On the second day of Christmas, Domestic Sluttery gave to me... lovely vouchers to spend at Something!
Sometimes it's too hard to choose a present. Especially from our friends at Something. We wanted them to be part of our Christmas competitions, but we couldn't choose just one thing to give away. So instead, we decided to let you decide. A little like a festive pass the parcel.
We're giving away a £50 shopping voucher and one lucky winner will get to decide what presents they get. We like these candles. And that bag. And that coffee pot.
What do you have to do to win this prize? Just tell us in the comments below... who is the most difficult person you have to buy a Christmas present for? Names can be changed to protect the guilty! Does your mum say 'oh, just get me anything' leaving you at a total loss? Or perhaps your partner really does have everything. We want to hear your stories!
You've got until midnight tonight to enter, and we'll pick the winner at random and announced in tomorrow's competition.
And who won our turkey competition yesterday? That was Mia Foulkes! What's she having on Christmas day? Turns out she's a little undecided! "No idea for main but for dessert I will be making giant individual profiteroles filled with salted caramel cream and hot chocolate sauce on the side!!" Mia, just email us and we'll get your prize sent out to you. And also give us the recipe for your profiteroles.
Good luck with today's prize, everyone!
Oh yawn, small print (read it). The competition will close at midnight (UK time) December 4th. You must be UK based to enter, sorry you lovely overseas readers. If you're anon your entry won't count and if you enter more than once, we'll discount all of your entries and tell you off. The winning entry will be chosen at random and you must claim your prize by the 7th or it'll be passed to someone else. We're not allowed to enter our own competitions but Siany always has trouble getting the perfect gift for her dad. Mugs just aren't cutting it anymore.
The most difficult person to buy for is my future brother in law, although he's a gadget man he hates it when people buy him gadgets, he runs everything from his computer so doesn't have CD's or DVD's everything is digital so you can't even get him those!!!
ReplyDeleteWithout question - my dad. He refuses to answer any of our polite questions about what he might like - particularly annoying as his birthday's straight after Christmas so he requires extra planning! He's recently opened up a chippy, so last year he got some knitted fish and chips as penance for never requesting anything useful!
ReplyDeleteMy dad is the most difficult person to buy for... he makes a huge list of books for us every year and the goes and buys all the things he put on it before Christmas because he saw them cheap in charity shops! This year he has been banned from buying anything til after Christmas so we can at least try and get him something he wants rather than giving up and buying him socks!
ReplyDeleteThe most tricky person on my list is my dad - year in, year out all he suggests for himself is golf balls... He may not be Tiger Woods, but with my siblings and I buying a box each for every birthday and Xmas, I find it hard to believe he needs any more!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, definitely my brother in law! Growing up in an all-female household (3 sisters) we didn't get much practice at buying for men. And my brother-in-law has super expensive taste (which as a charity worker I can't afford) and interests in things that I just don't get. Every year I get more and more desperate!
ReplyDeleteMy Mother in Law - just can't afford the one way ticket to Switzerland so she'll have to settle for some Morny soaps...
ReplyDeleteMy Dad!! Impossible to buy for... he says he doesn't need anything. There's only so many boxes of chocolate ginger you can buy a man!
ReplyDeleteOur first Christmas together, I pulled out all the stops for my new boyfriend, got him a signed limited print of his favourite picture by his favourite artist, imported a Casio calculator watch from Japan, got him a whole host of amazing perfect for him presents! But now I know I'll never top that, I keep trying, but ... I think he's destined for mediocre presents forever more...
ReplyDeleteThe most difficult person is my sister. At the age of 24 she is still like a child. Just yesterday she told my Mum the expensive camera she wanted for Christmas...she didn't want any more! She did this on Christmas eve once as a child! Now you may be thinking that's not tooo bad. so what she'll get a present and be happy?! Nope...she's been known to cry on Christmas day before if she doesn't like her present. Literally the worst person to buy for in the world :P
ReplyDeleteMy mother in law is the hardest person to buy for. My hubby is clueless when it comes to all things present-y so it's left up to me. The biggest problem, is that she buys everything she wants, whenever she wants it. And when asked what she wants it's all 'well, nothing really'. But we tried 'nothing' one year and ooooooooooooh what a hissy fit she threw! So 'nothing' isn't an option!
