Reply to Unhappy with family gift

Forum Index » Family Relationships

Reply to "Unhappy with family gift"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]OP, I think you're finding it hard to picture what others here are describing as "experience" gifts. To many of us, giving an experience as a gift looks like this: Tickets to a show you know for sure they will want to attend, at a time they choose before you buy the tickets (and which does not involve your going with them). Or a gift certificate good for admission to a museum their kids will like. Or a year's membership/pass at a kids' museum/theater/amusement park they would like, which is [i]close to their home[/i], and which will enable them to go multiple times over a year, for instance. Again, without you or others having to attend alongside them.

None of those involves "get the [i]extended family together[/i] to do this experience." You're talking about making your gift an event that the recipients, you and your own family, and other family members (grandparents?) ALL do at the same time on the same day.

While such extended family outings are fine, making it your One True Christmas Gift is very likely making this one part of the family feel it's turned into an annual obligation, not a freely given gift they can enjoy at a time that works best for them. Yes, you coordinate when this "gift" event takes place and ask them for times, but I'm not sure why you can't see how -- even with coordinating times supposedly for everyone's convenience -- they may just not be into what might feel more like an annual summons to bring themselves and their kids to a family outing.

As someone else put it earlier, why not spend time with them throughout the year if family time together is so important, and then give them the gift of an experience for just their family to share? I think you mean well with the extended family outing each year, but can you see how it could start to feel like a chore, especially if you're doing it around the holidays each year, when people are so busy and often stressed?[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics