Gift Time

Gift time always has me pondering about things every year.

1. Do I give a gift to someone that got me a gift, whom I've never gotten or given a gift to before?
For the most part, no. Why start something that will never end that I didn't budget for in the first place? I usually just accept the gift & say thank you & don't give them one.

2. What do I do when someone gives me a gift that I usually get a gift for but completely forgot?
I tend to do this every year to one of my good friends. For whatever reason, I completely leave them off my list & then have to hurry to find something for them for the next day/week. Inevitably I get something cheesy that I know they probably won't use because I didn't take the time to figure out what they really needed. This is the guilty feeling gift.

3. What if someone always asks me for a gift each year (or expects it) but never gives me one and never says thank you?
This is an odd dilemma. I always make banana bread for a friend of mine who asks me to make it for them each year. They have never thanked me nor ever given me anything. Ever. But they're really nice people & do a lot for the community. So I feel guilty if I don't do anything just because I'm expecting something in return. Same goes for a few relatives & friends that I have. They never get me anything (maybe a card) but all of my family/friends expect me to get them something because they are poor and need it. The thing that rubs me wrong here is even if you're poor, you can do something small for someone that doesn't cost money. It rubs me even more wrong if I see them do something for other family members & not me. But it's all because they're poor. I'm sick & tired of poor family members. One of these days I'm going to win the lottery. In the meantime, I'll probably still get these non-givers something small & be the better person (begrudgingly). The ones that never thank me are slowly being crossed off the list.

4. What do I do with a reallly bad present?
This one is usually funny & I try to laugh it off. Take for instance this one year that I gave some friends a game for their family & clothes & other nice items. What did they get me? A gift package of jelly. Now keep in mind that I have 72 jars of jam & jelly at my house that I make homemade. I am the last person on earth that needs the jelly of the month club. So yes, this gift was regifted at a dirty Santa game the next year.

I'm sure we all have the gift giving dilemmas going on this time of year. Lucky for me, I have lots of jelly on stand by for just the right occasion.