Your HONEST opinion/reaction - E-mail I Received

[Anonymous]

For those of you that feel the e-mail is within the norm of social etiquette, how would you react if you found out YOUR sister sent out such an e-mail without your knowledge? Just curious. Me? Absolutely mortified!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally rubs me the wrong way. It's a shake-down for money. (A pay-pal account? Seriously?) If sister and husband can't afford to get her the present then they shouldn't get it... not shake her friends down for money. Ridiculous.

Yeah, I have to agree with this. They should get her a gift that they can afford. And this puts you in an awkward position, if you don't wish to contribute. I also don't understand why all of her friends are expected to give her a gift...she's 35, not 5. It's not even a major milestone birthday.

[Anonymous]

It's tacky yet very reflective of society today.

[Anonymous]

It's a little tacky. I could see maybe if it was her "40th" b-day" and the family had a disney trip planned and were having a surprise b-day party for her and thought the disney pass would be a good idea. The sister should have kept this email to family only. You've spent a good deal of $$ on this friend/family in 2 years and I think your card/small food gift cert. is good enough. Or just spend some time hanging with her and kids at the park and buy her an ice cream. My BFF's and I rarey exchange gifts anymore, we prefer to set a time to hang out with eachother instead. Life is so busy that it means more to spend time with friends than have them buy/send me a gift.

[Anonymous]

Gross, tacky, and quite frankly so very weird that a 35 year old would want a Disney pass. Ew. This chick should grow up already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's really tacky. My best friend just had a milestone 30th birthday and her husband asked everyone via email to send her a note for a scrap book he was putting together and a picture. Now that was sweet.

I love buying wedding gifts, kid b-day gifts, baby shower gifts, first time I meet the baby gift, hostess gifts, christmas gifts, etc. - but 35 year old b-day gifts for someone who I am not planning on seeing? That's not the norm and I would have no problem just ignoring that email.

My "milestone" 35th will arrive at the end of the year and I'll probably get a gift from my husband, inlaws, and parents, but that is it.

I did this for my husband's 30th birthday. I wanted him to know his friends were celebrating him, and couldn't think of a nicer way to show it. A big material gift, I would get myself.

Super tacky and would just ignore the email solicitation. Am appalled by others who don't think it's a big deal.

[Anonymous]

I would ignore it...I would be SO embarrassed if anyone did this on my behalf...

[Anonymous]

Ignore the email and do whatever you normally would for a 35 year old's b'day.

[Anonymous]

I think it's really tacky coming from her sister. If it was a friend who sent this email it would be more acceptable to me.

[Anonymous]

tacky

[Anonymous]

Not a big deal to me.

Now, if I found out MY friend had sent it on MY behalf I'd be embarrassed, yes, but it wouldn't upset me to receive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's really tacky. My best friend just had a milestone 30th birthday and her husband asked everyone via email to send her a note for a scrap book he was putting together and a picture. Now that was sweet.

I love buying wedding gifts, kid b-day gifts, baby shower gifts, first time I meet the baby gift, hostess gifts, christmas gifts, etc. - but 35 year old b-day gifts for someone who I am not planning on seeing? That's not the norm and I would have no problem just ignoring that email.

My "milestone" 35th will arrive at the end of the year and I'll probably get a gift from my husband, inlaws, and parents, but that is it.

. I agree with this post. I, too, love celebrating the good times with my friends, but for some reason it gets under my skin when adults make a big deal about birthdays. I know I sound like a total Scrooge, but I swear I'm not - this is just a pet peeve of mine. If this email was to solicit for some other type of gift, then it wouldn't bother me, but a birthday? Come on. Let her sister and husband get the pass, and you can give the bday card, as planned. (A card is great by the way, especially with the sbux bonus!)

[Anonymous]

So very tacky! Don't all the people she sent the e-mail to have birthdays as well? Are she and her sister going to buy presents for all of these people when their birthdays roll around? I just don't understand the general assumption that on this random birthday, all her friends are going to pony up money for a birthday present, especially when there is no party planned and it's not even a milestone birthday.

[Anonymous]

Beyond B-Day Parties for children and on very rare occasional milestones, I don't get the whole idea of birthdays having any significance whatsoever beyond closest family members.

However, for some people it seems to be a big deal. Some people tell you weeks or months in advance when their birthdays are approaching. My reaction is always the same. I always think, "Why are you telling me this? Why in the world would you think that I have any interest in your birthday?"

I think that some people regardless of their ages believe birthdays are an opportunity to declare a "ME Day". It's my birthday so I shouldn't have to work very hard today and I am very willing to accept gifts from anyone and everyone.

It's all gross, disgusting, and very low class. It's a very self-serving way of declaring a "Me Day". Get over it. No one besides your closest family and friends care a hoot about what day of the year in which you happened to have been born.

[Anonymous]

Tacky shakedown.