ReplyDeleteMy husband, he generally decides on something technological for himself, orders it and pays for it! Anything I buy is the wrong one, inadequately researched etc so I end up just getting him a marzipan chocolates from our 2 children every time, mainly as I feel he needs something to open! He has a birthday in Dec too so is double trouble...
ReplyDeleteMy father - every year the whole family scrabbles around for present ideas... and then there's always a risk that the one present he has been hinting for, which you've secretly bought for him, he'll give to you on Christmas day (no word of a lie, one year my parents both gave each other the exact same present because of my dad's fear he wasn't going to get it!). Gah!
ReplyDeleteMy husband. He's vehemently "anti-stuff" so most things are out even at the start, he's obsessed with bikes (which are too expensive) and he buys most of what he wants for himself anyway.
ReplyDeleteSisters in law. Impossible. But this year I think I cracked it with Bureau Direct's stationery gifts (they even do hampers!) - because ALL girls like stationery, right?
ReplyDeleteMy little boy. At 2, he's too old for baby toys but too young for small-parts-choky-eaty toys. I'm just repeating the mantra "he doesn't know what Christmas is yet" and hoping it's true!
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt the hardest person to shop for is my Dad. He ALWAYS says "Oh, I don't need anything" and his hobbies are all sport-related. I could write my sporting knowledge on the back of a stamp and still have room left, so I am always clueless......socks it is then!
ReplyDeleteMy dad is impossible to buy for. He never offers hints when my siblings and I ask him what he would like for his birthday / Christmas, often says "don't bother buying me anything" and then, if we don't get him a present, sulks because we didn't buy him anything! He's impossible!
ReplyDeleteMyself! People always ask, can never think of anything. I get lots of book tokens. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend's dad and his partner! We don't spend much time with them and they don't seem to have many interests. It's a shame because I'd love to give them a gift that's perfect for them.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely my Dad. He never has any helpful suggestions, because he rarely wants anything and as soon as he does, he buys it. Like Lauren's husband above, he's into technology but the things he likes are either prohibitively expensive or so specialist that there's no way I could pick them out myself.
ReplyDeleteAlas, he's also type 2 diabetic, so no chocolatey solution presents itself ...
My husband. Not that difficult, actually, as he has several hobbies, such as mountain biking, but all that stuff is rather expensive. And also it is his birthday just before Christmas, so December is definitely financially crippling.
ReplyDeleteMy Grandad. An 88 year old Polish man, who prefaces each mention of Christmas with "Well, y'know, I hope to see you at Christmas...but who knows? I might be dead." So with that morbid addition to my list, I'm pretty much always at a loss! One year I panicked completely and got him a polish sausage. Well, no one expected that..!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the boyfriend. When asked, he says he "doesn't need anything"; all the things he enjoys doing, he already has. Until this year I've managed (after months and months of deliberation) to come up with presents that went down pretty well, but this year I'm completely stuck... I think I shot myself in the foot there somewhat!
ReplyDeleteMy other half - because as he points out what else could he possibly want as he has me!!! (I think I detected a note of sarcasm as he said this ...... )
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my mum...not only does she have everything she wants in terms of jewelry, hangbags, smellies etc. but she also KEEPS everything for years, making it difficult to replace similar items that I know she'll like without it being the same stuff she already has (OK so maybe that's a little bit of a lazy approach to gift buying!)
ReplyDeleteEither my fiancé who just buys himself anything he wants and never leaves my the opportunity to get in there first or my future brother in law. He's so contrary that he changes his mind in a minute over everything. Also he's the least grateful person I've ever met. Last year we bought him a Superdry watch that he'd been after and he was made up. Now he's announcing he's never received a decent present of any of his family so he'll be buying everyone "crap presents" this year because that's all he ever gets. Charmer no?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my husband. He's so hard to buy for that all my family ask me what they should get him, and I end up giving away every single idea on the list I have been carefully putting together since his birthday. On top of all this, he's super fussy, and the act of receiving gifts makes him feel awkward, so even if I do manage to think of something it takes several hours of questioning to find out whether he actually likes it or not. It's lucky he's so lovely because he doesn't half cause me a headache at Christmas!
