The Truth About "Fun Gifts."

At this time of year, retailers are very particular regarding the placement and display of their merchandise.  If you find yourself near the front of the store, the places that are purposely closest to the doors, and the checkout, you will find the stuff that nobody wants to unwrap. ever.


To the left is one of the displays that I saw at a local office supply place, the "fun" gifts one can grab on the way out, or make a quick dash in and purchase on the way to a holiday party in which gifts are expected and you just got the memo.

Anyway, this is what people buy when they are invited to a dinner or a party where they have to bring a small gift, but opening the small gift will not be part of the event, so luckily the gifter will be long gone before the gift is opened.  

Sure it's tempting to grab some of these jewels including a shoe shine kit, a holiday favorite, and a transistor radio (young people - google it) off the conveniently placed shelves BUT mark my word, in the end, when plastic is finally reveled as  China's Most Powerful Secret Weapon in the plot to take down the world and everyone in it,  these "perfect last minute gifts" will be singled out and held at least partially responsible for the Earth's demise.   Yeah, I bet you're feeling a little guilty now, aren't you?

 While this brazen display suggests that these are all the types of gifts that would be on everyone's gift list, don't be fooled. These are not the gifts for those hard to buy for.   However , you may want to consider buying theses gifts should you NEVER want to receive an invite to a certain party or dinner again,  Remember, you are not invited every year because you're popular, but because the guests lists are already made and stored on someone's computer, so you'd have to really stand out as a do-not-invite to be left off the hook, once on.  It will be very hard, almost impossible to say no, once you've said yes  (story of my life) but whatever it takes.  That's my motto.  If you want to be scratched off the party list, try one of these gifts. That should do the trick. 

Anyway, these are obviously the gifts no one would ever buy themselves.  Despite this reality,  some people  believe that others don't already own them, not because they don't want them, but because they couldn't find them, or didn't know they existed or .....something, I don't know.    "Oh, I never saw you wear a turban before, but  I figured you just didn't know (insert something good about turbans here or say you didn't think she knew where to buy them or she didn't know how great they would look on her".........etc.) 

The big question is......why a turban? 

Well, there are usually no answers to questions as such as this.   But putting the "why" aside, I'm going to go on record here and say that I  sure hope no one gets a me a turban for Christmas, because I am still getting over the "Pope pin" in brushed pewter, and approved by the Vatican that I received as a gift from my mother in the 80's. Sadly it was the easily the most expensive gift my mother every gave me, so chances are, she stole it.

No matter.

 I regifted it the next year.