Gift-giving all wrapped up #2
I remember as a young adult sitting with my parents on Christmas Eve. We were all gathered round the tree to exchange gifts. It was, in large part, completed. And with great flare, the final gift was brought out. It was for my Mother from Dad.
“It’s a jewelry vanity!”
“No…”
“It’s a new tennis racquet!”
“No…”
Mom began opening the gift. As she peeled back the paper, she revealed the unmistakeable brand name “Hoover” on the side of the box. She seemed to sigh and I readied myself for the reaction…Would Mom cringe? Would Dad get his feelings hurt? Would he retreat to his bedroom? Would Mom start crying because she felt like she ruined the evening?
It was a vacuum! Don’t they pull boys aside in high school to tell them never to buy a woman cleaning supplies or household products for any special occasion? Don’t they warn them that their very life hangs in the balance if they are to do so?
Perhaps all would have been well if Dad had just followed up the vacuum with chocolate as Jill at Dating with Children suggests in her article “Be Safe Men!”
Perhaps the vacuum didn’t deserve a bow and wrapping paper at all. Rather, it should have found its way into the closet sans paper and ribbon on a Weekend Warrior weekend excursion to Home Depot.
Which brings me to my caution: Know your audience. Some people are completely fine with the often shunned gifts of vacuums, mixers (yes, we got my mother-in-law one for her birthday…but she loved it, I swear!), bread machines, crock pots or other nifty household item. But, anticipate the reaction of your loved one. Just because have been asking [nagging] you for a new vacuum doesn’t mean they want it under the Christmas tree.
Note: This does not apply to men in any way, shape, or form. If they say that they want a drill, they mean it! Wrap that puppy up and throw it under the tree! It will be much appreciated…
November 30th, 2006 at 10:49 am
Hi Christina,
Thank you for dropping by “To Love, Honor and Dismay” and for leaving such a thoughtful comment. I appreciate it!
Your template looks great. Just wondering … at the top it says “Relationships” - should that be “Long Relationships”?
In your comment you asked whether commitment is enough to ensure happiness, and therefore whether commitment is enough to ward off affairs. My answers are “no” and “yes”, respectively.
No, a committed person is not guaranteed to be happy and satisfied. (Very little is guaranteed in life and love, right?) Based on the commitment I talked about in that article, however, a committed person would not normally respond to that unhappiness by having a hurtful affair. Remember I said they were averse to hurting their partner and children. Instead I would expect such a person either (a) to work on the relationship, seeking to understand and improve whatever is causing the dissatisfaction, or if that doesn’t work or seem feasible, (b) to extract themselves from the current relationship before involving a third party.
Thanks for asking the question, and I hope you make good on your promise to drop back again.
Assuming your new template allows this, are you interested in exchanging links?
Have a great day!
Andrew