ReplyDeleteMy Nana is the most difficult to buy for, mainly because she doesn't like anything. My parents always sneak in early and get her practical presents she can't sniff at — toilet seats, a mobile phone, a freeview box — leaving me flailing in the mist trying to find something she won't hate. I have yet to succeed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, she gets us the WORST presents. When I was 14 she got me a pack of three tea towels. She gave my 38 year old brother hair minimising cream. My mum got a kilo of sugar. Last Christmas she had no idea what she'd gotten my boyfriend — she'd won something in the raffle and decided it would do for him. We all found out what his present was together on Christmas Day (a flannel and lily of the valley soap, if you're interested).
Mum for me. There is absolutely no logic behind the things she likes and the things she hates (and it's always one or the other - nothing's just 'alright' or 'quite nice'). There's always a tense silence as she opens her gifts..... and if she loved pastel teapots last week, there's no guarantee she'll like them today!
ReplyDeleteGotta love her though, it's entertaining if nothing else!
My dad is a nightmare human! He doesn't like any 'things' and doesn't have any hobbies. If he does want something it takes him over 6 months to decide on what to buy, by which point it is usually sold out. Leaving nothing for his devoted daughters to get him. Nightmare!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that everyone in the family knows he likes 100% of the time is dairy milk choccos, Father Ted and coca cola. And he already has every concievable Father Ted present, hundreds of cans of Cola and dozens of bars of chocolate secreted around the house!
Maybe I can somehow make an effigy of Dermot Morgan from Dairy Milk? Bah!
My Dad! He's a complete technophobe which rules out a lot of typical "Dad" presents (yes even DVDs and CDs are alien to him!) and his main hobby is golf (which is hard to buy for). I usually plump for clothes but this year Mum has said that he doesn't need any more clothes (I think she's cracked my strategy!), so I'm stuck...
ReplyDeleteI find it so difficult to buy for my little sister, her tastes seem to change so quickly and the fragrance I bought her last year has been replaced by a new favourite, she's super picky in the fashion stakes so I can't chance picking up a pretty dress or pair of shoes, she currently lives at home with my folks so homeware isn't really appropriate- argh so difficult! But I'm on a mission, I now have spies in the form of her boyfriend and best friend, I WILL find something she will love as she deserves a little spoiling from her big sis :-)
ReplyDeleteJem xXx
Definitely, definitely my husband! If he wants something, he buys it himself as and when .... and if he doesn't want a thing, it'll gather dust in a corner somewhere until he throws it away. I still don't know what I'm going to get him this year. A coffee pot, perhaps?!
ReplyDeleteMy mother IS the most difficult person to buy for as she usually buys what she wants throughout the year. You really have to push her for an idea, or go 'rogue' and risk getting her something she doesn't like!
ReplyDeleteBoth of my parents! (my Dad's birthday is tomorrow, so thinking of two lots of presents in the same month is really hard) and my mum never wants anything. There's only so much jewellery you can buy for one person...
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to either make or buy handmade this year, which seemed like a great idea when I thought of it but isn't turning out so well. Looks like they will both be getting homemade cake and chocolate this year!
My Husband. Hopeless. He is a musician and luthier i.e. he makes and repairs string instruments. Our house is full of instruments so if i buy anything 'pretty' or stylish it just clutters the place up! He's amazingly tech savvy and an amazing carpenter so he can make things just as easily as i could buy them. He has lots of lovely suits for work but lives in jeans, cords and jumpers (the older and scraggier the better!). This year i am buying him a 'be a keeper for a day' with the monkeys at Port Lymphe as he has loved monkeys since he was little. No idea what i'll do next year though!!
ReplyDeleteSimple. One of my randomly selected old housemates.
ReplyDeleteEvery year, the 4 of us put our names in a hat. We then select a name at random and have to buy a full outfit for that person from a charity shop that we MUST wear on Christmas day. We exchange our 'presents' to each other on Christmas eve. It's the hardest present I have to buy because it's all about REALLY stitching them up!!
Last year I was made to wear dungarees with a Chinese silk blouse. True story.
My husband - "it's lovely but we can't afford it!" even for a box of After Eights.
ReplyDeleteMy fiance's father is definitely the most difficult person to buy Christmas presents for. He usually ends up taking whatever we buy him back to the store and swapping it for something else. This year we're going to buy him his Christmas present on our upcoming trip to the US! He won't be able to change it then!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad, who's favorite hobby is just sitting down.
