• Alyss said on Nov 29, 2006....

  Na na! I've done all my shopping...
  
  Seriously though my Step Father is very difficult to buy for and I'd love just once to get him the perfect gift.
  

• secretlife said on Nov 29, 2006....

  My mother is always impossible!!!!  She has everything and she's very hard to please!  My twin sister usually grills her for ideas and then lets the rest of us know....

• dailyachesandpains said on Nov 29, 2006....

  Oh, LORD!  Who isn't difficult to buy for.  My Nephew (ended up getting him a gift card), Husband (he's so metro), my Mother is the worst.  I would normally include my middle sister in that, but we've all decided not to buy for each other this year because we're going on a family vacation...joy.
   
  Daily

• lioneljay said on Nov 29, 2006....

  Without a doubt I am the hardest person I know for this. I rarely can think of anything that I want and tend to buy for myself the things that I need. I was grilled on this the other day and all I could think of was that I could use some more socks to wear with my jeans. I still have golf balls and woodworking gadgets that I received in previous years that I haven't been able to use yet so it's silly to suggest anything else like that. My tastes in books and movies are so quirky that no one in the family is comfortable trying to pick something in those veins.
  
  My kids generally give me certificates good for a night out at the movies together or something like that. I don't even mind footing the bill for these if I have to.
  

• carmachu said on Nov 29, 2006....

  There is no impossible to shop for. I LOVE shopping for folks. Giving gifts that put a smile on folks face is one of life's joys...

• MissMimi said on Nov 29, 2006....

  Apparently I have to put myself on the list, according to my daughter.  I can never think of anything I want (that's reasonable, anyway).
   
  My son is my gift dilemma every year.  I always threaten to give both my kids money for Christmas but B's not too keen on doing this.

• Zayda said on Nov 29, 2006....

  My mother and my father willl always be on my impossible to shop for list.
  
  Some years my husband is but not every year as he is always in need of clothes (but I hate always buying him clothes)
  
  According to my husband, I should be on the impossible to shop for list.  But then again, I have been hinting for one thing for the past 4 years and haven't gotten it.  So, this year, I dropped the hinting, put a newspaper ad for a jeweler's on his lap and circled what I wanted and said, I have waited for this for 4 years, go get it.  Now he's mad because I won't be surprised by what I get for Christmas.
  

• Eilan said on Nov 29, 2006....

  Every Christmas, my book group (some of you are familiar with those folks because of Lit) draws names for a gift exchange.  I drew Ms. Anal Retentive's name.  What does one get for a socially backward, immature, asexual, etc, etc 48-year-old woman?
  

• kruuyai said on Nov 29, 2006....

  The woman that I work for, and live with is going to be impossible.  She is such a minimalist and doesn't seem to care for anything that's not necessary.  Usually, women are easy, because you can always buy something pretty and purely decorative, but it's going to have to be something practical with her.  I don't feel comfortable buying clothes for her, and anyway, her wardrobe is pretty unimaginative.  I doubt if she would like anything I would give her.  Oh God, I just looked up at Eilan's comment.  If you answer her question, you will have answered mine, too!

• silverwhisper said on Nov 29, 2006....

  alyss, please don't make me kill you. :p
  
  SL: my mother's the same. unfortunately, getting gifts she really loves generally mean considerable pooling of resources...
  
  daily: ah yes, the gift card: the instant absolution for hard-to-please people. i do so love them. for hubby, maybe a new cologne?
  
  LJ: what about a good bottle of wine or a nice scotch? or does your family not give liquor as presents?
  
  carmachu: now i know why you get along so well w/ HK and LG... :D
  
  mimi: i wish i could offer you some insights. :<
  
  zayda: heh...i resent being told what to buy so i can sorta understand, but 4 years of hinting, sheesh...
  
  eilan: might i suggest an amazon gift card? since amazon now sells sex toys, perhaps that'll help her take the edge off? :D it would help her find more books for the group--although in retrospect, perhaps encouraging that behavior isn't wise... :>
  
  kruuyai: you work for and live w/ this person? i would find that extremely demanding, myself...hm. it's a shame that the bath & bodyworks route is the default present idea.
  
  ed

• Zayda said on Nov 29, 2006....

  Silver--I hate being told what to buy too, but this is something I have wanted for 4 years and have hinted on every occassion it would have been a suitable gift for--anniversary, valentine's day, mother's day, birthday, christmas....
  
  But then, I did also tell him, if you don't want to be told what to buy then go buy whatever you want to for me.
  

• gingersoul said on Nov 29, 2006....

