by M W

Created on: February 26, 2008

I have several individuals in my life that completely annoy me when they give gifts, especially if the gift is to me. They either watch me intently, as they give me something completely insulting while waiting for the ultimate reaction of pure joy, or they throw the present down in my lap while giving me the look of contempt, silently saying "You don't deserve this, but here." They are by far my favorite, because suddenly the pressure to give them a gift blows away in the breeze. It's called gifting freedom.

I myself try to give the perfect gift, often failing miserably. I try not to watch so intently, and I try not to show my disappointment when the gift box finishes inspection and ends up stowed to the side, with the others. It's natural to want huge reactions, I know, so I try to analyze the situation properly. Oh, they can't express how awesome they feel right now about my gift because that would be rude to the others. They'll think about me later when they're having a blast, or when they're appreciating my thoughtfulness. Yep.

The crazy thing about gifts is it's not always about the gift receivers. It's mostly about the gift giver. Look what I got you! How do you like it? Yeah? Because you should have been there when I tried to buy this. Let me tell you... and so on and so forth. Gift giving turns into story time, where suddenly the attention is shifted away from the true center. It's absolutely ridiculous if you ask me.

The best by far are the people who send vibes of pure greed. And again, I'm not talking about the gift receiver. The gift giver, yet again, sends negative vibes through the form of some money check, gift card or semi-expensive present. It's almost a "How dare you make me spend this much on YOU." sort of deal. I can always feel the waves pulsating in my direction as a relative/family friend hands over a present. They make me sick, and suddenly I feel as though I owe somebody something somewhere sometime.

Gift giving is supposed to be fun. I think the best people are the ones who buy something sort of pointless that they find extremely great. They talk it up while you're looking at it, and they inspire conversation without the under layers of negativity. They are my favorite, and usually their gifts are displayed prominently or used often.

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