Random Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years/Year End Thoughts (2025)

[kphoger]

For Christmas I got y'all a nice shiny padlock.

For Christmas I got my wife a nice shiny padlock.  And I'm not even kidding.

We've been going to the gym a lot lately, as she's been on a journey to get healthier.  For Christmas this year, I bought her a gym bag so she can wear a jacket and thicker pants or whatever in the car on the way to/from the gym during the winter.  And, to go along with that, I also got her a padlock to put on the locker door.

I must say, though, that when she unwrapped the padlock first, she was a bit confused...

[vdeane]

I must say, though, that when she unwrapped the padlock first, she was a bit confused...

Dad sometimes has Mom unwrap presents in a certain order for that reason.  The Brita gets unwrapped before the Brita filter, and the box of a dozen suet things gets unwrapped before the box that contains the one that comes free with the purchase of a dozen.

[kphoger]

Carrie grew up spending her Christmas holidays with her extended family in the Twin Cities.  One staple for the season at her aunt's house was 'Christmas tea'.  Carrie doesn't like tea, but this is doctored up enough to barely qualify as tea anymore, and it also gives her nostalgic warm fuzzies to smell it and taste it in the mug.  She's come down with a cold recently, and she asked me to make a batch for her today.  I don't stick exactly to her aunt's recipe, but I do stay pretty close to it;  it's mainly the procedure that I tweak, not the ingredients.

2½ quarts water
6 black tea bags
Simmer in a pot till steeped to your liking.

1 cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup orange juice
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

That's it!  Heat back up to a simmer, remove from the stove, and ladle into mugs.  If it weren't a family tradition, then I'd probably put a cinnamon stick in there too, but that's not part of the recipe.

[kphoger]

Today is the last day of Christmastide (the 12 days of Christmas), with Epiphany tomorrow.  Our family does a big holiday meal (and other traditions) on Epiphany, whose main dish is always Rouladen.  For that, the recipe I made several years ago calls for bottom round (rump steak).  In the past, I'd find bottom round steaks at the local Kroger variant, walk them over to the meat counter, and have the butcher there run them twice through the tenderizer.  But a couple of years ago, they got rid of the tenderizer.  On the hunt I went, and I found out that a locally owned grocery store here carries pre-packaged round steaks that have already been run through the tenderizer, so that's where I buy the beef for Epiphany now.  But, of course, it's top round instead of bottom round.

Since I've made the switch, I've come to find that I actually prefer the top round, as it seems to come out a little more tender in the end.  To cook them, I further pound the steaks out with a tenderizing mallet till they're quite thin, salt and pepper them, spread them with coarse mustard, wrap them up around pickle spears and onion slices and pieces of bacon, flour and sear them, then simmer them—along with thyme, bay leaves, celery, carrot, and parsnip—for more than an hour in a combination of beef broth, red wine, and Worcestershire sauce.  After that long process, even though bottom round has more marbling than top round, the top round comes out more tender than bottom round in the end.

[formulanone]

The older I get, the more I understand getting restaurant gift cards and "a donation in your name" notions.

Our home is awash in stuff collecting dust, past toys stored away seemingly forever, outgrown goods, and forgotten technology. The thoughts that count do not add up forever, they're parts of a moment for now but unknown for the ages to come.

[kphoger]

My wife and I got a gift card to the movie theater for Christmas.  We looked, and nothing at the theater interests us.

[Rothman]

My wife and I got a gift card to the movie theater for Christmas.  We looked, and nothing at the theater interests us.

Reminds me of the time my sister-in-law got us gift certificates for a movie chain that didn't exist within 200 miles of our home...

[1995hoo]

My wife and I got a gift card to the movie theater for Christmas.  We looked, and nothing at the theater interests us.

I remember the year my father got me a CD boxed set, the Who's Thirty Years of Maximum R&B. What he forgot is that he had given me a copy of that same CD boxed set as a birthday present the year before.

The older I get, the more I understand getting restaurant gift cards and "a donation in your name" notions.

Our home is awash in stuff collecting dust ....

My wife's father's late second wife* used to comment on that as she got older—"Please don't get me more things I'm going to have to dust."

*I'm not sure what the correct term is. My wife's mother died and her father remarried, but my wife was already grown up and thus the second wife didn't adopt her, so "stepmother" doesn't feel correct to me.

[kphoger]

My wife's father's late second wife*

*I'm not sure what the correct term is.

"father-in-law's late second wife"

[ModernDayWarrior]

The older I get, the more I understand getting restaurant gift cards and "a donation in your name" notions.

Our home is awash in stuff collecting dust, past toys stored away seemingly forever, outgrown goods, and forgotten technology. The thoughts that count do not add up forever, they're parts of a moment for now but unknown for the ages to come.