ReplyDeleteMy folks! My mum has told us that we aren't to buy them Christmas presents this year, but we solved that by buying her a bowl at a craft fair that she commented on – we gave it to her straight away, so technically it wasn't a Christmas present. As for my dad, he doesn't point out anything that he likes... he likes buses, but isn't allowed to collect any more of the small ones, other than that it is usually slippers (but he already has new ones of those this year), malteasers, walnut whips, or wine gums - not very exciting when that has been going on for the last 15 years! Poor dad!
ReplyDeleteThis year I'm struggling with a present to one of my two-year old god daughters. It has to be small and easy enough to send to Sweden, and I haven't started looking yet... ~ Sara (littlemissplump at hotmail dot co dot uk)
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend without a doubt. I once spent 3 years trying to track down an out of print book for him. Another year I bought him an old movie camera that he fell in love with that only to find out that the only place i could get film for it was a specialist place in London, where it cost more than £60 for 3-4 mins of film. If it's obscure, no longer made, or i don't understand what it is, where to buy it or how to get my hands on it, that'll be the thing he wants.
ReplyDeleteMy mother who I have only just started talking to after almost 20 years. I just don't know her. I don't want to give something too over the top but equally nothing that is completely meaningless either...eeek!
ReplyDeleteMy in-laws. They always say they don't want anything, and when I've tried buying them things based on their hobbies (jigsaws, crown green bowls, reading The Daily Mail) I get sighed at for months afterwards as the gifts "weren't the right thing at all". Luckily this year is easy as I've had a baby girl and all they want is endless photographs of her!
ReplyDeletemy dad! my dad has everything and buys everything he could possibly want he also only has the attention span of a newt for his presents after christmas day!
ReplyDeletei have been at such a loss this year I have bought him a fossil, lord knows why! which will undoubtedly be a paperweight by new years day.
My darling sister is always a challenge, she has such specific taste but just when you think you've cracked it she'll change again. But I think I've managed to find something that she'll like this year though - cross fingers.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think it's my Mum, she comes out with the classic "you don't have to get me anything" or will say "just get me some gardening gloves" really mother?! Although this year she did actually put a list together, maybe times are changing!!
ReplyDeleteEvery year without fail it has to be the boyfriend. We have been together pretty much 7 years now and his birthday and our anniversary is on the 27th of december.
ReplyDeleteSo I get a triple whammy of 'I don't know' to hunt for!
When he wants something he will go and buy it for himself on the spot.
Typical example of this was last week we went Christmas shopping in Cribbs Causeway in Bristol where he came back with the most expensive iPad John Lewis sold which is perfectly fine and normal for him to buy spur of the moment, but in the car on the way home he said that it meant someone could buy him a new case for the shiny new iPad.
Not surprisingly I woke up the next day to him shopping on amazon and telling me what a bargain he had on an official iPad case.... *bang head against wall here* and none of my family or even myself have a clue what to get him now!
My brother and my dad have equal top billing in the difficult-to-buy-for stakes; my brother only likes expensive golfing equipment which I have no clue about, and my dad - has fads like having chickens, playing the guitar etc that never really come to fruition, aargh!
ReplyDeleteOOOh what lovely stuff. My sister in law and brother in law are so hard to buy for. I should leave it to my OH to sort, but he has no idea either, so just leaves it till Christmas eve, which drives me mad. The year I found myself shopping for them on boxing day on the way to their house, made me decide to take control and sort it out my self, but I still have no idea what to get them.
ReplyDeleteMy fiance is by far the hardest person I have to buy for. He always buys for himself the things that he wants, and has no real hobbies, so it is a nightmare trying to find something he would want or need. Your blog is a fantastic help in giving me inspiration for presents that are slightly different to the norm, and I would have never found without your guidance, so thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteMy best friend Tim who hates presents! Also, he is a december baby, so it's a double whammy of what to get for someone who isn't into the whole gift/holiday spirit.
ReplyDeleteMum... What do you want for Christmas?
ReplyDelete' oh same as last year... World peace, happiness and a tidy house'...
every year... and every year she is disapoointed...
Most difficult to buy for is my other half's father.
