must-visit shops? I'm taking a red-eye, so my primary mission that first day will be NOT TO FALL ASLEEP-- which is where the shopping comes in. Total budget of £ 150ish, and I'd like to make that go as far as possible in gifts for the folks back home.

I'll be based around St. Pancras, but wouldn't mind travelling elsewhere, as long as it's public-transportation-accessible. I'll likely not have energy for a ton of train-hopping, though, so it'd have to be just one neighborhood of relatively consolidated shopping. I'm not particularly interested in buying anything explicitly souvenir-y or British-themed, but I would ideally like to find items that I might not necessarily see in a regular mall or department store back home. Oh, and since I'm obviously not a local, some basic locating info for any suggestions (tube stop?) would be super useful, if you've got it handy. Thanks!

Radio presents, not presence

topoisomerase — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:50:22 -0800

I'm involved with a college radio station, and we'd like to get presents for or do something for the graduating folks. The problem is, none of us have any ideas. What are some awesome music or radio-themed things we could buy or arrange? What sorts of things would you have loved to get or do as a graduating senior?

Is there a way to approach unequal staff Christmas presents at my workplace that will not come off as me being jackassy?

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:34:57 -0800

Is there a way to approach unequal staff Christmas presents at my workplace that will not come off as me being jackassy? I work at a small private school as a specialty teacher and I feel like every year, the staff Christmas presents from the parents become more and more unreasonable. I don't teach for the presents and I don't expect them per se, but when I know they are happening and I see such huge inequalities, I have to admit, it stings a little.

The first year I was there, each class gave me a present. They collected from all the parents in the class, and divided it so the homeroom teacher got 2/3 of it and the specialty teachers (music, French, art) for 1/3 split between them. In the last year or so, they have been kind of winging it.

I am a specialty teacher and unlike the art and music teachers, I am full-time and see each class every day. I teach 7 classes and got a gift card on behalf of the whole school for $125, which is less than $20 per class. The homeroom teachers, who work the same hours as me, got a single present from their own class and these ranged from Tiffany jewelry AND a spa gift card for one teacher to a brand new iPad for another. It just doesn't seem fair.

I want to emphasize, I am not complaining about the stuff per se. I just don't think the parents should be buying *anybody* an iPad here! And it does sting when my work seems to be valued at $17 per class and another teacher's work seems to be valued at $500! I just wish the principal could intervene and set some guidelines here for next year so that *if* parents feel compelled to buy teacher gifts (which, again, I don't think they should have to do at all) there is some sort of guideline for them on who works with their kids, how much, and what a reasonable limit is for gifts for each of these people.

I grew up in a blended family where blatant inequality such as this occurred (xbox for one kid, scented candle and paperback novel for another) so I understand that I am perhaps over-sensitive to this issue. And I do want to emphasize again that for me, it truly is not about the stuff---it's the inequality that hurts---hearing of other co-workers who work the same hours with the same kids as me bragging about what they got and I got so much less than they did...

So...is there a way to approach this with the boss where I won't come across as a total jackass? I can wait until the year-end meeting and mention it as a thing to work on for next year, or address it now, whatever is best. It is not an urgent, burning issue. But if there is a way to do it where I don't come across looking like a jackass or a scrooge, I'd like to say something...

10 degrees of latitude south

zvs — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:53:46 -0800

GiftFilter: Gifts for an outdoorsy teenager trapped in the burbs. I'm stumped trying to find a gift for my stepbrother, a high-school sophomore who plays football and recently moved into suburbia from his previous home in the Great North Woods.

He's a snowshoeing, ATV-riding kind of kid, and I think those activities are pretty much closed off to him now. They arrest you on your dirt bike here.

Any bright ideas for a substitute experience? He now lives in a second-tier metro area, so most reasonable activities are an option.

Gifts for Coworkers?

griphus — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:47:05 -0800

Holiday gifts at the workplace: incredibly small business edition. I work in a very small business. There are three of us here: the owner, me, and one other person over whom I have seniority/sort of manage. Anyone have present ideas? I'm thinking no more than $25 a person. Also: is there a reason I shouldn't get them small holiday gifts?

