A Christmas Shopping Question for you GUYS

The day before Christmas is my official shopping day of the year...and has been as long as I can remember.

 

I'm great with hints. I have some of that sensitivity crap left over from the 80's. This year my wife got tires. They probably won't fit though, and may have to go on the Five Window.. She also got alot of stuff I can probably use around the garage. Like an angle grinder. I saw the way she pretended not to notice it at the store. secretly I knew she wanted it. I notice those little things..

Spike

 

Catalogs and the internet. it works for me. I did go buy her a nice necklace last weekend. Zero parking in the mall so that dictated the store and selection.

 

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I'm great with hints. I have some of that sensitivity crap left over from the 80's. This year my wife got tires. They probably won't fit though, and may have to go on the Five Window.. She also got alot of stuff I can probably use around the garage. Like an angle grinder. I saw the way she pretended not to notice it at the store. secretly I knew she wanted it. I notice those little things..

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Sometimes it works ... sometimes it don't.

Bother-in-law bought sister a nice little 20 gage Remington 1100 auto shotgun for Christmas a few years back.
(They both shoot trap.)

He figured he'd use it to hunt upland game birds.

Sister never has let him use it....

 

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How many of you honestly wait till Dec 24th to shop for your wives or girlfriends?

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It's kind of a tradition thing for me. Even if I decided during the year, I never buy it until Christmas eve and it always goes under the tree sometime during the night so she never gets to shake, squeeze or rattle it before the day.

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Do you guys listen throughtout the year when hints are dropped or do you just run into the store buying whatever you see at the last minute, not gving any thought as to what might make her happy?

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That's kind of a stupid thing. A smart guy doesn't just take the hints on board, he's observant and takes mental notes throughout the year to make sure he's always got the perfect gift. Doesn't just apply to Christmas, and or birthdays either. There's no reason not to give a gift just for the sake of it or because it feels like the right thing to do on the spur of the moment.

 

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I bought a shitload of gift certificates for family & some friends.....

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Oh man are you in deep doo doos! Doesn't matter when you bought them, gift certificates are not a good idea.

Shopping from a 'provided' list isn't much better.

 

The secret to getting the stuff you want from yer gal is to by all of her stuff FIRST get it wrapped and under the tree as soon as you can. Tell her you don't want anything for about a week or until she threatens to beat you or cut you off if you don't tell what you wait. Guilt has set in and now she will feel the need to go out of way to get you what you want.

Honestly, I had not meant for it to happen this way but that is how it has worked out this Xmas. I went out and bought both the wife and kid a shit load of stuff but only wrapped the wife's stuff. Basicly to torment the daughter and to insure that she would be "good" until Xmas . The wife would go out tonite and buy me a project and drag it home and put it under the tree right now to even the present score if she could.

 

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BTW, I am not only a power shopper but a good bargin hunter too, so not only could I purchase everything on your list in record time, but I'd get it all on sale to boot!

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HMMMM, so it seems I really did marry your sister.

 

I finished shoppin about 3:00 this afternoon!

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Anybody know where I can find Rhumba Panties for next year?

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Are you sure she didn't ask for "rubber" panties!?!?

 

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i've learned that if you ask for a "wish list"and basically listen to them tell you that they "would like this,but don't really need it cause it's to expensive"and get said item pointed at,plus all the other ones on the list,plus some other stuff they've pointed at in the sale ads,you usually make for a pretty nice christmas for them.......sound about right guys?

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One well considered and carefully selcted item is usually enough. I learned a long time ago, it's the thought that counts!

 

Managed to get through the entire Christmas madness without stepping foot in a store. Gotta love the internet. Started and finished last Friday, and had everything in my mailbox by this morning. Made cards today. Done.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

 

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Too early and I end up giving her the gift too soon cuz I can't wait and then I gotta shop again.

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One reason why I leave the 'purchase' till the 24th. The decision may have been made months earlier.

