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Submitted by NOTCOT on December 4th, 2008

There are so many beautiful and crazy clocks out there ~ alarm clocks that trigger LED lights to help plants grow, exposed-gear timepieces, a Rubik’s Cube clock … However, in Chinese culture, it is considered bad luck to get a clock or a watch as a gift. Getting a clock as a gift is interpreted as the gift giver counting down to the recipient’s death. Also, the spoken word for “clock” in Chinese sounds similar to a phrases relating to death and funerals. If you didn’t know this cultural taboo and have accidentally offended a Chinese person with a bad luck gift, there is an out. You just have to allow the person to give you a small amount of money so that the item is no longer considered a gift.

Submitted by Uncrate on December 4th, 2008

Contrary to popular belief and a 200 year old song, a partridge in a pear tree would not make a good gift. Even if you can get past the logistics of seeing your uncle Hal walking through the foyer with a large, planted fruit tree in which a bulbous pheasant is residing, the obvious question is where in the heck are you going to plant this tree, and, more importantly, what does a partridge eat? You better hope it’s pears.

Submitted by Trend Hunter on December 4th, 2008

Since Trend Hunter is all about innovation, we see a lot of incredibly
unique gift ideas. In reality, however, good gifts are hard to come by.

On that note, have you ever received a really bad Christmas present? One
where you just knew the horror was showing in your eyes when you grinned,
grinding your teeth in an attempted polite smile, as you thanked the
generous gifter? Yah, so have I. It’s tough because I am so grateful
when people think of me, but honestly, sometimes a card or a nice afternoon
stroll with a cup of coffee would be giving me so much more. READ THE REST…

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 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.