Hello, and welcome to the final 2024 installment of “Where Bloggers Live”. Today we’re talking about all things gifts!
Bettye thoughtfully sends us all reminders about the upcoming post, and she flung the door wide open on this topic by titling it:”Best Gift/Gifter/Received/Given.”
Considering the many directions this topic could take, I’ve found it difficult to narrow the field. Just like gift shopping.
Despite how much I love all the holiday falderol, I don’t really like the whole gifting thing.
Too. much. pressure.
Occasionally, the right gift for the right person comes along, but rarely on the officially designated holiday timeline.
The tricky thing is that several in my gifting circle feel compelled to try to reflect their depth of feeling with an item purchased from a store…and we generally agree that representing a feeling with a thing is most often a “no can do!”
There are also one or two folks in the circle who are “get it dones.” They have something for everyone so everyone is remembered, the boxes are all checked even though the gifts might be a square peg jammed in a very round hole. One of those givers–and this is 100 percent true–gave out novelty toilet brushes to my brothers as their gift one year. And no, it wasn’t meant to be a joke gift.
There are also a few in that same circle who absolutely enjoy both the hunt and the receipt of gifts. Although they are polite when receiving, you can still tell if you got it wrong..or not right enough.
I could pretend I don’t occasionally relish receiving a gift or a surprise of some sort. I’ve certainly been the recipient of many thoughtful and lovely items. Some people are exceptional gift givers! Not that I haven’t occasionally found THE perfect gift for someone, or that I haven’t reveled in giving that kind of gift and especially enjoyed the recipient’s delight…but that doesn’t happen often enough… AND, once you’ve given THE perfect gift, it spoils the experience of giving less worthy mementos.
I’ve also tried making things for people…and then the horror of “second guessing” hits. Will it hold up? Will they like it? Will I, did I goof it up?
Years ago I painted hydrangea mailboxes for a few people as gifts. One was for a close friend and neighbor who had moved, and who had admired mine. They were away and I wanted to surprise them by replacing their mailbox and also made a matching door wreath to accompany it.
It never dawned on me that their new neighborhood had a Homeowners Association… with rules! To this day, I don’t know if my gift got them “in trouble” with the neighborhood. Further, I put their house number on the mailbox, and even though I’ve double and triple checked their new address many times, I still worry that I transposed the numbers…8838, 8388? The mailbox is now long gone…but I have continued over the years to refer to the photograph I took of the mailbox before I gave it…and although I’ve confirmed that the address on the box was correct…I STILL doubt it. WHO DOES THAT?!!!
Last year, I had sets of coasters made of Crystal Beach Park locations for close family and friends who also loved the park. Unfortunately, I had the idea a little too close to Christmas, and when I opened the box from the printer, I was overwhelmed by the smell of the printer’s ink.
Nothing says “Merry Christmas” like a reeky gift!
That’s me… Miss Reeky Gift Giver!
Okay, not ALL my gifts have been reeky… but I do feel a lot of pressure when it comes to gift giving.
I would MUCH rather throw a fun Christmas celebration and offer great food, warm hospitality and shared experiences as our gift to all!
Sincerely, thank you for the gift of time you offer by visiting and reading. For whatever days you celebrate and in whatever ways you do, I wish you much joy and happiness this holiday season…and a healthy. happy 2025 to you and all you love.
Kindly visit these festive blogging buds to see how they took on Bettye’s thought-provoking topic:
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Leslie at Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Sally at Within a World of My Own
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes?
The second Friday of each month is when this group of seven bloggers link up to share their workspaces,
homes, towns… or whatever our fearless leader, the fabulous Bettye, proposes.
Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!
Welcome to “Where Bloggers Live.” It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers!
Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes?
The second Friday of each month is when this group of seven bloggers link up to share their workspaces,
homes, towns… or whatever our fearless leader, the fabulous Bettye, proposes.
Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!
Wonderful graphic tweaking! Your pictures were so fun to see — I remember getting that ballerina one year. Mine was African American with the pink tiara and tutu. She was oh-so-fabulous!
Animal themed toilet brushes. I can’t even begin to imagine what those must’ve looked like or how they were received because what? LOL
TBH, we aren’t much of the gift giving type around here either. Or, at least, not for holidays. We give because we see things we think the other may like or enjoy. It’s so much easier that way.
So glad you left that comment, Daneal! I was afraid this post sounded a bit harsh (although I think that’s my normal tone). But, like you, I think it’s fun to stumble across the perfect gift and give it when the mood strikes.!
I think you need to tweak all of the graphics for us from now on!! Adorable.