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Waited till the 24th more than a few times - and found myself in the jewelry store looking for parachutes.
Parachutes in the form of jewelry.

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A hint for you guys here, do not, repeat DO NOT repeat buy jewellery that been advertised in a catalogue or from a jewellery chain store. Go to a jeweller and make sure you get something that's unique or one off. Makes it just that little bit more special.

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Cept it's all hidden in the roadster and I haven't wrapped it all yet.

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There's usually some kind of 'proffessional' gift wrapping service in most shopping centres during the Christmas period. Doesn't cost much and the proceeds usually go to charity, gift looks much better under the tree than my crappy wrapping and there's little or no risk of 'discovery' (accidental or otherwise) by the recipient.

 

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With my ex wife, I'd get her what she asked for, pick out a few other cool things...and then she'd tell me I got the wrong color, size, style, etc...and the day after Christmas, she'd take it back, get the money and buy her family stuff...then bitch cuz she didn't get anything!





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We musta had the same ex!

I never wait til the 24th to shop for my wife....I went on the 23rd .

I'm getting a new circular saw for Christmas too! While I was shopping for her brother in Sears she was there picking up the saw I wanted...she never knew I was in the store!!!!I beat her home and she tried to sneek a saw in under her coat

So I guess it is not just a guy thing

 

When I first met my GF, she said her Ex-husband got her a toasteroven for Christmas... Said If I ever gave her an appliance for a Birthday or Christmas, she'd make sure I'd never father a child.

So all year when I hear "I need this, I need that" I ignore them.

Then go out and buy (less than a week before Christmas) what ever she pointed out last as "ohhh, I like that". If I do it earlier, and she wants to buy it for herself, I have to tell her what she's getting for Christmas.

 

I posted my answer on the RRT.

merry christmas to all

 

actually was done early this year, then got up this morning and found a list of last minute needs left by "she who must be obeyed". So for once she wasn't done but I was. creepy,,Armageddon must be right around the corner.........

 

Years ago I bought a 70 Sattellite. Parked it at the girlfriend's house and worked on it a bit every time I was there. Cammed up the 383, New tires and wheels, headers, double pumper, purple hornies, even painted it in the driveway. Girlfriend finally admitted being jelous of a car was dumb and started helping me work on it. She sewed up the interior all by herself while I was gone for a while to surprise me. Finally on Christmas eve we took it out for it's shakedown. After checking that everything worked and it stopped and went like it should, I pulled over and jumped out. I talked her into driving it and we ran all over town showing it off to her friends and mine with her driving. When we got back, she tried to give me back the keys and I said "Merry Christmas!" It's your car, you keep them. She said you've been planning this for months! I said, Yup! I don't have her anymore. We split up when I was overseas 1 too many times, but last I saw, she still had that car. Guess I got that one right.

 

I MADE everything for her this year , so it took a bit of preplanning , but I am still not done with everything yet so I still waited till the last minute too. it has been alot of fun though and I know that she will love it , better get back to work , she'll be home soon.

 

It is completely untrue that we all wait until 24 December to start shopping. I almost always start shopping on the 23rd. I will admit that this year I had to do all the shopping today. Old whatsername was out there with me; its a little tricky to shop for her while she is wandering around the mall at the same time.....but I got it covered.

 

Funny how what goes around comes around. Last weekend I actually went shopping with my girls. I'd previoulsy seen something I liked in a certain specialty shop at the same centre, so sorta dragged 'em in to show them the neat stuff in that store. I was a bit pissed to find that the one item I had really realy liked had been sold.

Guess what I unwrapped this morning?

From another perspective, I was reminded again today that sometimes ya don't hafta shop at all for the really neat gift. I reckon I gave the best gift I think I ever gave anybody today. For months now I've been priming my 3 year old nephew with Hotwheels and hot rod magazines. Then today after lunch we went cruizin in the '33 just me and Mitch. We got into trouble for being away too long but man the little fella was laughin' and talkin all the way there and back was worth all trouble in the world.