  I cant think of anyone really difficult to buy present for...i can always manage to find something,  especially when i have enough money to work with... i like to buy presents....

  My husband used to say i was impossible to shop for but truth is he was very good to listen to my subliminal hints and i can say i always got what i wanted ...before he died my dad was maybe a little hard to surprise..we gave him everythig was possible in his range of interest..but a good book, a good scotch and a good accessory for his boat was always well accepted....my sister was the most fun to shop because her eclectic taste and with my husband his constant change of interest opened new possibilities any time....

• JadeLondon said on Nov 29, 2006....

  Well, to be honest, with our budget this year, Christmas will be strictly for the children. But, if circumstances were different, my husband and I would be exchanging gifts, too. And it would be an absolute nightmare.

  Honestly, I could care less if I received a thing, but I derive much pleasure in the giving. As Carm mentioned, it is quite pleasurable to receive a happy smile in response. But I would be lucky to get that because my husband is one of those impossible ones (big surprise, right?). His reaction to gifts usually borders upon ungratefulness. Guess I shouldn't feel bad, though. My gifts seem to satisfy more than most.

• raft said on Nov 29, 2006....

  Alyss: Eeep! I haven't even started!
  
  The worst? My Father. I picked him again this year. We make lists. 3-4 items so there's some kind of mystery. He NEVER gives out a list. He's impossible to buy for. One year, I got a brilliant idea and bought him a bunch of Spaghetti Westerns. To the chagrin of my mother, he really enjoyed them. I'm not about to buy him another round of them. He's got everything he wants and he's got few hobbies. Of those hobbies, he's got everything needed for them. So I'm left with doodads that he's going to play with for a month (if I'm lucky) then he'll forget about it.
  
  The second worst? My wife.
  
  
  

• pixilatedcowboy said on Nov 29, 2006....

  My father in law used to be impossible to buy for because he was a miserable pr--- that hated everything.Thank god I no longer have to worry about him

• CreativeWoman said on Nov 29, 2006....

  My father is very hard to buy for.  I've been told more than once, "you wasted your money on that."  What a Scrooge! 
  
  CW
  

• the_infernal_optimist said on Nov 29, 2006....

  I think men are hard to buy for, compared to women (and maybe that's just 'cause I'm female, not sure). My husband is easy because I know him so well and I take mental notes on everything he points out as neat/interesting during the year.
  
  My bff-male is going to be freaking impossible, and my brother too, because what I usually get my bro isn't available to me this year.
  
  Also, we draw names at my Nana's, and I got my oldest cousin. I have no clue what he's into, or even what store he'd love a gift card from. Aieeee!
  
  Most of my family will be getting framed pictures of the little one since we just had portraits done. The grandparents, etc. will like that, and it takes a lot of stress out of my shopping.
  

• sweetsoul said on Nov 29, 2006....

  My Dad's the impossible one to buy for. He needs absolutely nothing...cand and does buy whatever he needs. He's retired with minimum 'hobbies'. They used to be travel and eating out but he does those much less now. I've occasionally come up with some great ideas...usually tickets to some event (theatre or music) or a wind breaker he loved and wore for years. Luckily he's happy with whatever he receives but he's the most difficult one for me.
   
  Like some of you, I'm sure my sons think I'm difficult to buy for. Not sure why that is. Yes I know whenever they ask for some suggestions, I can rarely think of anything...but they know there are standards that I love like a gift certificate for books or CDs...but much as I love them, they get more pleasure out of not giving me a gift certificate.
   
  CW your comment reminded me of my grandfather who used to say 'don't buy me anything. I'm not going to live long enough to wear it out' :D No surprise. We always ignored him.

• nytquill17 said on Nov 29, 2006....

  The men in my life are the hardest.  Women are hard to shop for too, I know, but most women do have a few wants in their mind and will usually tell you or at least point you in the right direction if you ask (I will ask if I draw a blank).  Most of the men I have shopped for are more of the "Well..I have plenty of socks still, so I guess I'm okay" sort.  Argh!
  
  My grandfather would love anything I got for him and mean it.  My dad, when asked, would just shrug - "Iunno."  He is very reluctant to admit he wants anything or to think of anything beyond true needs.  An admirable personal quality but a nightmare to shop for!  Yet somehow I seem to have a knack for choosing things for him; we both have the same quirky personality, I suppose.
  
  My husband is by far the most difficult person I've had to shop for.  He doesn't particularly want anything, and to buy him something he needs is both lame as a gift and also I think a little upsetting to him, as if I'm telling him that he can't take care of himself.  Although, now that I think about it, I'm getting an idea for this year...provided he doesn't buy it for himself before then!
  

