My mother in law means well….I know she does. She is a fairly generous gift giver….if you read my previous entries, you know that she even gives baby gifts when there is NO mention of said baby!
And Im sure I will sound like a horrible person when I say this….but despite her generosity, her gifts are bad……real bad…and I know she spends a lot of money on them….(how do I know this you may wonder? Because she pretty much always tells me how expensive something is) I love the holidays when I just get a sleek envelope….because that means gift card!
I guess the reason that this “gets” to me so much is because I really do take the time when I shop for a gift to try to pick something out that the recipient will really enjoy…I try to find something that fits their personality. Which is why I gift shop year round…..I may find something in May and think, hey, my MIL would really like this for Christmas, so I buy it, and hold onto it. So it frustrates me when gifts are given that don’t have thought behind them…that don’t have the recipient in mind….when they are bought willy nilly and deemed to be appropriate just because they’re expensive.
I bring this up right now because the MIL is on a fabulous vacation right now. And she will probably bring me home a souvenir. And it will more than likely be terrible. Every once in a while she will get me a present that actually “looks like me”…..I think maybe those are the times when she has a little glass on wine with lunch before she goes shopping.
My last souvenir from her overseas travel…..an off white chunky knit sweater with one button in the middle…in a size XL…..it looks like something a grandparent would wear…it’s handmade….it’s Itchy….and it’s an XL……maybe XL means something else in the country in which she bought it…Im not sure….and while I may even be close to XL in size, I don’t want OTHER people buying me XL clothing…..perhaps if it were cute, less itchy, and/or less grandparent-ey I could over look the XL…but its not…so I cant. And lets not forget that this was a “very expensive” sweater….handmade, you know. (and yes, I do know, because she told me)
Example #2: A bracelet made from a spoon (sounds kind of cute so far huh?) with a big purple crystal hanging from the middle of it. #1…I don’t really wear jewelry….just my standard everyday pieces. #2) I don’t wear purple #3) therefore I don’t wear jewelry with purple in it! You would think these would be some things she would have noticed over the course of the last 7 years. So, it sits in a box in my closet, unworn, which is a shame, because it was VERY expensive…handmade, you know.
Example #3: a turquoise and lime green sheer poncho……enough said, right?
Example #4: This was actually a very nice present, just totally not my style……a pair of gloves that were something like $140 (any guesses to why I know how much?? And yes, they were handmade) These gloves are so nice, I don’t wear them. If I did wear them, they would be nicer, and cost more, that whatever outfit I was wearing that day. Im terrified of losing one. Im more of a $1/pair Target mitten kind of girl. However, my MIL did let me know, upon giving the gloves to me, that SHE really liked them and wanted a pair for herself, but she bought the last pair in the store….but If I didn’t want them, she would give me the cash for them…..
Oh, how I relish the flat envelope with a spa gift certificate inside! But, it’s the thought that counts, right? And yes, I know…Im a horrible person, because who complains about presents????