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Submitted by NOTCOT on December 18th, 2008

Flowers are a no-brainer gift, right? Well, like most gifts, they can get a little complicated. In Europe, it is considered bad luck to get an even number of flowers as a gift. White flowers symbolize death in Japan, and white chrysanthemums are mainly used for funerals in Belgium, Spain, China and France. In the states, we think of yellow as the color of friendship. However, yellow flowers symbolize death in Mexico and infidelity in France. Flowers have traditional meanings associated with them in U.S. culture as well. Each flower has a meaning. Most of them are positive, but there are some surprise negative meanings. Marigolds symbolize cruelty and jealousy. Snapdragons symbolize deceit. Hydrangeas are “heartless,” and foxglove is “insincere.”  Of course, not all flower meanings are negative. For instance, the gardenia means “secret love.” Probably not the message you want to send to your boss, mother-in-law or accountant.

Submitted by Alison Storm on December 18th, 2008

I have a small circle of high school friends. Even though we live in five different states we work hard to keep in touch. We exchange phone calls and e-mails and birthday cards. We’ve forked over big bucks for bridesmaid dresses for each other’s weddings. We’ve spent large chunks of our paychecks on plane tickets to Vegas for our annual gathering. And every year we buy each other Christmas presents, carefully wrap them up, and ship them off as another way to show our friendship.

But this year one of girls in this intimate circle (we’ll call her Friend B) decided that with the state of the economy our decade-old tradition of exchanging Christmas gifts should be halted. Friend B’s e-mail read,

‘the main thing that I wanted to bring up is the gift exchange thing. I know that every year I feel very strapped financially and I also don’t have as much time to shop for great gifts as I would like… so I was thinking that maybe we should not exchange gifts this year due to all of the economic strain and all of us having not as much free time as we would like. What do you think about this idea? If you still really want to do the gift thing let me know, but I will just have to do small items.’ READ THE REST…

Submitted by Lea on December 18th, 2008

The worst gift I received was one from a former boyfriend that bought and presented a gift to me that was actually something he wanted for himself. It was a gift so obviously meant for himself that I had to ask him 3 times if he really thought this was a good gift for me.

At the end of it, he did keep the item (at his place, not mine) but he also bought me a make-up gift – a nice piece of jewelry.

Submitted by jen on December 17th, 2008

my grandmother is famous in the gift giving world. a few year’s ago she bought all of the college-aged boys large, stuffed christmas rats. i’m not even kidding here- think 4-feet tall christmas rat- FAR from a college kid’s dream. upon opening, the guys just looked… confused. i got a kick out of it, since a few years earlier i had received earrings for my unpierced ears. how thoughtful, grandma…

photo by balutpalooza

Submitted by Uncrate on December 15th, 2008

You should listen to Ralphie Parker — he knows a thing or two about what makes a good gift. Taken directly from his “What I Want for Christmas” school theme: “What I want for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time. I think that everybody should have a Red Ryder BB gun. They’re very good for Christmas. I don’t think that a football’s a very good Christmas present.” Rarely had the words poured from his penny pencil with such feverish fluidity. And while it’s true, that the football won’t shoot your eye out, it definitely also won’t lead to imaginative gun battles with the local Black Bart.

Submitted by Sacha Lien on December 15th, 2008

After I graduated from College my father announced that he was planning a Graduation party for me. I was excited and appreciative until it became clear that this was really an excuse for him to show me off to his friends rather than a party for me and my buddies from high school. I wanted to invite more of my friends. He said there would be too many people. After some heated discussions we compromised and I got to invite some of my friends but nowhere near the number I would have liked.

Cut to the night of the party and a friend of my father’s, who I had never met before, shows up with a gift for me. I see this look of horror on her face as she’s introduced to me. We talk briefly but she seemed more uncomfortable as the conversation wore on, so I quickly ended the interaction and left.

Later, when I unwrap presents I discover that this friend, whom I had never met, thought I was a daughter and not a son graduating from College (the name Sacha doesn’t help) and her present was a gift of MAKEUP.

My father was mortified (as I’m sure she was) and was apologetic for days.

When in doubt, get a gift card!!!!

Submitted by Michael on December 14th, 2008

I have an aunt who has no concept of what’s appropriate, gift-wise. One year, when I was in college, she sent me underwear with my college’s mascot on it.

Now, setting aside the weirdness of getting underwear from your aunt… She lived in another state. I was *in college* at the time. Which means that she went to the trouble of ordering underwear from the college I was attending, having it delivered to her hundreds of miles away, and then sending it back to me, where I was living three blocks from the store she ordered it from. And this was pre-internet. She probably had to research it, call long distance, etc. Amazing.

photo by chadmagiera

Submitted by Robert G. on December 14th, 2008

Already overweight as child ,my 3rd grade class drew names for Christmas,and what did I get?… candy