What do most adults expect from their close friends for Christmas?
2006-12-03 01:42:53 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Other - Holidays
What a great question!
Depends on the closeness of the friends. You and your friends should have at least talked about this once. I have no idea what most people expect: I can tell you the kind of gifts that seem to warm people's hearts.
There are three kinds of gifts that bring good adult friends closer: the gift of your time, a gift you know someone longs for, and a gift to a charity that is close to your friend's heart.
1) Gift of time. Give your friend a booklet of "tickets" to spend time together -- movies, helping rake each other's yards, decorating Easter Eggs together, helping fix that fence that's _always_ leaning over, going to see his favorite "guy" movie with him, going to each other's kids' soccer games, helping run a kid's birthday party, or some other things you can do together and have a good experience. Make some that can be used all year round. There are good guy ideas, too.
2) That "osmosis" gift. If every time you walk past a particular store they stop, look at a particular item, and then smile and sigh, you might consider that item. (Not if it's a Multi-thousand dollar coat or piece of jewelry, I'd guess!). But look at them and their lives closely.
Do they never have a pen? Buy a box of their favorite pens (gel, roller point, whatever) at an office supply store. Ditto mechanical pencils, or whatever it is they can "never find!"
Do they really like new Christmas ornaments? Buy one that looks good to you, or reminds you of something you share.
Go to one of those "paint-it-yourself" ceramic stores and make him/her a salsa dish, an ice-cream bowl, a tray to put change and stuff on. It doesn't matter if you can paint: your time and thoughtfulness matters most. Or, even better! Take them with you and each of you make something!
If they are Jewish, something that is meaningful for Chanukah, or which will remind them of their childhood. A big bag of chocolate coins and some dreydels. (http://www.jewishsource.com/ is a great catalogue store, a little high end)
Books. Do they read? A good friend just gave me a box of (yes, used, but who cares?) books by an author I'd never heard of and she loved. It was wonderful. Even if you just give a copy of a book you read and thought was meaningful. Then go out to dinner and talk about it after you've both read it. Or a subscription to a magazine like Utne Reader, (http://www.utne.com/), The Economist (http://www.economist.com/) or something with articles you like to talk about. (Or give them subscriptions to the online versions.)
pictures: Do you have a picture of the two of you? Give him/her a copy. If you don't, you can go to a silly place (one of those sepia-tint Wild West studios?) and have one made, and give one in a frame. Or pictures of your family and theirs.
3) Lastly -- support something they love. Most of us have too much stuff in our homes anyway.
When I had money ;-), I would send a contribution to the favorite charity of my friend, especially if they were in a distant city, in their name.
The Susan G. Komen Foundation: An excellent charity that supports Breast Cancer prevention and support. (http://www.komen.org)
Habitat for humanity: (http://www.habitat.org/) help build and restore houses for people with low incomes. Or, better yet, get the two of you (and your friends) on a team and go to work days together!
A Local Food Bank. Their Church's building fund. Anything that is special to their heart. Unless you can't abide the thought of the organization, remember that it's for their love of it and in their honor.
I read a year or two ago of someone who "adopted" a section of road in honor of a friend -- some section the friend commuted over every day, so they could be reminded of their friendship every day.
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So --
Be thoughtful, clever, and think beyond a sweater (unless that's exactly what they want!) or a tie. Give of yourself, and add to your friendship.
2006-12-03 02:14:19 · answer #1 · answered by Patricia M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gift cards always work! For really close friends, you should get something more personal, that suits their interests hobbies, and personalities. Stay away from clothing, though.
2006-12-03 01:50:00 · answer #2 · answered by Holly 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The world would probably be a better place if we just stuck to children's toys for everyone on our list.
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2006-12-03 01:50:35 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just say 'Hello, how is it going'!
2006-12-03 02:07:31 · answer #4 · answered by Sami V 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