First thing’s first: I’m a Jew. I haven’t celebrated Christmas since I was a little kid and we still believed in Santa Claus. (I was eight when I discovered he wasn’t real, and ceremoniously told my younger brother and sister at the dinner table. My mom got so mad she squeezed ketchup all over my face.) We never had a tree, but after that year, we stopped getting Christmas presents, too.
My bad. Keep reading »
This year, instead of exchanging holiday presents here at The Frisky, we’ve decided to give each other slideshows of the gifts we would give one another if money were no object. Last week, the staff gifted me with some awesome imaginary presents. Today it’s Jessica’s turn! Click through to see the gifts in her virtual stocking. It’s the thought that counts, right?
We know: The anticipation is killing you. Your gift is under the tree and you are wondering what in Father Christmas it could be. So use our handy-dandy flowchart, which is the Definitive Guide* To Guessing What Your Boyfriend/Husband/Manfriend Bought You For The Holidays. Check it out! [*Accuracy not guaranteed.] Keep reading »
When a commitment-phobe I had been dating for two months excitedly told me he had a present for me — “you’ll love it,” he assured me — I prepared myself for a thoughtful, romantic gesture of his relationship readiness. But when I walked into his bedroom, he instead pointed at a Starbucks iced coffee on his desk that I had left there after our third date. He thought he was being cute, but our relationship curdled shortly after. Whether intentional or not, your man’s gifts send a message. So what did his holiday gift say this year? Find out after the jump … Keep reading »
Men would rather give than receive. Keep this in mind, ladies, as you freak out, panic, and wring your hands over what to get your beloved for Christmas. Around this time of year, I offer my services to various female friends who are all on maddening quests to buy their boyfriends and their husbands the perfect gift. These women are driven partly out of love, and partly because they feel they have to top the gifts their husbands and boyfriends have gotten them in the past. These gifts were, of course, exactly what the women wanted, and they were either cleverly hidden or extravagantly wrapped.
The secret to buying a woman the “perfect” gift, of course, is simple. You listen to her. Keep reading »
Ever get a truly tacky, off-the-wall ugly present — like the leg table above — and wonder just what the heck the gift giver was thinking? Well, now there’s a place for all of your unwanted but well-meaning presents. Why Did You Buy Me That? chronicles strange-but-true gifts — everything from ugly jugs and creepy baby plaster heads to Elvis ducks and pleather dachshund purses. Check out several more terrible gifts after the jump. And tell us: what’s the weirdest gift you’ve ever gotten? [Why Did You Buy Me That?] Keep reading »
It can be hard to know what Mom really wants for Mother’s Day. So we asked a bunch to tell us the best gift they ever received on the holiday, to help you with any last-minute shopping you might be doing for Sunday. For the most part, moms just want you to do or say something nice. Don’t worry about dropping half your paycheck on a present; she’d prefer a thoughtful card. Keep reading »
Last Friday, we asked you to tell us about an item you bought to treat yourself, and you seriously blew us away. We almost teared up a few times because your stories of personal purchases showed what’s important to you, and how much you value yourself. After much deliberation, we decided reader Maggie’s story was our favorite:
I recently landed a sweet job as a nanny. This is my first real job outside of college, and I’m like Mary Poppins. I live in their attic and have lots of stuff in my bag. I love the kids I nanny for, and the family has made me feel so welcome and loved in their home. I used part of my first paycheck on some artwork for my little attic apartment. I bought a block print of a vintage bicycle from an artist on Etsy, and I’m so pleased. It’s the first piece of real art I’ve been able to buy for myself since I became a real person outside of the college bubble, and it’s nice having some art that I love to put up in my new home and make the space my own.
Thanks for all of your thoughtful answers, and don’t forget to enter to win our daily Valentine’s Day giveaways Keep reading »
Buying a gift card or certificate might be one way to deal with people whom you have no idea what to get for the holidays. And true, for the person receiving a gift card, it can feel like free money.
However, if you’re going this route, you’d probably be better off just handing them a wad of twenties. After the jump, the reasons why, and what to do if you’re stuck with a crap gift card. Keep reading »
A garden center in the U.K. is apologizing today for a very un-PC brochure they reportedly sent to about 900,000 homes recently. An ad in the brochure suggested that men “Make her feel special with a clothesline this Christmas,” prompting some women to criticize the store for its old-school sale tactics. Margaret Green, from a women’s equality group in England, told The Daily Telegraph that the advertisement was an “insult,” saying: “I feel for any man that follows the brochure’s advice because I don’t think a clothesline is going to make anyone feel special. A gift like this is so unromantic and useless it is likely to create a frosty atmosphere in some households on Christmas day.” Well, we can’t have frosty atmospheres on Christmas day, can we? Although, on second thought, isn’t that kind of what everyone’s wishing for when they sing about dreaming of a white Christmas? Anyway, frost or not, we can’t have guys thinking we all want lightweight aluminum clotheslines for the holidays, so let’s spill it: What’s on your wish list this year and what can your significant other do to make you feel special? [via BuzzFeed] Keep reading »