ReplyDeleteHe's an academic, so you can't just buy him the latest book on historical happenings or he'll spend Christmas "editing it for errors" and he has all the stuff he'll ever need for the garden (his only other hobby). And he's now diabetic, which means no alcohol or choccies. Nightmare.
Hannah (aka cymruangel)
My mom is the hardest to buy for as she only (and I mean only!) likes Pandora. If it ain't got that bling, she don't want that thing. Unfortunately I can't afford Pandora for every gift giving occasion....
ReplyDeleteMy Grandad! He always says he doesn't need anything so every year we all buy him humbugs! He loves them, but from 3 daughters and 8 grandchildren, I think even he gets bored...
ReplyDeleteMy sisters are a logistical nightmare to buy for because they both have a birthday in December (one on the 14th and one on the 17th - cheers selfish parents!) but relatively easy when it comes to picking things.
ReplyDeleteThe ones I struggle with are the ever increasing brood of nephews. Last year there were four to buy for, this year there are five of them - aged between six months old and 11, oh and one of them has a birthday on the 19th too! I'm torn between getting cute wooden toys for the younger ones which I think look pretty or getting functional stuff which will be more practical or getting something cool (which I think is anything do to with Moshi Monsters or Ben Ten...) Argh!
My awkward boyfriend is! He tells all of us the things he wants and inevitably we double up on presents to which he is obviously very unhappy! It's not even hard to buy him nice things just hard to make sure noone else has got it!!
ReplyDeleteThis year- the hardest person to buy for is my secret santa at work- this guy im buying for never seems to find the funny side of anything.. can i pick again?!
ReplyDeleteMy mum who insists that her usual moisturiser will be sufficient for birthdays and Christmases. I try to get her something more exciting on top but she never seems fussed!
ReplyDeleteMy dad, who thinks drain rods are an exciting present...
ReplyDeleteI agonise about what to give my step-mother. I love giving presents and try hard to suit the present to the recipient but, although she doesn't exactly live in the lap of luxury, able to furnish every whim or interest, she is a person who seems to have everything she wants and needs to make her happy in life. It's great for her and I applaud her contentment but it makes giving her something that will surprise and delight an absolute nightmare.
ReplyDeleteMy husband has an Amazon wish list that he regularly updates with everything he wants, which you'd think would make life easy, right?
ReplyDeleteWrong. He regularly updates it because he regularly buys from it. Anything he adds is 'due for release' in a few months' time. Which isn't particularly helpful when you're looking to buy him something for a few weeks' time.
Sod it. Reindeer socks it is. Unless you can suggest Something different?
My Mother in law - no question. She changes her mind about what she likes all the time and only likes things that are expensive, but who knows which ones. If she likes it she thanks her son for his thoughtful gift - which I will have bought and paid for. If she doesn't like it, she look at me, says 'that's nice' in the most insincere manner and pointedly put it to one side and ignore it, whilst making it clear to all how hard done by she is. I have been tempted to buy her a book on good manners for years...
ReplyDeleteMy Dad and my Husband - but 'need nothing' yet would most definitely sulk if that's what they got!
ReplyDeleteMy dad who replies to, "What would you like for Christmas this year?" with, "Oh just a t-shirt is fine. I really just want you to be happy." So incredibly sweet but so incredibly frustrating when it comes to find him an actual present!
ReplyDeleteThere has long been a tradition in our house to buy my Father one shirt, three pairs of socks and a handkerchief. He spends all of his free time being nerdy and playing on the computer so one year we broke the shirt/socks/handkerchief joy and I bought him a computer brush. I don't think he's ever loved anything so much.
ReplyDeleteMy dad... sounds like I'm not alone! One year in despair I gave him a balloon modelling kit. To give him fair credit, he dutifully modelled hats and animals with the balloons till we let him off...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy stepdad is by far the most difficult person I have to shop for. He will only ever ask for socks, black, nike sports socks! I refuse to buy him any more so last year I ordered a photo book with printed pictures of the family - Tempted to make it a yearly thing!
ReplyDeleteEasily my husband. He has very specific rules, it has to be a surprise and he always refuses to give any clues as to what he wants. Can you say nightmare?!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my boyfriend. Worst person to buy presents for ever. He used to get books, then he bought a kindle [why? Why did he not let me buy that for him as a present, eh?] and now just downloads what he wants to read. His hobby is restoring an Astra GTE mk II and he of course will not countenance anyone else buying parts or anything as they would be "wrong". Similarly, any techinical things for the house have to be researched for 9 months before he buys them and therefore anything I would buy would be "wrong" too! Socks anyone?
