h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So, it's New Year's Eve, almost quitting time, and the holiday season is officially over. I can't tell you how glad I am.

I've been trying for years to work my mind around a totally bizarre concept: feeling obligated to give a gift to someone you don't care enough about to know their tastes or interests.

This year, I appreciate there was a bit of "get everyone a little of the same thing" going on. But pastel colored, holiday themed tea towels? WTF? My decor is black and orange. And yellow rubber flip-flops? I haven't worn flip-flops since I was 12. Hand lotion, shower gel, lip balm, all by companies known to test on animals, and all containing parabens. I can't even in good conscience give away something with parabens in it. A box of milk chocolates. Flannel pajama pants, which I asked for, but in the girliest of colors.

And then there's K... who gave me books, a CD and a big Cyberman action figure.

I'm not ungrateful, really. I appreciate what people think they're doing. But if you've never seen the inside of my home, should you be accessorizing my kitchen? Why waste your hard-earned money on food I can't eat or clothes I won't wear? Why not just buy yourself a little something, and let me do the same? When I pick out gifts for these same people, it's always a case of stumbling across something, at some point, that I just know they'd love, or if I'm asked for something secific, getting that and exactly that. Is there really a point to "obligatory" gifting, and if so, what am I missing?

Now that I've got that rant out of the way... this next bit concerns video games, so if you're not interested in those, you needn't read on if you don't want to.

A month or so ago, I finally got around to getting a Playstation 3. I wasn't going to get it till God Of War III or Lego Harry Potter came out, but once Netflix streaming became available, there was no excuse left not to. Plus it's got Blu-Ray capability, and I'm not planning to buy a standalone Blu-Ray player for some time, as (1) none of the 1000+ DVDs we own are in Blu-Ray format, (2) I already have an upconverting DVD player, and (3) my current player is all-region, and an all-region Blu-Ray runs about $1200 and requires a separate in-line converter for PAL/NTSC conversion. Why pay that much for a slight increase in picture quality, just to lose it by connecting another component in between?

Anyway, we've got another Katamari game for it, and Fairytale Fights. The other three games we really want won't be out for a while yet. So I'm looking to rent some other games to keep us entertained in the meantime. Any suggestions? We don't have a lot of PS2 games, but aside from GoW, we enjoyed the other Katamari games, Whiplash, Fatal Frame, ICO, Lego Star Wars, and oddly enough, Ribbit King (it's like crack!). And PC games like Age of Mythology, Grim Fandango, etc. So we'd enjoy most anything similar.

I only bought gifts for family, so I think I know what they like. Gving you presents you won't eat or use because of their contents seems nearly rude - it seems your hootoo friends who are thousands of miles away know you better than those people.

I got my youngest sister a fleece because she asked for it, a top she picked out, and a cheapo CD. Additionally, I made her some earrings. I was pretty chuffed with this - figured it was a good stash, almost making up for the fact that I couldn't find her anything for her birthday (she didn't get me anything either - I was on holiday and I'm the eldest by 14 years - I seem to fall into the parent category for her).

She got me, wait for it, a ready-packed toiletry bag from the Body Shop, Shea Butter to be precise.

Apart from the obvious monetary value, which I don't care about, there's the more disconcerting NO thought / effort issue.

Other than that, I was lucky. No other duds. Although my mum forced us to have a joint 'housey' gift - a Kenwood Prospero food mixer / processor. Just what I needed.

I haven't even sent anything to the family this Christmas, and it's Mum's birthday today and I haven't done anything about that either. But this is by arrangement. Just as soon as I make up my mind what to give them, I'll arrange for it to happen. I prefer this way of doing things - there's no tie to the calendar, I just give them appropriate things that show I've put some thought into the business, when I get the urge to do so.

Naturally, I've received nothing in return. That's fine by me - I have everything I need right now.

Hi hun! I am hanging on to my upconverting player for now too. Why go blue ray when that nullifies my whole collection?

I'm afraid that next Christmas I won't be able to afford present giving, even with my family. Medicine bills are looming next year. Yuk. But I got some lovely things this year, including some place mats that are colorful and gorgeous! And I gave gluten free goodies to my siblings. Sorry you got some zero-thought presents, PC, but I am glad that K falls into the category of thoughtful cool presents! Yay for him!

