Birthdays - or bold enough to tell them what you really want.
Firmly resolute about never, ever, ever getting what I want for my birthday. I tell them time and time again PLEASE! They will not listen. What is it that I want?
NOTHING!
I don’t want or need a thing. If they must do something, how about detailing my car, spending the day hanging out together, but NOOOO, they have this need to buy me something. Well, If I can’t get what I want, then I don’t want anything! Wait, that is what I want. The gift I made my strong stand against?
Michael Buble tickets.
WOW! That was the sweetest, most thoughtful, gift that I never, ever, ever didn’t want. I’m already dreaming on a gift that I won’t want for my next birthday. The anticipation is palpable.
There is something to be said for birthday presents. Have you had your fill of potted plants, a lifetime of socks, (I’ll request to be buried in a few pair), a plethora of ties, scarves, pajamas, sweaters, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Of course, we are forever appreciative of the fact that folks are still willing to extend offers of gifts. Belonging to the practical school of gift giving, I say we take our altruistic gift givers off the hook and put forward for consideration a gift that adds to our education, enhances our skills, improves our socialization. A night school class in dance, hiking, jewelry making will work nicely.
There’s never enough of flora the likes of clematis, hydrangea, snowballs. May I add a bit of opinion? Make plant matter perennials, please. Anticipating the plants annual spring revival is a nifty way to remember the gifter. If perchance you happen to receive an eponymous Eleanor Roosevelt rose bush, keep in mind a horticulturist’s description of this rose; ‘not good in a bed, but fine against a wall’.
Once you have used your noggin and come up with a creative gift you can feel proud to gift, don’t lay back on your laurels, you are not finished. Along comes another occasion. An anniversary, graduation, one of those insipid occasions, i.e. mother’s day, father’s day, grandparents day, secretary day, boss day. Thanks a lot, Hallmark! Why snub Ground Hog’s Day? We honor Washington and Lincoln, what about Buchanan and Polk, they were presidential too?
If you care to give the VERY best and yearn to get really imaginative about this chronic venture, consider these;
-Donate to a worthy cause, animal shelter, cancer society, or college,
-mall gift cards
-plant a tree, buy a brick in the honoree’s name
-sports, restaurants tickets -look into Groupon.com for half-off offers
-Spa, grocery store gift cards,
-trips,
-car gear,
-movie tickets,
-mall gift cards (did I say this one already, never get enough of these)*.
-Umbrellas, a sure hit since they get misplaced over the years, or in the same year.
-A delivered pizza - my most creative offerings.
100 year old Uncle Willard, spurned an honorary party, yet agreed to an anchovy and pepperoni pizza- -yiiiieeeccch-- hope he didn’t get ‘agita’ (Italian heart burn). How many more ideas can anyone conjure up for these 90 to 100 year old youngsters.
*beware of gift cards. Companies and restaurants go out of business, cards are easily lost, misplaced, forgotten and the money is sitting out there, never to be recaptured, by you, that is. Note the conditions on the cards, some have a shelf life, expire, devalue through nonuse. If stolen, there’s no recourse.
Plum out of ideas? It’s now time to rely on the old standbys, scarf, tie, sweater, a potted tulip, gifts that can be stockpiled with the others, except for the tulip. Speaking of flora, these perennials come up every year to remind you how pleased you are that you did not get a scarf, tie, or sweater for your last birthday. No way to replant those. Another imaginative idea was the planting of a mother’s day garden for a friend. Did I mention perennials come up every year? There’s got to be many more spiffy gift notions out there.