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend is a nightmare to buy for! He always buys me the best most thoughtful presents and I get him a pile of useful things he needs like a wallet, etc. NIGHTMARE!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my husband. If he needs anything, he usually just buys it! I end up getting silly things or trying to make something so it's unique!
ReplyDeleteDad. He's a massive softy! He's also a massive liar. He attempts to convince us every year that he wants something practical...but if he acquiesce he never uses it! However, soppy stuff, photos, home videos, personalised anything...he's forever pulling out to show people, bless him!
ReplyDeleteSo buying him a normal gift never works, it has to be something cute and personal, and after a few years...originality makes it tough as balls!
This year he gets a home made badly edited music video with the backing track contributed by his favourite local band, and the singers are comprised solely of his best friends and family. It's like LiveAid for Soppy Dads!
Next year I'm officially out of ideas!
Mum however, is a joy to shop for!
Argh, I forgot my brother, easy to shop for but not a nice experience at all. There's only so many Megan-sodding-Fox posters you can stare at before slowly beginning to lose faith in humanity...
@_anachronisme
The most difficult person to buy for is my Dad- one because when you do buy him something and he doesn't like it- he can't hide the fact that he hates it! He does read fiction, owns I'm pretty sure every book ever published on aeroplanes and helicopters and usually buys things he wants when he sees them- even if it is a few days before Christmas!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my daddy - there's only so much fishing paraphernalia that a man can be given, especially when he can't go fishing any longer!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad is impossible to buy for. My Mum (who has been married to him for nearly 40 years), called me last week and asked 'what do I buy your Dad for Christmas?!'. If she doesn't know what chance have the rest of us got?! And the worst thing? It's his birthday the week before Christmas! Double fail! :(
ReplyDeleteMy two and a half year old twins and their lovely big sister.
ReplyDeleteKids have so much gorgeous stuff these days; how are we supposed to make gifts significant (especially when you're paying three sets of nursery fees and working your arse off).
My boyfriend's mum, who only likes books (yay! books!) but she always buys All The Books before Christmas so on the day, she unwraps them, looks delighted and then has to confess she already read them a couple of weeks ago.l
ReplyDeleteMy Dad is definitley the most difficult person to buy for. The reason is that he drops loads of hints in the run up for Christmas but then ends up buying them for himself before the main event resulting in the constant need to totally re-think the present and ultimately a gift of some local beer!
ReplyDeletesurprisingly no one - after all these years I think I know my friends well enough to know what they have and have not got and what they would like. And with the internet shopping gives so much choice now which really helps.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad, only thing guaranteed to be appreciated is white chocolate! There are only so many exciting white chocolate products to choose from....
ReplyDeleteMy dad - whiskey every year starts getting a bit boring...
ReplyDeleteMy Dad. He has an awful habit of buying up any books, music, video games..even socks and on the odd occasion paintings that he might like, want or need during the weeks before Christmas. It is a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad, he is seventy and has everything he says he wanta. It is his birthday just before Christmas too!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad, he is seventy and has everything he says he wanta. It is his birthday just before Christmas too!
ReplyDeleteSat on the sofa last night with my husband who asked me, 'So, Tess, what would you like for Christmas?'. My response 'Ohhhh, brown leather jacket, food processor, anything on my Asos/Amazon wish list, tickets to Panama, Georg Jenson tea light, fancy chocolates, lifetime supply of Nutella....'. His response "ok, that gives me options...". I respond "so, what would you like for Christmas". His response " just your love". So I am officially the most difficult person to buy for!!!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad too lol, must be a Dad thing from reading other people's answers! Mine is in his 70's, has every gadget known to mankind already and has no real hobbies.
ReplyDeleteIve ended up getting him a Soduko Rubik's cube just to have something to give him on Christmas Eve, but am stumped for anything else:(
broken record in the comments but I have to agree... its my dad! He has a horrible tendency to just buy himself whatever it is he wants, he doesn't really enjoy reading, and his hobbies are far too expensive for me to consider getting him something nice for those. This year however, I am sure I have hit the jackpot... he loves the tv show Pointless, and I have discovered you can buy a board game version! So good I have even bought the in-laws one as well :) can't wait to play it (so perhaps not an entirely selfless present...)
