stereotypical single woman

I always joke about being a last minute shopper but in fact I have never left my gift shopping to the last minute, I always start it much earlier. It has always just gone down to the wire because it took me a long time to hunt and find the best gift I could for each person. In fact I’m always on the lookout for gifts that people might like because I’ve always really enjoyed giving people something totally unique that surprises them and shows that, while I may not have been able to spend a lot of money, I’ve at least put a lot of thought into getting them something they might like.

It’s for this reason that I’ve always shied away from wish lists and gift cards. I’m embarrassed giving someone something that they know the price of (’cause I’m poor) and I feel like I’ve taken the easy way out by just picking something off a list. I know, I know - the whole point of a wish list is to make the gift giving process easier and to make sure that you are getting people something they actually want. I have a wish list of my own for that very purpose (because I’m a hypocrite and I’m sick of listening to people say I’m too picky.) But every year at Christmas time (or any other gift giving occasion) I’m secretly a little disappointed when I get something off my wish list. And it’s horrible to feel that way when someone is generous enough to give you a gift. But I feel that way because the gift isn’t a surprise and it in no way reflects the person who gave it to me. All this makes me realize that not everyone has the same attitude toward gift giving that I do.

In my mind there are two types of gifts to give - thoughtful gifts and expensive gifts (okay, so I got this theory from a Pat McManus book I read a lifetime ago, but it still applies.) Being a member of a lower tax bracket than most of my peers I have never been able to give expensive gifts, you know these gifts, something that is great simply because someone paid a shitload of money for it. So for my friends and family I have always tried to give thoughtful, quirky, unique gifts that usually have some homemade element. Something they would make them remember not only the gift but the occasion as well. I’ve made cds, various cordials in really cool decanters that took months of hunting on eBay to find, giftbooks for various services and goods, stockings that I’ve spent days making and looking for the perfect tiny gifts to go inside, and various homemade articles of clothing. But invariably I’ve found the cordials in the back of closets - unopened (c’mon, would it really have been that big of a deal to even TRY them?), scarves shoved in the back of linen closets, and the giftbooks/cards shoved in a stack of bills to be shredded, never to be redeemed.

So for the time being I’m saying fuck it. I’m not even trying anymore. So unless you’re an immediate family member and have specifically asked for something or are under the age of 5 this will be the year of the gift card - and if I’m feeling really lazy I’m not even going to customize where the gift cards come from. Or if I’m in a particularily bad mood the day I go shopping I might just buy a bunch of those incredibly tacky Amway gift books. I’ve just been gifted out and in order to keep myself from turning into scrooge any thoughtful items being made at the moment are for me - like this hat that’s currently in process, because at least I know my taste, and I know I’ll wear it.