My boss is an all-around great guy (he attended my grandmother's funeral, for instance) so I think a small gift is in order. He is Modern Orthodox, about ten years older than me, and has two young kids. He is of means and has self-admitted expensive tastes, so I'm not even going to try to impress him. Just something nice. Not a gift card.

My coworker is around my age, and has a young daughter. She celebrates Christmas, but that's all I know. We're not big on small talk here, so I don't know a whole lot about her. I would not feel bad giving her a gift card, and I am sure she would appreciate it.

I have never gotten coworkers presents, and I have never gotten people with kids presents, so this is a double-whammy of confusion. My girlfriend has offered up the fact that when friends have kids, one gets presents for the kids, which I am fine with, but hell if I know these peoples' kids. Also, does that hold for the office as well as social life?

NB: In Russia we give presents for New Year's Even rather than Christmas or Hannukah, so I plan to give them around then to buy me some time under the guise of multiculturalism.

WWI buff Xmas gift?

airguitar2 — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 14:34:51 -0800

What's a good gift for a World War I history buff? This person especially likes history books about WWI, things related to popular culture at the time, etc. Is thirtyish. Also into comics, art, film.

Help to be become a better xmas shopper

razzman — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:12:03 -0800

How do I become better at buying presents? I procrastinate every xmas because I can't decide what to buy people, the biggest obstacle, I worry the recipient won't like it. Need a breakthrough, what's your super gift-buying workflow? I am absolutely determined not to leave my xmas shopping till xmas eve like I have done for the past 10 years!
I just tried to get started by going on Amazon, and I got the same dread I always get at this time of year. Usually goes like this whether online or in-store - "Don't know what to get, they won't like that, ahhhh....wait until tomorrow then have a look"
I need to break this annoying habit but need help.
I am like this when buying for myself as well except after lots of research I'm happy with what I want and what I get. I can't do the same for others!

For it is in giving that we receive

firstbest — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 08:08:59 -0800

What are some workplace holiday gift ideas for my two hip, cultured, smart, (and imo underpaid) mid-20s employees? They're full-time employees and I work with them very closely. I want to get them really great gifts that aren't wildly impersonal and aren't for the workplace, in the $75-100 range and not food- or drink-related. All I can think of is spa gift cards. Surely there are better ideas, right?

What can I do for a family member going to prison soon?

gregoryg — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:50:17 -0800

My brother is going to prison in December, possibly for a decade or more. What can I do for him, both emotionally and practically? My brother is awaiting sentencing for a drug-related crime and has been for most of the year. He is depressed, listless, and distant and has been since his arrest, but as far as I can tell he is trying to keep a good attitude day-to-day. He is currently halfway across the country from me in our small hometown staying at our dad's house, with our mom living a few minutes away. Our parents are both there for him emotionally and trying to be supportive of him, but he has a history of being emotionally distant and immature - partially due to his previous physical distance from all of us for a decade, his drug-based leisurely lifestyle, as well as several minor-to-serious drug addictions.

He and I haven't been close in almost 15 years, but we do care for each other and I've occasionally been able to get him to open up when we talk on the phone the past few months. However, even during the good times he has been difficult to get ahold of by phone/text/email/etc and if he returns messages it usually takes several days. My parents both think that I'm able to (or, hypothetically, would be able to) get through to him better than they can, but I am someone who has always struggled with communication, especially when it comes to emotional communication. I've been trying to talk and engage with him, but it's very frustrating and as I've said, it isn't my forte. It's additionally difficult to me because he (and I) seems to be avoiding preparing for the inevitable practicalities of the situation. I'm visiting him for a little under two weeks directly before his sentencing.

So my question is this: what does he need that I can provide, both emotionally and practically? Both before he is sentenced and after.

This includes how I can communicate with him and help him through this very sad time, but also how I can best equip him for life in prison, what I can make for him or give to him, etc.