Best part was when his family got into thier car to leave. He's strapped into his seat in the back and yells out, "See ya uncle hot rod!" Man that was just way too cool!

 

i buy very little for people on the 'designated' holidays. christmas, you probably get some chocolate or something, birthdays i usually try to get something to show i remember and care, but mothers day, fathers day, and especially my all-time most HATED hallmark event VALENTINES... you don't get squat.

it's just a marketing event concocted by corporate-suits wanting you to spend more.

the best gift you'll ever get from me, you get at some random point throughout the year for no apparent reason. my girlfriend (who is terribly understanding of my wierdness) has never got anything for valentines, but a couple of times a year she's on a plane before she knows it, or booked into a gorgeous restaurant, or whatever.

i think gifts are best given, and received, spontaneously.

for christmas this year, she gets a map. about three days late too!

 

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i buy very little for people on the 'designated' holidays. christmas, you probably get some chocolate or something, birthdays i usually try to get something to show i remember and care, but mothers day, fathers day, and especially my all-time most HATED hallmark event VALENTINES... you don't get squat.

it's just a marketing event concocted by corporate-suits wanting you to spend more.

the best gift you'll ever get from me, you get at some random point throughout the year for no apparent reason. my girlfriend (who is terribly understanding of my wierdness) has never got anything for valentines, but a couple of times a year she's on a plane before she knows it, or booked into a gorgeous restaurant, or whatever.

i think gifts are best given, and received, spontaneously.


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Thank you for letting me know I'm not the only one in the world that has the same out look with this sort of thing.

 

My husband, Kustombuilder, generally waits til the last WEEK. ALthough he DID do shopping yesterday on the 24th! He does very well in getting me what I want though For a couple holidays now, he's made me candle holders, that I absolutely love! He's making one this year, its not done yet, and he wont admit fully to it...but I know its there - unless he's being gay (as a michigan bitch) and lighting my candles in the shop while he works...(he came in and asked for a tealight one night, then went back outside). I guess I could be wrong?!?!?

Here's pics of 2 of the candle holders he's made me for our anniversary and for my birthday....

 

Damn,Mike never made me anything as cool as that, And I'm one of his "Bitches"

 

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How many of you honestly wait till Dec 24th to shop for your wives or girlfriends?

Do you guys listen throughtout the year when hints are dropped or do you just run into the store buying whatever you see at the last minute, not gving any thought as to what might make her happy?

Fill me in, I won't tell.

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<font color="brown"> </font> WHOLLY CRAP!!!??? ITS CHRISTMAS ALREADY????

 

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Damn,Mike never made me anything as cool as that, And I'm one of his "Bitches"

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I put out more

 

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I put out more


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I wouldn't be too sure about that. Rudy's pretty easy and he thinks Mike's real cute


Thanks so much for everyone's comments. I got alittle more/better insight inside men's heads regarding the subject. Doesn't mean I understand you guys when it comes to your shopping styles but at least I know now that it's some-what "normal" for grown men to do this.

 

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... I know now that it's some-what "normal" for grown men to do this.

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We just like to live dangerously. And it's quite clear, some moreso than others.

 

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Thanks so much for everyone's comments. I got alittle more/better insight inside men's heads regarding the subject. Doesn't mean I understand you guys when it comes to your shopping styles but at least I know now that it's some-what "normal" for grown men to do this.

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Who you calling "Grown Men" No matter how old or young we are we will always consider ourselves a bunch of kids.

 

As strange as it may seem, I am pretty good at this. I'm always storing away information for later. If I see her at a store ogling at something, I make a mental note of that and when she's long forgotten about it, I bust it out for Christmas or birthdays and I'm the hero of the moment.

Nothing more rewarding to me than making that lady smile.

Ok, I'm a pussy.