Oh, see? He's totally redeemable. Sounds like a keeper! ;)

Oh dear God.:rolleyes: Printing this out. lol

Yeah, for the fellas, repeated first gifts are tough. There are some fellas that are clueless when it comes to gifts, especially when they lack funds. The irony is that all the woman really wants is the "gift of time" and a "shower of kisses". Or at least there are few ladies that think that way...

At least that's better than not giving ANYTHING for the days that end in "Y"!!!

Guys, do this and you can't go wrong. I agree with you AKA_Monet.;)

lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol

Haha, aren't you so clever!

:)

And worse yet, that's my birthday...hehe

Agreed...if you go thru all the trouble to get a gift card....just give the cash instead.

Think of it like this...getting the gift card almost locks you in to whatever store you got the gift card from.

Sidebar: 2 years ago, mo cowrokers and I tried to do a secret Santa. I bowed out because everyone was trying to exchange gift cards and that didn't make sense to me. It's like giving cash or better yet exchanging cash for cash.

But just forking over cash is VERY impersonal. I mean, it takes no effort at all. Although cash in a card with a heartfelt message written inside might be okay.

I don't know. I have seen girls upset because they didn't think the guy spent enough money on them . . .

Maybe there is some optimum intersection between thought and value? A lot of thought but little financial value equals bad gift, but maybe no thought and high value also equals bad gift?

However, me thinks that if the ticket item is high enough it may erase the lack of thought . . . . :p

Then I wonder about one's character if they think that money can "buy" love. And the question becomes at "what cost"?

Because when a one purchases certain pricey items for said another, that person owns or owes him or her... And when they say, jump, the other person has to say "how high".

Good luck, but most expensive givers have strong expectations regarding the outcome.

Of course you can buy love. Don't be silly. People have been buying love for centuries through money, gifts, status, power etc.

A lot of people respond to to those things with with warmth, excitement and affection. I am not going to argue if its "true love" because most people seem to think they have true love regardless of how good or bad their relationship is.

In fact standard courtship rituals tend to involve a lot of time and expense.

Except for those that subscribe to the "Just come over" type of relationships.

A Vegas "mafia" wiseguy bought my aunt a 12 karat diamond ring and said he wants her to "be" his... NOT MARRY--because he was already married with kids, safely tucked away in another city...

My aunt said no...

Ownership is what I am talking about.

But you're right: no romance without finance is a nuisance... And it is a full contact sport, spectators are rarely allowed...

So, I am talking about "passion"...

I know what I believe... Mr Sageofages is pretty hit/miss about gifts. While I *know* he loves me, seriously, I know. He is (as I tend to tease him) "gift-giving challenged or impaired".

If we are equating love=$$spent, then he succeeds. I can always count on "computer hardware" as a gift..and he gets the good stuff. But that is NOT what I want, need, can or will use. Same goes for DVDS, CD, and other electronic-found-at-best-buy, etc items. He never gives jewelry...and after so many years, I gave up the desire for it, cause I am not going to get it anyway.

If we are equating love=time.invested.in.the.best.gift.selection, then he fails. If I don't give him a gift list of my selections, then I can expect something like I received a few years ago. Back massager, foot massager, heating pad, etc. I said "what is this? The mom is falling apart Christmas?"

There is a diffference between a gift and a present. A gift is something you give the person because you know and love them and want them to have it. A present is something you present to the person whether you want to give it to them or not (they chose) or because you think they need it because they are lacking somewhere (you need a blender, so here is one).

I believe that choosing a gift involves an investment of myself and my time to understand the recipient, their life and what might expand it. That is part of the "gift"...giving that little bit of my time to make it wonderful for them. Even if it is simple and inexpensive, if I take the time to consider them in the process...it is a good thing.

That is all I want in return...the gift of you built into the process.