Once he is in I plan to send him books, write him letters, send him phone cards/money, and send him photographs and snippets of my life, but outside of that I don't know what to do. And on a more minor note, it's his birthday right before he goes in and Christmas right after, so I'd like to give him something special he can take in with him or I can send him, but don't know what that would be.

Best org for angel tree?

greta simone — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 09:41:29 -0800

Best organization in NYC in which to participate in an angel tree kind of thing? I'm nannying a 8, almost 9 year old boy and he has expressed interest in buying something for a boy his age in need for the holidays. I have have previously participated in Stockings with Care, but you are mostly randomly assigned a kid of any age. I have also done the Barnes and Noble angel tree, but I think my charge really wants to go the toy route--something that would be fun for him to pick out (he reads, but doesn't get as excited about books as he does about toys). He wants to buy for a boy his age (8 or 9).

So what organization can we 'pick out' (for lack of a less crude phrase) a kid to buy for? In the past in my home town, the local mall had a tree with ornaments that stipulated a gender and age that you would pull from the tree, go buy for, and drop off with the organization. I'm looking for something like that I guess.

His parents are cool with the idea, in case it's relevant.

Thanks!

"No gifts please"

otherwordlyglow — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:42:33 -0800

Does "No gifts please" on a wedding invitation really mean No Gifts? A friend of mine got married about a month ago and only invited a few close friends and family to the ceremony. She is having a party to celebrate the wedding with a larger group this weekend. The written invitation specifies "No gifts please" but is that really what it means? I don't want to arrive and find that everyone else brought a gift anyway.

If it matters, this is her second marriage. They're both in their 40s and this takes places in California.

What are things to get a college grad

raeka — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:42:37 -0800

What are presents/things I don't know I want? I am making a Christmas/birthday list for my parents/family for probably the last time since I'm a senior in college. What I'd really like is Amazon gift cards but barring that, what are specific items that are really useful but you didn't realize exist/that you need them? I feel like every time I think of something, I either buy it or forget about it.

For example, when I started living in an apartment a year ago, I only found out after months that if you don't have a dishwasher, having a drying rack is fantastic. I got a nice jacket that goes with dressy clothes a year ago and almost returned it, but I ended up wearing it all the time because I didn't realize how useful a nice coat is instead of just a skijacket. Basically, adult stuff that I probably will need once I graduate.

I have basic apartment stuff and I will probably be moving to teach English in Korea, so bulky stuff like a vacuum cleaner is out. Stuff that costs $20-40 at most is better, but I'm interested in anything really useful.

Present ideas for globetrotting newlyweds

jp021272 — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:29:36 -0800

I need wedding present suggestions for a couple who are going traveling for 7 month immediately afterwards... One of my best friends is getting married on 31. December. She and her future husband are then going to travel the world for half a year afterwards.

I can't think of anything to give them other than the usual household items or - of course - personal gifts which would be impractical when traveling. As they will have put all their belonging in storage and given up their flat, I'd rather give them something that would be beneficial to them on their journey (like a Kindle - maybe)? Any suggestions?

I have never been traveling for that long, so can't really think of what would be special but also practical to receive on their wedding day, but it's preferably also something that nobody else will think of...

Best present ever?

mittenbex — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 07:24:55 -0800

Amazing Christmas presents bound to make kids more rad. I'm a nanny for three kids and have been taking care of them for four years. I've gotten to the point that when Christmas and birthdays come around... I dread having to do the present thing because these kids are kids who have 'everything'.

They have so many toys. So many clothes. I never have a ton of money to take them to do an 'experience' gift, etc.

But obviously I want to be able to give them stuff.

They're 5, 7 and 9. Boys youngest, girl oldest. They're an athletic family. The youngest loves dinosaurs/animals, the middle loves video games/skateboards/legos, the girl is super sporty... she's a swimmer. But she's also super girly (but has tons of dress-up, play makeup, nail polish etc.)

They ALL love to do artsy stuff but the house is over flowing with craft sets.

If we're talking $30ish a piece -- share with me your brilliant ideas.