ReplyDeleteMy mum - she will give me suggestions, but they're always practical, utensil-y things. I want to give her a lovely present, not a fridge thermometer or some oven gloves!
ReplyDeleteMy dad is really difficult to buy for! I usually just buy him booze but it's always nice to be able to get him something useful. My husband is also a nightmare to buy for. Men huh?!
ReplyDeleteMy sister is the worst person to get presents for, she is always giving the best presents, not necessarily expensive just thoughtful, so whatever I think it's the best gift for her she'll always give me something I said I wanted months ago and managed to remember. How can I beat that?
ReplyDeleteMy sis is soooo difficult she always says "I don't need anything." I know, but what do you want? Arrrggghhhh.
ReplyDeleteShe hates smellies and usually gives them away, she is also very good at taking things back to the shop after Christmas. I refuse to get vouchers. This year I am making her a hamper of all things olives, she is addicted to olives hahaha.
My Dad - our family does secret santa and this year I drew his name out (sshhhh don't tell him). The challenge is to make at least 50% of the present yourself and there is a £20 limit... feeling a bit worried that I haven't even started yet!!
ReplyDeleteI would say the friends I'm still good friends with (obv), but that I don't see that often. I like to keep presents a surprise, so it's hard to work out what they might have already bought for themselves!
ReplyDeleteMy nan. Fantastic lady. Still gossiping, wearing sequins and line dancing at 82.
ReplyDeleteYesterday she told me 'Hayley, don't buy me a DVD, book or scarf this year. I don't like them. get me something good this year instead'. Errr so that's the last three Christmas presents you told me you loved at the time then nan? No pressure for this year..
My Dad! What do you get someone who has a fear of "stuff" clogging up the house?? (Says I, love of all things chintz)
ReplyDeleteThe most difficult person, or people, to buy for this year are my brother and his wife. They just got married so their house is already full of all the gadgets and goodies I would usually pick up. Additionally they're always busy or travelling so standard home "stuff" or treats is no use either, and they've seen all the films out recently too!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad! He's a total gadget freak but anything decent I'd like to get him is way out of my modest budget for Christmas gifts. When I ask him, I always get the same answer, Amazon vouchers. GAH!
ReplyDeleteMy father - as well as having everything he needs, he's also a perfectionist. So he loves wine - but woe betide the daughter who takes a risk and buys that. He loves gardening - but what do I know about the perfect trowel...?
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend. When I ask what he wants he either says 'You, naked' or changes the subject. Honestly tempted to turn up at his family Christmas dinner in the scud as I am completely at a loss for what to get him this year.
ReplyDeleteMy brother is so difficult to buy for. He has everything he wants already so it requires a great deal of creative thinking to come up with something special. On top of this, HE is the BEST present-buyer, always coming up with fantastic, thoughtful, touching, witty and clever gifts for everyone else, so he sets the bar very high!
ReplyDeleteMy father refuses to have any interests or hobbies, any favourite foods or use any grooming products other than 'whatever's cheapest'. He doesn't like the cinema. Only watches films/television he can download for free. Ditto, paying real money for music is wasteful. He doesn't read (though he managed to go through a Dan Brown phase while I despaired). Every year I dream of finding a present that will genuinely delight him. I think he might just have had his delightable gene removed to spite me.
ReplyDeleteMy nephew...he's 7 and it should be so much fun, he likes all the good Lego and is a big Star Wars fan... but his birthday is just before Xmas and we have a big family so it's impossible not to get him the same as someone else has. It makes me sad, I wanted to be the cool auntie not the one who always gets him pyjamas, but the parents and grandparents buy up all the best stuff! Laura (lauracaroline123 at hotmail dot com)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my sister. She's known within the family as Doctor Dermatologist, such an authority she is on all things cosmetic... She can tell you the SPF of any given Bobbi Brown BB cream in a millisecond, and the latest Jo Malone fragrance is SO yesterday a week after release. Very tricky when she could rival Selfridges beauty counters with her bathroom cabinet...