Works every time.

In all seriousness, I'm a big fan of "experiences" rather than "things" when it comes to Christmas and birthday gifts. Tickets to a concert or a sporting event, a night in a fancy hotel, that sort of thing. My dad and I have been giving each other tickets to college basketball games for several years now. (My brother was in on this too, but he passed away in March 2023.)

[formulanone]

My wife and I got a gift card to the movie theater for Christmas.  We looked, and nothing at the theater interests us.

Reminds me of the time my sister-in-law got us gift certificates for a movie chain that didn't exist within 200 miles of our home...

That's challenge accepted material on this forum.

[ZLoth]

Our home is awash in stuff collecting dust, past toys stored away seemingly forever, outgrown goods, and forgotten technology. The thoughts that count do not add up forever, they're parts of a moment for now but unknown for the ages to come.

What I'm about to say is nothing new, but I'll say it again in a different way.

When I was growing up younger, I was told that giving a "gift certificate" was the "most thoughtless gift" that you can give. You are so insincere that you can't be bothered to give five minutes to giving some thought to giving and gift certificates says you are impersonal and a jerk. Years ago, "gift certificates" gave way to "gift cards". The result, from my viewpoint, is the receipt of useless baubles and trinkets that end up either being thrown away or regifted. I did quite a bit of purging when I moved from California to Texas.

As an older adult, I would much rather receive a gift card rather than a gift. Being that we live in the digital age, some items can only be purchased digitally with no physical substitute. My preferred retailers include:

• Amazon
• Audible (though gift credits)
• Steam
• Home Depot
• Lowes

In fact, when it comes to technology, I would rather be purchasing it rather than trust someone who isn't tech knowledgeable at all, including what specs are extremely important. I also have several friends who are financially challenges, so sending them a Walmart card or a nearby market would help them out more than trying to figure out what they want.

Years ago, I would give CDs, DVDs, or BluRays as gifts, but considering that physical media is now a niche market, it doesn't work anymore.

[kphoger]

Years ago, I would give CDs, DVDs, or BluRays as gifts, but considering that physical media is now a niche market, it doesn't work anymore.

I still remember the day that I made a mixtape for my sister and she told me she no longer has anything that can play a cassette tape.

[Max Rockatansky]

Years ago, I would give CDs, DVDs, or BluRays as gifts, but considering that physical media is now a niche market, it doesn't work anymore.

I still remember the day that I made a mixtape for my sister and she told me she no longer has anything that can play a cassette tape.

My wife likes physical media and usually requests DVDs as gifts.  She wanted the Snoopy Reunion DVD this year for Christmas.  I can't complain since it only cost me $5.

[thenetwork]

Our home is awash in stuff collecting dust, past toys stored away seemingly forever, outgrown goods, and forgotten technology. The thoughts that count do not add up forever, they're parts of a moment for now but unknown for the ages to come.

What I'm about to say is nothing new, but I'll say it again in a different way.

When I was growing up younger, I was told that giving a "gift certificate" was the "most thoughtless gift" that you can give. You are so insincere that you can't be bothered to give five minutes to giving some thought to giving and gift certificates says you are impersonal and a jerk. Years ago, "gift certificates" gave way to "gift cards". The result, from my viewpoint, is the receipt of useless baubles and trinkets that end up either being thrown away or regifted. I did quite a bit of purging when I moved from California to Texas.

As an older adult, I would much rather receive a gift card rather than a gift. Being that we live in the digital age, some items can only be purchased digitally with no physical substitute. My preferred retailers include:

• Amazon
• Audible (though gift credits)
• Steam
• Home Depot
• Lowes

In fact, when it comes to technology, I would rather be purchasing it rather than trust someone who isn't tech knowledgeable at all, including what specs are extremely important. I also have several friends who are financially challenges, so sending them a Walmart card or a nearby market would help them out more than trying to figure out what they want.

Years ago, I would give CDs, DVDs, or BluRays as gifts, but considering that physical media is now a niche market, it doesn't work anymore.

Just give everybody batteries -- devices NOT included!

[english si]

When I was growing up younger, I was told that giving a "gift certificate" was the "most thoughtless gift" that you can give. You are so insincere that you can't be bothered to give five minutes to giving some thought to giving and gift certificates says you are impersonal and a jerk.

I find gifts that don't seem to know me at all much more thoughtless than gift cards that I'm unlikely to use. Perhaps because the gift is meant to be sincere and personal and a gift card isn't and so it matters less that the givers have given me something I don't want?

