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I'm feeling clueless on what to get my inlaws for christmas (hubby makes me decide). They are affluent and really have everything they need (and are quite picky). My MIL is a very healthy eater and works out a lot, they both like drinking. I think I have done holiday flowers, wine, foody gift baskets to death. I need more ideas. I've done donations a ton too...usually save those for mothers and fathers day.
Ummm never mind...I just found perfect gifts from both of them. Man, its a whole lot easier these days when I don't care what they think of me. But to be safe, I made it from my husband
OP, I see you resolved your issue but I'll post this in case it might help someone.
DH & I are in our 60s and financially comfortable. We'd rather no one give us gifts on any occasion. But they sometimes do, and the ones we've enjoyed most were premium brand tequila or other liquor, gift certificates to a favorite or new restaurant, and gift certificates for theater (musical or play) tickets. We seldom attend live sports events but those who do might like tickets to one.
What we don't want is any "durable" stuff, i.e. anything we have to store, carry, wear, display, etc. - unless it's something handmade or crafted by a giver who knows our tastes well. Several years ago one son gave us a charcoal sketch he had done of a corner in our garden. The other son isn't visually artistic but one year he got a friend to do a small water color from a photo we had of a favorite neighborhood in New Orleans. We cherish both.
I am a lot like your MIL. And, for others who may need ideas, I love good ground coffee. French Vanilla, Hazelnut, many flavors. My husband loves getting Starbucks gift cards. I also like bubble baths. I love good spices and tea. Also nice hand cream. I used to send my own parents a "fruit of the month" gift basket, and I would enjoy getting that, too. I would also like one of the wrist bands that measure your exercise and tell the quality of your sleep. I love Acorn slippers. I love PacSafe fanny packs or travel purses. Just a few ideas.....
This very evening, a couple of hours ago, I ordered a PacSafe fanny pack from Amazon. If someone had known I wanted one, it would have made a much-appreciated gift! Perhaps I - and others? - should make our Amazon wish lists public.
Premium tea bags or sachets, and nice high-end hand cream,
I'm feeling clueless on what to get my inlaws for christmas (hubby makes me decide). They are affluent and really have everything they need (and are quite picky). My MIL is a very healthy eater and works out a lot, they both like drinking. I think I have done holiday flowers, wine, foody gift baskets to death. I need more ideas. I've done donations a ton too...usually save those for mothers and fathers day.
Help?
The thing that confused me was why your husband would make you select the present for his parents. After all he has known them at least 20 or 30 years longer than you have and should know their tastes, interests and habits far better than you.
Is he just trying to get out of shopping?
The first year that I was married my husband said to me one time about mid October "Honey, Can you buy the Christmas presents for my family?". It was not even Halloween yet and I was certainly not thinking about Christmas so I responded "Maybe".
He never brought it up again until December 23---less than 24 hours before we were leaving to travel out of state to visit them and open the presents. He asked if I had made sure that I bought a present for each of his cousins, in addition to several presents a piece for his mom, dad, grandfather, grandmother, sister and brother.
Since he had never once mentioned it since October and I had not bought even one gift for them. It was an absolute nightmare. Going shopping on December 23 to buy over 20 presents for people that I did not really know. Some of the relatives I had only met one time at the wedding. Unfortunately he had an exam and could not go shopping that day and we would arrive at their house just in time for the gift exchange. I was pretty miffed that he just assumed that I had done all of the shopping even though I had never agreed to do it. He said that he thought that I had agreed to do it (in mid October) and why should he have to remind me about something that important.
The thing that confused me was why your husband would make you select the present for his parents. After all he has known them at least 20 or 30 years longer than you have and should know their tastes, interests and habits far better than you.
I noticed that too but let it slide because honestly in real life, spouses do all kinds of task-swapping.
For everything DH laid on me that I didn't really want to do, I handed him back something equally daunting.
We're in our 60s now and he haggles with all the insurance/Medicare folks on my behalf. That's worth way more than whatever time I spent through the years picking out his mom's Xmas presents.
Her husband didn't ask her to buy 20 presents for total strangers and he didn't forbid her to drink coffee or invite his 7 family members for an extended stay in their one-bedroom apartment.
The thing that confused me was why your husband would make you select the present for his parents. After all he has known them at least 20 or 30 years longer than you have and should know their tastes, interests and habits far better than you.
Is he just trying to get out of shopping?
The first year that I was married my husband said to me one time about mid October "Honey, Can you buy the Christmas presents for my family?". It was not even Halloween yet and I was certainly not thinking about Christmas so I responded "Maybe".
He never brought it up again until December 23---less than 24 hours before we were leaving to travel out of state to visit them and open the presents. He asked if I had made sure that I bought a present for each of his cousins, in addition to several presents a piece for his mom, dad, grandfather, grandmother, sister and brother.
Since he had never once mentioned it since October and I had not bought even one gift for them. It was an absolute nightmare. Going shopping on December 23 to buy over 20 presents for people that I did not really know. Some of the relatives I had only met one time at the wedding. Unfortunately he had an exam and could not go shopping that day and we would arrive at their house just in time for the gift exchange. I was pretty miffed that he just assumed that I had done all of the shopping even though I had never agreed to do it. He said that he thought that I had agreed to do it (in mid October) and why should he have to remind me about something that important.
Sheesh!
Been there and done that. It didn't happen twice. Unfortunately, or not, an inordinate number of gifts came from the liquor store. I later found out that he was in the habit of doing his Christmas shopping on the 23rd or 24th. He'd been doing it for years. After that, I told him to give me a list or do his own shopping. Surprisingly, he usually chose to shop.
Just curious, what did you get? I'm in the same boat each year with my parents and MIL
Inquiring minds want to know.
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This very evening, a couple of hours ago, I ordered a PacSafe fanny pack from Amazon. If someone had known I wanted one, it would have made a much-appreciated gift! Perhaps I - and others? - should make our Amazon wish lists public.
