British Expatriate Network

Do you buy christmas presents for yourself?

I went shopping at lunch with a co-worker who was looking for a present for christmas. We walked into the store and went directly to the ice cream machines. Which she bought. Then I said "I take it Dane likes ice cream then?" - Dane being her boyfriend - and she said "who cares....this is for me!" She then had it wrapped at the mall.

At first I thought it was a tad weird to splash out $50 on your own christmas present. But then I remembered that every year my wife and I buy stuff to put in stockings. It's just an excuse to buy small things like pen-flashlights. All in all that was probably over $50 each on random crap. So I guess that's the same thing right? Then I remembered that I bought myself a jump drive last year and that cost a fair bit. So I guess I'm just the same.

Yes, it's the only way I can sure of getting exactly what I want sometimes. I usually just buy little things like videogames and comics though since Mrs Rude refuses to enter those stores as she makes all the geeks sweat and drop their Magic cards.

I always drop huge hints about what I'd like for Christmas but I don't usually have to buy my own gifts. This year I have no alternative, however I don't mind. I've already bought one thing, wrapped it up and labelled it "From Me, To Me". razz

We will usually wait until after xmas for our gifts to each other expecially if they are electronics or similar .
I want a new vcr / dvd combo that records as well as plays .
Melanie is looking at a *surger * to increase her quiltmaking and embroidery skills.

Most stuff like that will be on sale in jan expecially if retail has another weak selling season

I used to tell hubby exactly what I wanted in the second half of our years together as I usually wanted one specific thing rather than a few nice things.

This year I am really tempted to buy myself a Palm T5.

I really hate the idea of asking for presents or telling people what you want.
In fact I really hate the whole idea of compulsory presents all round, tbh.

Bah Humbug.

If you really want or need something, why don't you just get it for yourself when you need/can afford it? Does waiting until Christmas make you suddenly able to afford it or need it more?

Presents should be spontaneous things when you find something you know someone will love. Or find something that you love. What's wrong with buying something for yourself every once in a while? Or does it not count as a present if it isn't Christmas? The only good thing about presents at Christmas is seeing the children's faces when they open all those toys at once. But it's followed up with tantrums as normality resumes and then later you must reap what you have sown with that seed of greed you planted.........

/ghost of Christmas Never regards ;)

We swop book lists and buy for each other and also for ourselves. We also have a rule in the house that just like the kitty, the house gets a present. So unless it's some particular knife or weird gadget I want, most electrical gadgets for cleaning the house are house presents.
At the mo I think the house needs a wireless card for the old laptop so I can listen to the beeb whilst I'm in the kitchen, plugging it in thru the stereo in the dining room, which doesn't seem to have an auxilary channel, which means moving everything round, but basically, I think the house needs to be wired for the Beeb.
We also buy for the garden and stuff. Things that are for survival do not come into personnal pressies, but the ads are so seductive. Last night I needed a sanding tool that collects the dust from Black and Decker. It took about half an hour of remembering a salad shooter and getting one. First thing I ever returned in this country.
Anyway, if you're married, don't you have joint accounts? It's all your money. You just have to give what you bought for yourself to your mate and say, Wrap this and I'll love you on Christmas Day.
The difficulty is keeping the surprise pressies away from your spouse, especially when they look for them.

BTW, anyone tried to buy a spiffy pair of pjs for a man over here. I don't think a pair of fleece pants and a T shirt make it. M&S stll seems to be the best.
What do Amurican men wear at breakfast?

Well mine wears boxers, unless he showers first and then it's just a towel. He only wears those flannel pants when he goes on a fire call.
Hubby would only ever wear sweats.

Never bought pj's for any men in my life.

Nothing but a smile dear. :o

No idea. Beest wears a cow skirt, but it's pretty short, so when we have overnights guests, he does them the honour of getting dressed before he emerges! :lol:




/if you're still wondering, you may need to suscribe to Britnet to find out........ :mrgreen:

I get my pajamas from Lands End. they are worn in winter because my heat turns way down at night. I slip on a pair of boxers when I get up in summer, more of a protection from spills than decency but then i live alone except for a couple of cats, and they don't care.

I put out lists because they were demanded. That doesn't always work though. for several years, I put the MENSA puzzle books on my list. this was ignored for several years and then my wife got me the self-proctored test that is the first part of the membership application !

A smile and a dab of Issey Mitake cologne.

/slept naked since I was 13

Me too, I started getting my kit off as soon as possible, its all my wife for me to keep any clothes at all on around the house and sometimes on the balcony, do npt understand this obsession with covering everything up....unless your fat :lol:

Hubby wears a cow skirt like Beest's if we are lucky, otherwise.......


On the subject of presents, I dislike lists except when people give me things that either hate or cannot use - not because I don't appreciate the thought, but because I hate to think that someone wasted their money. I am not as good as I used to be at hiding my feelings either.

I agonised last week about buying four new mugs for the kitchen since we have very limited space in which to store them, but I liked them so much that I bought them with a mental note to get rid of four of the old ones to make up. Five days later, my sister arrived with 5 "I love NY" mugs which I was immediately required to make use of and find homes for. My acquisitive part smiled, my aesthetic part grimaced and my practical part scowled. Not sure which part my sister saw - perhaps it was all three.

So anyway: gift-giving should be spontaneous, but for some it isn't. The talent for mind-reading or appropriate gift-giving isn't bestowed on everyone either, hence the need and/or request for lists.

Mr Dianey wears a tee shirt and boxer shorts owing to the fact it's winter. If it's summer he neglects to wear the tee shirt.

I buy myself Christmas presents in the after Christmas sales if nobody bought the things I wanted on my list. My parents still send me money for Christmas and so do MIL and FIL.