I have said 'cash' as a gift card when asked what gift card I would like next time as a thank you by a group that I helped after the group's leader found out that I had used previous gift cards to buy birthday/xmas presents for others as I didn't personally like the stuff on sale at either of the shops the gift cards were for (which was as much a me problem as a choice-of-card problem). I was told that the group would see giving cash as a gift as rude for them to give (as it would be considered low effort on their part, even though the finding out that that's what I wanted took far more effort than the few seconds picking up a gift card at the till of a shop at pretty much all of the group visited often would be). I went with Amazon in the end, as it was at least likely I'd spend it on myself, rather than getting something for someone else.

However, the right gift card - that shows that you know the person well - is far better than a gift that they aren't fussed about, or cash they could use anywhere (eg I'm sure the recipients of the cinema gift cards mentioned upthread would rather have had the cash value instead!). It's thoughtful, considerate and sincere.

As an older adult, I would much rather receive a gift card rather than a gift.

I don't mind gift cards if I'm likely to spend it, and I definitely don't mind cash at all.

However I quite like some things to unwrap and giving things that I need to wrap. But unless it's consumable (toiletries, food, drink) then it ought to be something explicitly asked for by the recipient. I did break that rule this Christmas by getting my goddaughter a hairbrush and mirror set with her favourite character on it, rather than expensive makeup she asked me to get, but I knew it would be both loved and used.

[kphoger]

I was told that the group would see giving cash as a gift as rude for them to give (as it would be considered low effort on their part, even though the finding out that that's what I wanted took far more effort than the few seconds picking up a gift card at the till of a shop at pretty much all of the group visited often would be).

I figure it's actually more of a hassle for my bosses to get a $100 bill from the bank than it is to get a $100 gift card from a retail store.

[PColumbus73]

I prefer cash over a prepaid Visa (or Mastercard) gift card. They seem to be more of a hassle when trying to buy something, keeping track of remaining balance.

Food or store gift cards are fine-ish, but I'm sure I have a few gift cards with pocket change in them I either have or have thrown away.

[1995hoo]

I was told that the group would see giving cash as a gift as rude for them to give (as it would be considered low effort on their part, even though the finding out that that's what I wanted took far more effort than the few seconds picking up a gift card at the till of a shop at pretty much all of the group visited often would be).

I figure it's actually more of a hassle for my bosses to get a $100 bill from the bank than it is to get a $100 gift card from a retail store.

I just go to the ATM, hit "Select my own bills" after punching in the amount of money I want, and tell it I want a $100.

[kphoger]

And I still remember the time that my wife and I went out on a date to a restaurant my sister had given us a gift card to.  After we enjoyed our dinner and gave the waitress our gift card, we found out there was hardly any money at all on the card.

My sister's best guess is that a company client of  hers had used that gift card and, instead of it being thrown away later, it ended up back in the bowl of client gift cards—and then she unknowingly grabbed an empty one to give us as a Christmas gift.  (I suppose that was better than it ending up a client's hands, especially considering she works in financial planning.)

[vdeane]

Food or store gift cards are fine-ish, but I'm sure I have a few gift cards with pocket change in them I either have or have thrown away.

At least store gift cards can be run on a larger transaction and then automatically leave the remainder for cash/card.  Those Visa gift cards require keeping track and hopefully the merchant's system can manually process just that balance without putting a hold for the full amount.

[PColumbus73]

Food or store gift cards are fine-ish, but I'm sure I have a few gift cards with pocket change in them I either have or have thrown away.

At least store gift cards can be run on a larger transaction and then automatically leave the remainder for cash/card.  Those Visa gift cards require keeping track and hopefully the merchant's system can manually process just that balance without putting a hold for the full amount.

A problem I've had is forgetting the remaining balance and having the card declined as 'insufficient funds'

[Takumi]

Years ago, I would give CDs, DVDs, or BluRays as gifts, but considering that physical media is now a niche market, it doesn't work anymore.

I still remember the day that I made a mixtape for my sister and she told me she no longer has anything that can play a cassette tape.

My wife likes physical media and usually requests DVDs as gifts.  She wanted the Snoopy Reunion DVD this year for Christmas.  I can't complain since it only cost me $5.

I've requested that my wife get me some CDs for my birthday next month.

[Scott5114]

I was told that the group would see giving cash as a gift as rude for them to give (as it would be considered low effort on their part...

If only problem they had with giving you cash was that it would be considered low effort, you could always just ask for a specific serial number.

[ZLoth]

It is now the 18th of January... and I finally have removed the Christmas decorations. All that needs to be done is move them into the storage area above my garage.

Why the delay? Usually, my target is to get the decorations put away by first weekend in January, however...

My 84yo mother falling and going to the hospital was not on my Christmas BINGO card.

She was transferred to a rehab hospital within 24 hours, and returned home on January 7th. I wanted to leave the tree up a few more days after her return. However, her care made taking decorations a slow effort. Plus, some of the decorations have batteries that must be removed prior to storage.