I don't want to give them gift cards. I don't want to encourage video games, ipad stuff. I try really hard to keep them away from 'screens'.

Thanks!!!

What's a good Lego-related gift for a 5 year-old?

Joe in Australia — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 14:32:34 -0800

What Lego-related gift should I get in the USA for a bright 5 year old Australian with Asperger spectrum issues? He likes Lego and has a particular interest in Legoland in San Diego. I want something that costs no more than $20 and I'd rather leave presents of actual Lego to his parents.

Which filleting knife should I buy?

jaffacakerhubarb — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:30:02 -0800

I'm going to buy a filleting knife as a gift. Which make should I buy? I've been looking through previous AskMes regarding knives, but I thought I'd ask directly since my question is very slightly snowflakey. So:

I'm planning to get my Dad a filleting knife for his birthday. However, I'm not sure which one I should get, and there's a lot of conflicting advice online that I don't really understand (stamped vs. forged, Europe v. Japan, etc). He currently has a set of MAC knives, and he also has a filleting knife already — not sure if it's a MAC knife or not — but either way, he's mentioned in passing that for whatever reason he's not getting along with it. Most of the other knife questions are understandably focussed on buying sets of knives. Since this is a gift and isn't going to be one of a dozen, I'm happy to spend a fair amount of money if it's going to get something really good.

So, if you have either a manufacturer or a specific knife to recommend, that'd be great. Feel free to mention anything I haven't thought of too, like custom knives (is that even a thing? is it expensive? etc), using lasers, or so on. :D

Recommend mystery fiction, especially mystery fiction by authors whose works were adapted into Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes

GlassHeart — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:08:12 -0800

Recommend mystery fiction, especially mystery fiction by authors whose works were adapted into Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes I'm not familiar with any mystery fiction, but I've been a longtime fan of Alfred Hitchcock Presents which makes me think I'd enjoy mystery in book form.

I'm a fan of the short story form and somehow think I'd prefer mystery in that form rather than in novel form. But feel free to recommend any quality mystery fiction -- especially that which was adapted into Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes.

Thanks.

I'm looking for some unusual dice for my boyfriend's birthday.

petiteviolette — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:34:51 -0800

Where can I find or have made 6-sided dice with one color for 1-2 and another for 3-6? We just started playing Summoner Wars, an RPG-like game. The dice rolls count as hits when the numbers are 3-6, but the numbers are also important sometimes. He mentioned that he would love it if there were dice that still had dots, but the ones for 1-2 were red and for 3-6 they were green. This is pretty hard to google, and I've looked at the websites of our local game stores and haven't seen anything this specific. Custom dice for weddings and such are usually only sold in huge batches, and I just want five or six. Any ideas?

Is my friend trying to surreptitiously decline a gift?

lollusc — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:53:02 -0800

Question for the "guess culture" people: If a friend wants to leave a gift I gave her behind at my house for a year, is that likely to be her way of saying she doesn't really want it? Does that mean I can treat the gift as mine? I got a free brand new jacket by a very expensive brand. It's a very nice jacket and I would have happily kept it, but my friend is a HUGE fan of that brand. Just about everything she buys is that brand. She drools over their website regularly. She had specifically said she liked that jacket on the website. She was visiting this week from Europe (to Australia) and I gave her the jacket as a gift. She knows it was free to me, and was surprised I didn't want to keep it for myself. I told her it wasn't a colour I wear (kind of true, although it's a nice enough jacket that I would happily wear it even though I wouldn't have chosen that colour for myself). I'm pretty sure she believed me that I really didn't want to keep it, so I don't think her leaving it behind is about her trying to give it back to me because she thinks I regret giving it to her or anything.

She seemed to be thrilled, and she wore it just about every day while she was here. But when she was packing up to leave she said she couldn't fit it in her bag, and that she would leave it here and take it "next time she visits". We've already established that the next visit will be over a year from now. Also, she wasn't trying very hard to take it with her. She had a full carry-on bag, but it's winter, and she wasn't wearing a jacket, so if she really wanted to take it, she could have worn it, and then put it in the overhead luggage compartment on the plane, or carried it over her arm, or whatever.