• LadyGamer said on Nov 29, 2006....

  Trout Slingers. I know what I want to give them, but they never let me.

  It sucks.

• dlcmh said on Nov 30, 2006....

  Well, I've always had problems with this in the past, but thanks to some new nifty scripts on my Holiday Gifts On Your Mind? blog, I get a list of suggested gifts categorized by the type of recipient :) - it's a starting point.
  

• brokendreams said on Nov 30, 2006....

  I am the hardest to shop for because I change my mind so often!
  
  My aunt just asked me what I want for Christmas and I said that all I want is for my family to be together. That is all Christmas should be anyway! =P
  

• missb said on Nov 30, 2006....

  My dad is quite impossible. I remember that most gifts i bought him are never used :/ Geez... But we don't really exchange presents on x-mas. We're not really accustomed to it. They used to give us, the kids presents on x-mas but it's stopped once we've grown up. Oh well... :/

   

  Cheers!

• AllisonWonderland said on Nov 30, 2006....

  Definitely my dad, but not for the reasons most people seem to be hard to buy for. He's just too satisfied with what he's got! If I ask him what he wants, he says, "Just for you guys and your mom to be happy," and he actually means it! It's good for him, I guess, but hard for anyone trying to buy him a gift! So here's what I'm going to try this year (as he doesn't need another tie clip):

  He loves books, but he is, of course, perfectly happy with his library card. This year I'm going to try something a little different. I'm going to purchase, through World Vision, a library book for a library in a 3rd world country, as well as a library card for someone there, in his name. He'll receive a gift card outlining what "he" bought, and I think that he'll enjoy the fact that something that really reflects his interests and personality is going to help someone who really needs it.

  I know that this is NOT the gift for many people ("Whaddaya mean you gave my present to some poor guy?!!"), but for those with generous spirits who have all they need, it might be something to consider.

• silverwhisper said on Nov 30, 2006....

  GS: not everyone has your ability to find good presents. i'm kinda envious, to be honest. :>
  
  jade: yeah, i can imagine that shopping for him must be trickier than most...that i definitely don't envy. he doesn't seem a terribly sentimental type--perhaps a gift certificate?
  
  raft: nice work on the spaghetti westerns! what makes the mrs so hard to shop for?
  
  pixilated: how did he come to be no longer a problem re: shopping?
  
  CW: i cannot imagine being told that by my own father. that realy sucks.
  
  infernal: see, i think guys generally are easy to shop for--go w/ a gadget. :> o, and "bff-male"? heh...framed pics are always a good way to go, i think. :>
  
  nyt: that's quite tough, shopping for your husband if that's the way he sees it. i wish i had some meaningful thoughts there. :<
  
  LG: [trout-smack]
  
  dlcmh: welcome to my blog and thanks for stopping by. interesting scripts.
  
  brokendreams: i love that answer!
  
  miss b: were you guys in the habit of giving them presents?
  
  allison: i'm seeing a trend here in the responses--folks have trouble shopping for their fathers. and given what you've said, i think that's a great present idea!
  
  ed

• purrrkitten said on Nov 30, 2006....

  Ahhhhhhh.... I'm soooooooooooo lucky. See, my family and DH's family all live at least 5.5hrs away from us. Therefore, the only people I need to worry about presents for are DH and my kids. And that's easy!!

  Home, Sweet Home, with loved ones far away....

  *No throwing things at me!*  :-p

• JadeLondon said on Nov 30, 2006....

  Cash or beer are always well received! :)

  I would have added porn, but who has time for that with two darling rugrats? :D

• silverwhisper said on Nov 30, 2006....

  purrkitten: OK, i'm deeply envious. :p
  
  jade: well, you know, amazon does sell some of those things too now... :D
  
  ed

• Alyss said on Nov 30, 2006....

  At the wkend my MIL said, "you are easy to buy presents for..." and I  only just made my will save to avoid answering "then how come you always give me things that are so inappropriate?"
  
  ed; I may have completed the gift shopping but now I'm on the hunt for pretty wrapping paper and cards that I won't be embarrassed to send and the weekly additions to my usual shopping so we have what we need before all hell breaks loose in the grocery shops.
  
  raft; I did something like that for my StepDad and it was the best present he had. Much better than the wrongly sized jumper he so frequently receives. I'm hoping he'll like what I've chosen for him this year.
  
  allison; that's a great idea. This year my brother's not 'doing' Christmas he's volunteering for Crisis Open Christmas instead.
  

