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Monday open thread: Gift ideas!
And the holiday season is upon us! Jack Frost breathing down your neck, as it were. I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Instead of a reader question, l'd like to get your ideas for and musings on holiday gifts -- Christmas, end-of-year-tipping, Hanukkah, office, family, Secret Santa, all of them.
I am a big believer in giving consumable or experiential gifts. Most people have more stuff than they have room for stuff, at least in the greater Boston area. Food, wine, candles, bath oil, coffee, fancy spice can all be used up (or regifted, if it's not to the recipient's taste). And what's nicer than movie tickets, a lunch date, or having a good friend whisk the kids away for an afternoon of candlepin bowling so you can scrapbook in peace?
If you know the recipient well, gifts for the mind -- art, music, books -- are always good. A tip for anyone new to Boston -- if the phrase "craft fair" conjures up images of crocheted poodles for hiding bathroom tissue and decoupage, think again. It's not like it was where we grew up, here. From now until the end of the year local artists and crafters will be displaying ingenious, funky, beautiful designs in all price ranges. Google around to see what's in your area, and plan a shopping date with a friend.
(Speaking of which, if you have friends who are artists, performers, or writers, buy from them before you buy for them. I've never known an artist yet who wouldn't rather have someone buy her work than give her a present.)
It's hard, in our commercialized, financially strapped yet materially prosperous era, to get presents that are meaningful. Everyone feels frustrated with gifts that aren't useful, and yet trying too hard to match the recipient's desires winds up feeling baldly transactional. I go on Amazon and spend $20 on a gift for you from your wish list, you go on Amazon and spend $20 on a gift for me from mine, and we're set until next year. What's the point?
What are some good gifts you've given or gotten, or good ideas for particular situations? Some of mine:
- For office Secret Santa or Yankee Swap gifts, an inexpensive gender-and-status-neutral present is a Magic 8 Ball.
- A friend of mine was given season tickets to a local theater by her in-laws -- along with guaranteed babysitting on the night she and her husband decided to go. Now there's a present!
- Amazing Genius Science Girl moved house a few months ago, and I have promised her a date at the neighborhood paint-your-own-pottery place. We get a fun crafty ladies' afternoon out, and she'll get a nice new platter or bowl for her house. (Not a holiday gift, but it would still work.)
- I can't give this anymore, but a box of attractive notecards and 20 always-good first class stamps are a nice gift. Unless they come from Miss Conduct, in which case there is an implication of "write your thank-you notes!"
Let's hear your ideas and musings!
The author is solely responsible for the content.
About Miss Conduct
Welcome to Miss Conduct’s blog, a place where the popular Boston Globe Magazine columnist Robin Abrahams and her readers share etiquette tips, unravel social conundrums, and gossip about social behavior in pop culture and the news. Have a question of your own? Ask Robin using this form or by emailing her at missconduct@globe.com.
Welcome to Miss Conduct’s blog, a place where the popular Boston Globe Magazine columnist Robin Abrahams and her readers share etiquette tips, unravel social conundrums, and gossip about social behavior in pop culture and the news. Have a question of your own? Ask Robin using this form or by emailing her at missconduct@globe.com.
contributor
Robin Abrahamswrites the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine and is the author of Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. Robin has a PhD in psychology from Boston University and also works as a research associate at Harvard Business School. Her column is informed by her experience as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their socially challenged but charismatic dog, Milo.
Who is Miss Conduct?
Robin Abrahamswrites the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine and is the author of Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. Robin has a PhD in psychology from Boston University and also works as a research associate at Harvard Business School. Her column is informed by her experience as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their socially challenged but charismatic dog, Milo.