Anyway, this friend is very guess-culture-y, and I am too, to a lesser extent. She communicates a lot through hints and actions rather than explicit statements, and often if you ask her outright about whether she is hinting about something, she will deny it - I guess to try to save face. I'm almost 100% sure that I won't get a straight answer from her if I ask her about this. She will try to guess which outcome I want (her appreciating the gift vs me keeping the jacket) and will tell me what I want to hear, then seethe about it in private.

So, my question is, if you are also this sort of hint-dropping person, do you think leaving the jacket behind was equivalent to saying she doesn't want it? Should I really store it for her for 14 months? Or can I call it mine and just wear it, and assume she won't want it back when she returns? I'm not offended either way; I just want to make use of the jacket if she won't; or keep it nicely for her if she really IS likely to want it back.

Help with inconsiderate gifts

Anonymous — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:29:16 -0800

How to handle well-intended but inconsiderate and unwanted gifts? I realise this is a rather petty problem but it's been ongoing for the past few years and I'm really frustrated. My partner and I have been together for 4 years, don't live together but spend lots of time togeher (weekends and some weekday nights. We're in our 30s). Birthdays and Christmas have become problematic because of gifts. Nearly every occasion he gives me a gift, it is something I openly do not want or need.

A couple examples: once he gave me a special edition of a book that we'd discussed at length--a book that I said I absolutely hated. When I got the gift I accepted it graciously and thanked him. This is what I would normally do. Because he is my partner and I want an honest relationship with, him, I decided to tell him the truth and told him as nicely and tactfully as I could that I didn't like that book but it was a nice edition. He was devastated. He cried and said he couldn't do anything right and then I had to make him feel better about the situation. I did not bully him, I was not mean about it as I am sensitive to how he'll respond (and why I just acted like I liked it initially) but this is a typical response from him. Another time he gave me a DVD because he said he knew I liked it so much and had wanted to see it. It was a film I had already seen, did not like, and had told him so at the time. I also have no TV or DVD player. Again, I mentioned this to him and he was devastated. There are a lot of examples of this but I feel like he isn't paying attention to me and not getting me anything remotely appropriate.

At Christmas I helped him pick out a gift for his mom and saw these perfect necklaces and showed them to him. He started crying, said he should have got me one of those for Christmas. Again, I didn't do anything to incite this. He is very melodramatic. I said it wasn't a big deal and maybe it would be good for my Birthday.

Well, it was my Birthday last week. About a month ago he asked me what I wanted. I was surprised because I thought he had this taken care of, but okay, he forgot. I told him that I sincerely did not want anything and he could take me out for supper instead. I know sometimes people say they don't want gifts when they do but I meant it. I am so tired of getting gifts that just make me feel like my boyrfriend isn't paying any attention to who I am, tired of pretending to like things or being honest and having to reassure him and I'd really rather just not go through the whole thing. He was insistent, said he wanted to get me something I could use and asked for a list. I don't make much money, he makes a lot more than me, and he said he knew this and wanted to do something for me. That seemed sweet and sensible so I thanked him and actually took the time to make a list, which I have never done before. I took the time to find links for the best deals to a few things that I really need and will buy anyway when I have the money, told him sizes and said I would really appreciate one item (one rather than the whole list). I would never give someone a list but he asked for one and said this was what he wanted to do. I felt good about this.

What he gave me for my birthday was a knockoff of a Hitachi Magic Wand. I already have a magic wand and do not want or need another one, particularly a knockoff. He knows I have one. He said he got me another one because it seemed like mine was on its way out (it isn't, it is fine, and if it does break I would look into replacing it then). He also got me a bottle of vanilla extract because I had listed "baking extracts & supplies". Vanilla is the one kind of extract I already have. That was it. The list was entirely ignored aside from that one small item (and to me, if someone had that on a list, I would have made up a package of extracts and colorings and maybe cupcake papers or things--one bottle of extract is bizarre to me but whatever). I don;t know why he asked for a list and I went to the trouble of making one if he was just going to ignore it.