• kruuyai said on Nov 30, 2006....

  Yeah, ed, I don't think the Bath & Body Works idea would suit her well... you know... bathing is just something you do to get clean... don't waste time with it... eating is just something you do to stay alive... sigh
   
  And, living with the boss is truly a downer.  Being aroused from my sleep after 10:30 pm or later to discuss ideas for the next class... man!  And as far as this living situation being a cultural exchange, you can forget it.  There's not even a living room in this house (all the non bedrooms are set up as classrooms or offices), so everyone just hangs out in their own room.  Nobody even eats together.  With 5 other people living in the house (all family), I can't even find anyone to practice Polish with. 
   
  And the idea of spending Christmas in this minimalist way is depressing, so I just booked myself a hostel in Prague and tickets to the Nutcracker and a Christmas concert.  Merry Christmas to me!
   
  (Oops... getting off the track again.  I'm just letting off steam... not to mention that i obviously don't have anyone else to talk to other than you guys.  Thanks for being here!)

• missb said on Dec 01, 2006....

  Ed,

  We don't usually give presents on x-mas. We just buy them gifts for their birthdays. But this year I have given none presents thanks to my unemployment. I'm broke :/ Maybe next year, I hope.

  Cheers :)

• sweetlady said on Dec 01, 2006....

  Hi Silver I havent done any Christmas shopping yet and its December 1st!!!! I think men are the most difficult to buy for and as people get older if you do not know their interests it gets harder and harder.
  

• JadeLondon said on Dec 01, 2006....

  Silver: Amazon does have quite a bit of goodies, yes. But I think I may have stumbled upon a little something to give him: The expansion pack to Civilization IV for PC. He is as addicted to that game as I am this place, regardless of what he says.

• raft said on Dec 02, 2006....

  Alyss/SW: The westerns are something my father always loves. I became a running joke, where if my father asked what was on the tube, we would answer "Not a western". So it was really cool. Now I have to dig again for my father, and I'm still on empty for this year. [frustrated sigh]
  
  SW: The Missus? I've explained it elsewhere. She leaves hints here and there, but they are far and few between. She also thinks that I hear everything she says when I have a armful of kids. When I start asking, I get "I must have told you 10 times back in June" (it's November), think I remember? Nope.
  
  This year it's easier. I've got about 5-6 things I want to pick up for her. A necklace (to replace one she lost), a purse. She's also VERY myopic and she got a invitation to be part of a test for a new procedure. It'll run around 1400$ per eye (Her last estimate was 7500$ per eye). We'll look at the details and may follow through. That'll be Xmas and next 3 birthdays. Maybe I shouldn't agree. She'll start seeing me as I really am. Eeek!

• sslyter said on Sep 12, 2007....

  My grandmother has everything and always asks for something she doesn't have to dust. LOL. I had a memory bear made out of her mom's dress and now she says she want to be buried with it. I guess it was the perfect gift. www.forgetmenotbear.com

• silverwhisper said on Sep 12, 2007....

  holy hell but did i ever miss a lot of comments!
  
  alyss: i trust that went well? :>
  
  kruu: wow...how far things have come since that comment!
  
  sweetlady: i know you must've gotten to this since then!
  
  jade: did you get the civ IV expansion pack?
  
  raft: heh...i've been there, man.
  
  sslyter: OK, i've never heard of that site. how did you find this old blog entry?
  
  ed

• sslyter said on Sep 12, 2007....

  I googled gifts, I think this was on the first page

• silverwhisper said on Sep 12, 2007....

  really?! that's absolutely shocking to me, i gotta confess!
  
  ed

• LadyGamer said on Sep 12, 2007....

  I still say Trout slingers are the most difficult.

   

  But let me ask you this? What do you do with gifts in your closet for people who will no longer accept them?

• sslyter said on Sep 12, 2007....

  ladygamer,  you tell your family instead of drawing names this year for christmas your donating the gifts somewhere.  Like a nursing home or toys for tots. 

• sslyter said on Sep 12, 2007....

  Sorry, I'm new to the blogging experience.  I may have overstepped my bounds responding to ladygamer.  My sincerest apologies if I did.

• silverwhisper said on Sep 12, 2007....

  LG: honestly, i say re-gift.
  
  sslyter: that's fine, man, no big deal. it's all a conversation that wanders hither and yon. :>
  
  btw: welcome to my blog! :>
  
  ed

• LadyGamer said on Sep 12, 2007....

  SSLyter~ I make a point every year to get at least one angel from the angel tree for my girls to buy gifts for.

  Which reminds me I meant to post about that. Thank you.

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