Happy New Year All! 2010 sounds so dang futuristic, eh?

Gifts to anybody but the immediate family were abandoned years ago. The hatchlings usually get a chunk of money put in to their bank accounts, if they've not got any specific wishes.

We've got one holiday left - Epiphany - which to most doesn't mean anything more than a paid day off work. School holidays are usually over after that, so most kids go back to school Jan 7th.

Well I am the most unimaginative of gift givers. Money or tokens unless I know for certain it is something they wanted. Sometimes books or music or whatnot. But mainly I haven't a clue what people want - and it rarely turns out to be what I think they want. So I don't. Bit boring I'm sure but I work it in reverse too. I never have any ideas as to what I might want so fair enough I reckon.

As for games I did get a bit of money so picked up Civ 4 and Medieval Toal War + expansion pack. Civ 4 works and is very pretty, despite Win 7 saying it is known to have problems. Not got MTW working yet though.

Ellen, as far as I know you can play standard DVDs on Blu-Ray players, it just doesn't give the same picture quality as a Blu-Ray disc. If what we have already upconverts, the DVDs we already own aren't going to look any better on a Blu-Ray player.

I'm entertaining the idea of upgrading our Netflix account to include the option to rent Blu-Ray discs when available. It's $4 a month, so my primary concerns are (1) how wide the availability of titles we want to see is in Blu-Ray format, (2) how much wait time increases. If we wind up with only one or two Blu-Ray discs a month, it won't be worth it... though Criterion is releasing all new titles in both formats so there's that, anyway.

Re: gifts. I feel a bit better knowing that I'm not really being an ungrateful wretch when I feel a bit disappointed by what seem like "token" gifts I can't use. I appreciate that some of these people don't know me really well. But they could ask, or ask someone else who does know me well, right? Or do like Ictoan and give me a gift card or voucher. IMO, they're not as boring or thoughtless as some people seem to think they are.

Incidentally, these books K got me are really cool.

Ooooh, money and tokens are silly, especially when you get into exchanges with people who give you one for about the same value - better to just spend it on yourself, really!

And let them do the same, of course.

I totally agree, Mala, in most cases, better just not to bother and everyone just do for themselves what they want or need, but if someone is going to *insist* on giving me a gift for whatever reason, a gift voucher is at least practical. Though K and I did both wind up with a few items suitable for re-gifting.


I can see swapping token gifts between adult "children" and their parents, giving a little something to the grandparents, and something for the kids. But among cousins, co-workers who aren't really close, etc... why bother?

A work friend gave me a tea infuser which is a little plastic man who sits on the rim of the cup holding a strainer in his hand. I saw one in an ad somewhere a long time ago and sent it to this friend, mentioning that I thought it was neat. That's what I try to do for others. And I appreciate that my boss gave everyone in the department the same thing (bottle of wine, box of chocolates). That's fine, too. It just confounds me that anyone feels compelled to give to someone for whom they'll be stuck running out at the last minute and getting "whatever".

What also annoys me is family giving me books/DVDs/computer games they want for themselves (which often even don't particularly interest me) and then badger me constantly to finish them so they can borrow them...

But actually, I'm always fairly lucky - people know me too well. Six pairs of socks this year!

And I think I found something very fitting for each person on my list, too.

At least I got some fuzzy socks and pajama pants for wearing around the house.

I think I picked out nice stuff, too. Everyone seemed really pleased, anyway. Some people, of course, are very easily pleased. I may not be one of them... but I'm not *that* picky, either.

That reminds me of a scene in Red Dwarf:

Lister: you had the front to borrow money off *me* to buy *me* a birthday present.

Rimmer: That's going back a bit, Lister, it was only fifteen quid.

Lister: Yeah, right, fifteen quid. And what did I get? A five quid book token.

Rimmer: Those cards aren't free you know, I had to fork out for that as well!



I think people take "it's better to give than to receive" too literally and end up giving loads of people loads of rubbish. I prefer giving rather than receiving but there's no pleasure in giving someone something that she doesn't want. I think what I'm trying to say is that it isn't the act of giving that I enjoy but enjoying the enjoyment of the receiver.

Perhaps that sounds like I'm talking in euphemisms but start the year as you mean to go on etc.

Happy new year, PC (and everyone else in this thread)