I am beyond frustrated. On the one hand, they are just gifts and he chose to give them and I have no right to question them. But then--he is my boyfriend. He keeps getting me thoughtless and useless gifts and it's a waste of money and makes me feel like he isn't considering me at all. What can I do here? I don't know how to bring this up anymore without him crying and then I need to make him feel better about something that I felt bad about (and I never end up being made to feel better). I don't want this to continue for the rest of our lives.

Can anyone please give me any perspective, insight or advice here?

If I'm being ridiculous and just need to suck it up then I'll accept that but it's getting to where the situation is making me angry. It's not because I want better presents but because his gifts make me feel like I'm not being considered, he isn't paying attention or even trying. I always put a lot of thought into his gifts to get him things I know he will like or use.

What should I bring back from Russia?

Marquis — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:06:32 -0800

I am visiting Russia in June - Moscow, St Petersburg and Magadan. What should I buy while I'm there? Which food items, clothing, booze or um anything-at-all are wonderful, affordable and hard to find elsewhere? Particularly interested in specific recommendations - belts from this shop / blueberry jam from here.

(I live in Montreal.)

Thank you!

My liver vs. Amazon.

punchtothehead — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:45:16 -0800

Is there a way that I can get Amazon to periodically send me items from my wishlist without me telling it to? Here's what I want to happen: I purchase everything on my wishlist, and over the next twelve months or so, Amazon sends me those things at random intervals. Basically, I want all the awesomeness of getting presents in the mail, but not the potential disaster of getting something I don't want.

Ideally, I would get an email a week after the package should have arrived, so that I can know that I should have received something.

Is there a service or script or something I can use to make this happen? The only solution I've come up with so far relies on drinking heavily and routing Amazon emails to an address I don't use often.

Looking for a bakery that sells state-shaped cakes in NYC

blackcatcuriouser — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:37:14 -0800

Best friend is moving back home to Portland after many years of living in NYC. I'd love to present her with an Oregon-shaped (and delicious) cake at her going away party. Where could I get this in the NYC area? Any borough will do. Thanks!

How to deal with a family member who doesn't accept gifts gracefully?

mintchip — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:50:40 -0800

How to deal with a family member who doesn't accept gifts gracefully? My sister in law has a habit of leaving my gifts for her at her mother’s home, where we meet annually due to the distance we all have to travel.

This happened two years in a row. Both times she thanked me profusely for the gifts. The first year she made a point of telling me that she was leaving the jewelry at her mother’s so she would have something to wear on her next trip there. I found this a little odd because is it really difficult to pack a small pair of earrings and take them with you? But I didn’t think too much of it…

The next year I brought a small decorative tray which I bought from a very expensive store. I picked it out lovingly and with her in mind. My thinking was that a serving tray would be a good gift because, while decorative, is not clutter as it serves a purpose (I know she entertains) and can be stored away when not in use. With this in mind I brought this tray all the way from the distant continent where I live.

I see that she has also left this gift on the shelf in her old room at the family home. In other words, she didn’t take it with her either. Nor did she offer any explanation such as not being able to fit it into her suitcase (which I don't believe would be the case as it was not very large). I’m a little bit hurt that it seems like my gifts somehow do not meet muster and/or aren’t worth the trouble of taking back with her.

What is up with this behavior? I understand that each person has their own taste, but wouldn’t it be customary to at least TAKE a gift with you and then regift it (or hide it away) if it really isn’t your style?

How would you read her response to these gifts and what is the best approach to take in my position? Should I say anything? This hasn't put me in the gift-buying mood.

Help me pick an international theme Yankee swap gift.

modoriculous — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:23:51 -0800

Help me find a Yankee Swap gift for $20 with an "International" theme. Every year my cousin holds a themed Yankee swap. We keep it low cost so the limit is $20. Last years theme was As Seen On TV so it was a little easier. Right now I"m sort of stumped as to what I can get for $20 that would fit the "International" theme. Any ideas?