Christmas shopping fills me with dread and depression.

[Sandra6]

I find the shops totally uninspiring this time of year. I'm always looking for a "little something" that I think somebody would like, but rarely find it.
Mr6 is nigh on impossible to please. If I ask what he wants it'll be something expensive he knows I won't buy, or something that doesn't exist - top of his list this year is an FTL drive (a la battlestar galactica!) I usually buy something I think is sweet and he says "aw, thanks" then leaves it in it's box until I eventually give it to the charity shop or bin it!
I thought I had it sussed this year as he had his eye on a couple of metal art statues, then the shop went bust, found them on ebay and then they sold out of the cheaper ones and I don't have £200 spare.

 

[tyred]

You're sure about that?

Arrrrgggghhhhhhhh!

In fairness, those old Christmas songs are often brilliant but they are played to death. Why doesn't someone come up with some new ones.?

 

[Hill Wimp]

I love a bit of Christmas shopping. Seriously. It's easy, if you know what to get. Women love (expensive) smellies, body butters/creams from the likes of Molten Brown, Jo Malone, Sanctuary Spa. You wont go far wrong with these. Jewellery also if budget allows, is a sure fire winner. John Lewis is brilliant for presents, I've ordered most of mine for the Mrs from there, and I have the added bonus of it being her birthday on the 28th of December.

Jo Malone is the only expensive one out of those 3 the others you can buy in Boots or a decent department store. Make sure your wife/girlfriend doesn't have sensitive skin though.

 

[Brandane]

I am the youngest of 4 brothers. From a very young age, we have had a great arrangement whereby we do NOT buy each other presents at Christmas or birthdays.
We also have a long standing agreement that all nephews and nieces fall off the present list at age 21 (which means most of them now).
Given that I am without a woman this year, my Christmas present shopping list amounts to about 5 people. Most of that will be smelly stuff for testosterone fueled teenagers, and/or cash.
Friday is xmas shopping day with a couple of friends. Half an hour in the hell that is Glasgows' Sauchiehall Street should do it, followed by much needed stress relief in the form of an afternoon session in the Horseshoe Bar .

 

[pplpilot]

We tend not to bother at all with Christmas, I haven't done for 25+ years since leaving home and all the family know I don't so there's no pressure on me or them. I'm lucky that mrs pplpilot is the same, we normally holiday in the sun but the house needs money spending on it this year... A DIY Christmas for me!

 

[Globalti]

Jo Malone is the only expensive one out of those 3 the others you can buy in Boots or a decent department store. Make sure your wife/girlfriend doesn't have sensitive skin though.

With respect, this is bol nonsense. I have absolutely no association at all with Jo Malone but I work in a related industry and believe me, if you had any understanding of the weight of the safety regulations and petty Brussels-inspired bureaucracy under which the entire industry labours, you wouldn't be making such an insinuation. You may know somebody who has had a bad experience with a certain product but that's one in thousands of consumers who happens to be allergic or sensitive to one particular raw material. This can happen; meanwhile the vast majority continue to enjoy personal care products manufactured under the strictest rules. We only supply one type of raw material and we are obliged to employ three chemistry graduates to deal with the huge volume of safety compliance work.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Sorry I haven't a clue what you are talking about. I only urge caution to people who buy purfumed products for people as some people have sensitive skin that's all. It is not aimed at any particular brand.

 

[Globalti]

Do they really? The industry wants you to believe that so they can sell you overpriced "hypoallergenic" products but how many people do you know who have actually broken out in a rash after using a skincare product or perfume?

 

[Hill Wimp]

There are some beauty products that make me itch dreadfully and one that actually caused the skin around my eyes to swell painfully but the vast majority don't. I know which ones cause me problems and I am not alone in this.

 

[Puddles]

Do they really? The industry wants you to believe that so they can sell you overpriced "hypoallergenic" products but how many people do you know who have actually broken out in a rash after using a skincare product or perfume?

Me, my daughter, my mother, my friends Laine, Helen (German), Helen (Scottish) a few Mums I know at school to name a few!

 

[Globalti]

Well that's me told then.

 

[beanzontoast]

I can understand people preferring online shopping. I do about 80% of my Christmas shopping that way. Christmas shopping 'in the wild' would be a nicer experience if the atmosphere in shopping centres wasn't so overwhelmingly pushy right through December.

I enjoy going into town and looking at the sparkly decorations and lights, hearing the live music (the Salvation Army band's carols are just beautiful), the Christmas foods that make appearances in the cafes. These are things that encourage thought and give you time to reflect on the season, enjoy the run up to Christmas and to feel properly Christmassy.

I don't enjoy the overcrowded shops where you can't get near to things to look at them, huge queues at checkouts, the pressured hurry-hurry-hurry feeling, searching for space in the car park (plus the half an hour or more in another queue just to get out of the car park afterwards), the suspicion that a lot of what I'm buying is overpriced and may well be a lot cheaper a couple of weeks later when the sales kick in.

Thankfully, now our kids are grown up, we tend to give hints early on about a few things we would like on a 'would be really useful to have' basis so most of the shopping is done way before December. We still get each other a surprise or two based on interests. Both our offspring are saving up for cars/houses anyway, so we parents tend to keep our expectations simple nowadays!

 

[ColinJ]

I prefer my friend's approach ...

We called in at a charity shop the other day and I saw her looking at some wine glasses. I thought I might go back later and buy them for her Christmas present but when I called in to see her last night, I spotted them in her kitchen. She saw me looking at them ...

"Yes, they are the ones from the charity shop. I thought that you probably wouldn't take the hint so I bought them myself. They are a Christmas present from you to me. You owe me £4!"

 

[PaulSecteur]

A new shopping misery today...

In the line at the checkouts there was a lady with 2 young `uns with her. As usuall, the kids were grabbing at all the bright and colourful "pester power" items that are placed near the checkout.

"Put it down...put it back...your not having anything...you already had sweets...put it down...put it back...your not having anything...you already had sweets" Eventually she must have got fed up and wanted to stop the sprogs, which is understandable. In a loud voice she said "If you don't behave yourself the angry man will shout at you!!!", then she pointed at me!!! The kids looked at me, I looked at them, they started crying. Then it seemed EVERYONE was looking at me for making this woman shout and making her kids cry!!!

The dirty looks I got! Im not Mr Angry! I was buying my Mums annual box of Malteasers. I'm lovely really.

 

[Over The Hill]

Christmas shopping fills me with dread and depression.

I then get called a Grinch (which I know nothing about but when you google it you get what looks like Brussel Sprout with a Christmas hat on).

Topped off with Mrs OTH having a birthday on 20th Dec.

I really don't like other people buying me things, especially clothes.

I offered to take the family away somewhere hot for Christmas but they did not want to miss Christmas here!!