ReplyDeleteMy husband! Always smiling nicely and replying "nothing, I am ok" if you ask what he wants. I don't want to buy him a token gift, but something he would love, sport cars or planes are sadly not an option, so I am stuck. He always get me lovely stuff, which is even worth.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad, and his birthday is two weeks before Christmas as well...so I have to rack my brains for two presents! AND this year he said what he wanted, then went and bought it for himself anyway. Back to the drawing board!
ReplyDeleteApparently I am the most difficult person to buy for according to my Mother. She never says it but judging by the random gifts I have had over the years, I must be! Electric plate warmer anyone?
ReplyDeletemy 8 year old son has the prize of most difficult this year, he always writes his list and puts in the special box, that santa looks in on the mantl peice , this years list has a swimming pool and bouncy castle for outside and a parrot for indoors, needless to say we have got him a new bike as he loves cycling and has outgrown his current set of wheels, the parrot, castle and pool ? well maybe another year !!
ReplyDeleteThis year, my baby is the most difficult to buy for. Babe is definitely coming before Christmas, but I don't know if they are boy or girl, strapping or squirly, big or small, like me or dad... What on earth to get for someone you already love but have never met? In addition they have lots of new things waiting for them already, but no Xmas presses. I'm not sure, but the pirate rattle is pretty cute...
ReplyDeleteMy brother drives me crazy every year. At 46 he has everything he wants, is SO minimalist, and has such austere tastes (did I mention the minimalism?) and more disposable income than I do, so most stuff is either out of my range or off limits due to style, and frankly there are only so many pairs of running socks he needs.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad. He has no hobbies beyond brandy, red wine, and edwardian silver...No bad thing, you may say, but none of these things are affordable on a graduate monkey wage. Good vintners seldom accept peanuts in exchange for a bottle of '97 Talbot.
ReplyDeleteWhen he sees something he likes, other than the above, he buys it. He always says "Oh I don't want anything..." But the one year we took him at his word, and bought him cards but no gifts, his wee face was as if someone kicked his puppy!
So now, although I will always get him a box of Cadbury's Milk Tray, I have NO IDEA what to buy him!!
My auntie, she is 83 and has raised me since birth. I try to get her something to show how much she means to me but she has everything, TWICE as she does not throw anything away! I can not even buy her flowers as she prefers plastic ones as real ones die, which I still can not buy for her as she has no space for more vases. I usually end up getting her a scarf, which I then 'borrow' the year after (oops) x
ReplyDeleteMy entire family is impossible, particularly my grandfather who also strongly dissaproves of my handwriting and every year without fail buys me a new writing implement to try and improve it.
ReplyDeleteI've resorted to a bucket of clay this year and everyone is getting a 'primary school advanced pottery-esque' air dried dish.
Without a shadow of a doubt, it's my brother. Our conversation EVERY SINGLE YEAR goes a little something like this:
ReplyDeleteME: What do you want this year?
HIM: I don't know yet
ME: You do this every year.
HIM: I'll definitely let you know.
2 WEEKS PASS
ME: What do you want this year?
HIM: I don't know yet
ME: You do this every year.
HIM: I'll definitely let you know.
IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE
ME: What do you want this year?
HIM: I don't know yet
ME: You do this every year.
HIM: I'll definitely let you know.
CHRISTMAS DAY
*hand over money in a card
HIM: Why didn't you just get me a shirt or something?
ME: Pass me the gin. Quick.
Every year without fail the conversation goes,
ReplyDelete"What the Hell do we get for mum?!?" But no-one ever knows.
My sister and I live in separate counties
Not out in the sticks, up a mountain but a city, a town
Yet nothing we see in ANY shop "turns our frowny face upside down"
We start to look elsewhere-scour antique shops, hunt online
Perhaps we should make her something?
(Gawd sis...hand me the wine!!!)
The glass goes down, the conversation flows
Another glass, another bottle...
Still neither of us knows!
The giggles start, then hopeless laughter
Wheezing, gasping, ribs held after.
Then comes a thought from wine soaked hazes
(An actual thought! This alone amazes)
Let's buy her a pressy we KNOW will be great!
We'll buy her some wine...
Heck! Let's buy her a crate!
(Based-sadly-on a true story of how my sister and I "planned" *hic* our poor, long suffering mum's Xmas pressy)
Sorry Mum! x