We are very alike, I think. Bless your heart. I am sure I have something I have ‘thought to death’ in similar to fashion to your mailbox addresses. Although, finally, I am beginning to let some things go. Just to make room for more silly things to consider and worry over. I know your mailboxes were beautiful, thoughtful gifts and the wreaths, as well. I painted mailboxes for a time, too. That must have been a ‘thing.’ Always liked to try to make something for gifts but that requires time, energy and effort. And not everyone wants a cross-stitch picture or a drawing of their house.
I hope you have the gang gathered close for the holidays and can get at least a couple of impromptu photos of everyone together. Thank you for writing pieces that make me think, that curl up in my heart. Your photos of Christmases past and you dressed for communion are precious and reflect that same smile I have grown to love over these years.
Speaking of “bless your heart,” what a lovely, thoughtful message, Leslie!. Eavesdropper that I am, I actually read your messages on everyone’s posts, and they all radiated the same warmth. What a lovely spirit you have, and thank you for sharing it..
Time together will be just what the doctor ordered this Christmas…. (no actual doctors involved, fortunately) but time with family is always the perfect gift!
First, I love your WBL graphic edit 🙂
Second – I feel like our old Christmas pictures were taken like the exact same year – even though I know you’re younger than me.
Third – I can maybe “tie” your toilet brush gift…one year an aunt…on my father’s side, I had maybe never even met her (my mother was not really close with my father’s family), ANYWAY, she crocheted me a Southern Belle toilet paper cover. I wish I had a picture. I was probably 10 years old. Here’s a similar one https://www.ebay.com/itm/387116467666 but I don”t think mine even had a Barbie in it – it was all crochet.
And damn, Fourth, I wish I’d thought of this when I was writing my post…when I was…somewhere between 6-8…I had a birthday party at my house…and one little boy from my class at school, Norman Laura, handed me a wrapped bundle…his eyes sparkling and the biggest smile on his face…”you’re not going to BELIEVE what I got you, you’re going to LOVE it, it’s going to be your FAVORITE gift you’re not going to BELIEVE it.” Norman was really selling it. I was like WHAT IS IN THIS PACKAGE?!? I could hardly wait for gift-opening time…and when the wait was over I picked his up first, he was still grinning ear-to-ear and telling all the other kids YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT I GOT HER…
It was a jump-rope. Like a cotton rope, plastic-handled jump rope from the dime store. Probably cost like .39 at the time. With all the build-up, I was disappointed with the actual gift…I hope I was able to hide it from him…but he DEFINITELY wins at MOST EXCITED GIFTER EVER.
xoxo Bettye
That is a darling, very well told story (I can use “darling” when I write but could never say it out loud, haha.
Norman Laura…it HAD to be a “Norman.” Cutest name for a little kiddle. He must’ve had a huge crush on you and saved all his pennies.
True confession, as a kid I would have LOVED your southern belle tissue holder (now, not so much) but I do remember admiring them in other people’s homes…as if people who had one were somehow on some other cooler, cleverer plane…. Oh we definitely had a crocheted TP cover, for sure…we were just deprived of the Belle. HOWEVER….I may not have appreciated that being what i received as my “gift” (I never said I wasn’t a brat). I am enjoying the thought of the look on your face.. Did she gift it in person?
FWIW, your birthday party story triggered one in my memory….if you ever do a post topic of embarrassing moments, I might tell that one. (Come to think of it, I am walking year’s worh of posts on embarassing moments. Those stories keep writing themselves)
Thank you for sharing your gift giving/receiving experiences – I’m sure we all have some crazy ones. I hope your Christmas this year is Merry and Bright.
Iris
Same to you, Miss Iris! I hope you have a lovely time with your family, and make lots of healthy headway in the new year!
Oh yes, your sentence: “I would MUCH rather throw a fun Christmas celebration and offer great food, warm hospitality and shared experiences as our gift to all!” is exactly why I prefer that we have an experience for our family Christmas.
not only the pressure thing, but what do you give to everyone that already has everything.
Although the toilet bowl cleaner made me giggle.
XOOX
Jodie
I love that you have shared experiences as your Christmas gift to each other! I think if I had one or two people to gift to, I wouldn’t mind it all so much…but there are way too many to find something meaningful for each.
A couple years ago we bought all kinds of bingo supplies and gift cards and played bingo with our family. on Christmas..THAT was a lot of fun! I don’t think ppl remember the gift cards, per se…but they remembered the game!
Animal-themed toilet brushes definitely fits the “give them something they wouldn’t buy themselves” criterion but…yeah. I guess it’s good to know what’s in my future after people run out of all the normal ideas of rabbit-themed gifts…
I am SURE you have quite a collection! There’s a local photographer I follow on IG who often posts pictures of his rabbit. I think of you everytime I see them. I think it’s kind of special when something like that reminds people of you.
I wonder if people think of me everytime they meet a Karen, haha!