bad presents

You have all either received or given it. Lotion. Bath and Body Works lotion. Behold - there it is - my opinion, one of the worst presents. It is a standby. A present needs to be given, but what to give? I'm sure they make tons of money on these presents that nobody uses. I'm okay with a lot of mine, I just take it back and get something better, or use it (guilty, but how many lotions do I need?). But really?

I've heard that no present is better than a crappy present. More green that is for sure. Bad presents just get thrown away. But think about it, you'd rather a present to feel loved wouldn't you? so what to get? Not lotion, not something that will be thrown away, so what?

When I worked at a place gift wrapping for Christmas I met this guy who came back every year. He was one of my favorites to wrap for, he had about 20 small presents I could wrap in my favorite boxes with whatever paper I wanted, so my scrap paper. What did he have? Gift cards. That is right he found the best presents he could get was a gift card to their favorite restaurant. Expected? Yes, but loved? Absolutely!

Other thoughtful ideas:

• sports tickets
• show tickets
• donation to a charity they love
• favorite photos
• scrapbook
• plants (living flowers last longer)
• dinner (this is how my one friend and I do birthdays, plus, you get something to!)
• food (it's the way to a guy's heart right?)

I've also recently started a gift list for myself. It seems a bit cheesy, and I'd rather be surprised, but if someone wants to get me something but has no idea what, there is a list they can choose from.