Birthday Woes

[mama24boyz]

OK, does anyone else get this or is it just me? My bday is in 10 days and so everyone (Brother, Kids, Mom, MIL.....) keeps asking me what I want. Simple enough, anything crafty, yarn or GC to Wm/Michaels. Pretty easy right? And what wonderful gifts, right?

 

Well, NO!! They all look at me and roll their eyes and say "I'm not getting you that!" OMG! If your not gonna get me what I ask for, then don't ask me what I want! Ohwell. I guess we'll see. But does anyone elses family do that?

[segi1974]

My DH and DS doesn't ask they know it is either a GC from AC Moore, Michaels or Kohls. They know that will make me happy.

[CrisKad]

Roll your eyes and them and then tell them you want money if they won't get you what you want. This way, you can buy what you want anyway!

 

My DH is pretty good at getting my what I want. My last birthday he bought me a bunch of Patons Merino wool.

[stitchgirl]

I agree with you, if they don't want to know, they shouldn't ask in the first place. Nobody asks me.

[crochetluvknot]

I am the same way mine is in 12 days and hubby says I don't need any yarn or hooks or books but ya know I can just come up with nothing I want/need I did get tickets to the Toby concert tonight so I guess I can't ask for more.

[Feederofthepack]

It has taken years to convince them I want yarn or GCs! Most of the family live in a small town with no craft stores or computers (the older folks). Now I usually get Walmart GCs because that's all they have.

[Sylviaf]

I will often give specific ideas, like a certain pattern, or a number of skeins of a particular yarn, or some hooks I would never buy for myself. That gives them them the fun of shopping and wrapping a gift and I get what I want. (My brother in law, for example, hates to get or give cash or gift cards, which complicates things for my sister, but he doesn't care what kind of actual gifts they give or he receives.)

[Robyn]

My mother has only really gotten me what I really want once or twice...She never listens; this year she brought me a ring that was my grandmother's. That's fine, except that I only wear three rings and won't wear anything like that one even if I wore more.

 

Hubby does get me though; he knows either books or yarn and I'm happy. His family hasn't really known me long enough to figure it out yet, but they just gave me money this last birthday so that worked out fine.

[Tampa Doll]

No one really understands. Hey they could get you a Jimbo hook or a Turn of the century hook or a specific pattern book you want.

Now I have a sister who also knits and crochets and when we did exchange gifts (2 yrs ago). I sent oranges and grapefruits from florida, she got me a t-shirt. Now what I sent was a bushell and it was for the whole family. The biggest joke was she always said I was hard to buy for.

So it is not just non crafters who do't give craft gifts it is also crafters. Go figure. This problem has been fixed, we don't exchange any more.

[CroJulee]

Wow, I'm not completely alone then. My family is the same way. They no longer get me anything crochet related. Instead they buy me clothes and that sort of thing. Just nothing crafty or Country music related. No, even though I love those 2 things and horses more than anything.

 

Julee

[redbird51]

i love to read and have asked for amazon, etc, gcs. i also love crochet and have asked for gc from michaels, hobby lobby, etc. my dh, ds, and dd will do this but other family members won't. i don't get it because it's still a gift and one that i will truly enjoy. when i buy gifts i try to ask what the person wants and get it. gc's included.

[ldyer1]

LOL I now just ask for an activity or experience. Mine is next Tuesday, and I asked to go to the beach. Last year dh booked a whale watch which was ossom!

[RoseRed]

Right there with ya! Nobody seems to think that yarn makes a GREAT present.

 

I had the same problem when I wanted a Chia Pet. (this was years ago) Everyone asked me what I wanted and for 3 years of bdays and Xmas's and Mother's Days and V Days, etc all I said was "I want a Chia Pet!"

 

I finally got one, jumped up and down, screamed, did the happy dance and ya know what!?! I hated the **** thing. After it starts growing it just starts to smell bad. lolol

[crazycrochet]

Guess I am lucky on this point, my family gets it. It was easier for them to put money or a check in a card. Frankly I love it, I am able to get what I want. At Christmas time GC are the rule. I usually try to get one small gift and then GC's. Besides GC'c are easier and cheaper to send through the mail. Besides at our ages if we want something, both DH and I just go get it.

[nnt]

My DH says the SAME THING every Mothers day, birthday, or Christmas! "That's not a present! I want to get you something that's (get this) USEFUL". :think:think

 

Whatever.

[JennyBunny]

Wow, I'm not completely alone then. My family is the same way. They no longer get me anything crochet related. Instead they buy me clothes and that sort of thing. Just nothing crafty or Country music related. No, even though I love those 2 things and horses more than anything.

 

Julee

 

With my family, they explained they didn't want to give me something I already had, or something I couldn't use, or a color I didn't like, and don't want to give anything as impersonal as cash or a gift card. So I end up thinking long and hard for what I want, or what's out of my price range, and make up a s detailed a list as possible, even if it's just "Size 3 yarn, any color but yellow"... And I taught my mom how to read a skein label to make it even easier.

[mellybelly]

My DH and I don't do gifts. I made it a rule. I've bought him things he SAID he'd like to have for birthdays and Christmases, and EVERY TIME he takes them back. For our 1st anniversary, I bought him a NICE watch (since his had died) and he hated that too. He'll ask me what I want, then tell me 'Well thats not a gift!' or 'You don't need that!' or blah blah blah. THEN he'll go to WM and buy me a card and the ugliest shirt he can find. LOL SO, now we just give each other cash. No standing in line to exchange things that way!

I agree though.....if someone asks what you want, then you tell them, WHY can't they just accept that? They might not think its a nice gift, but if thats what you WANT, then it IS a nice gift!

[christinanthemum]

My husband won't get me yarn or normal hooks, GCs for birthday/holidays 'cause he knows that his entire extended family will do that for me.

 

So I don't mind.

 

My family, on the other hand, is random. Mom makes me things (she crochets as well), Dad is random in his gifts (an old photo of his mom, sparkling grape juice...), but my sis gives GCs! I love yarn...

[mama24boyz]

Well, now I feel like I'm not alone in this! Its not really a bad thing, just found it odd and wondered if it was just me. Hey, maybe with me continuosly asking they'll get the hint. I'll update you all in 9 days to let you know what I got and see if they get it yet.

[Lady_of_Roses]

We used to be sort of annoying in the same way to my mom when we were growing up. It wasn't meant maliciously, it was because we wanted to get her something unique and memorable. Adding yarn to a big stash doesn't seem like it's going to be very memorable to the receiver, does it?

 

Maybe if you asked for specific very special items you'd have more luck? If you let them know it's something you really want, but you wouldn't splurge to buy it for yourself, you'd get it. Just a thought.

 

Oh, and if someone actually does buy me a gift card / sends me money, I make a point of contacting them after I spend it and let them know just how excited and happy I was because I was able to purchase <whatever> with it. I've found that it helps a lot that they know I got something I really liked.

[Ninn]

Funny, my family really seems to get it. Last year, when I told my husband I wanted to raise a pig for meat, he got me a piglet for my birthday and paid for all the feed.

 

This year, when I told him all I wanted was lumber for my veggie beds, he happily complied. (He drew the line at buying dirt though)

 

The only time he didn't listen after asking was when I said I wanted new pots and pans one year for Christmas. He just looked at me and said "do I LOOK like an idiot? I don't care how much you want them, if I give them to you for Christmas, I will never hear the end of it!!!(he was probably right. I got yarn that year.........lol)

 

I do keep a little list in my purse of things I want that I haven't had a chance to buy yet. It's very easy for me to tell someone that I want X book and it's cheaper at Y store. I'd love to have it, as it's on my reading list and I haven't had time to get it. This works nearly every time.

 

Most of my family is crafty, too. So things like yarn organizers, felted hook cases, new patterns, binders and sleeves for patterns we found online, all of these have been great gifts.

 

Hubby just mentioned the other day that I am due for more yarn, as I am out of cotton. How many husbands notice that? He didn't even blink when I told him to wait, as I'd just spent 30 bux on wool! I am really lucky, I guess.

[jura2908]

in my family the adults do not exchange gifts for birthdays. instead we all go out for a big family dinner.

[happy stitcher]

I keep a wish list all year long....

Whenever I see something I want, I make a note of it.

If I find it on sale or something and buy it for myself, I remove it.

Then when somebody asks me what I want, I can go right to the list.

 

By doing this, I accumulate things that aren't crafty, although one of the top things on my list is always a JoAnn's gift card!

[boksie]

I like GCs for birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversary and Mothers Day. I do not like them for Christmas because it ends up everyone getting everyone a GC and what's the point?