Holidays are some of the most important times of our lives. Especially ones that require giving and getting gifts. (Mostly getting.) For us women, we can't wait until it's time to blow out candles, unwrap presents or chew on chocolate hearts all day. So when special holidays like Christmas, Valentine's Day, birthdays and anniversaries roll around, we expect the person that we're dating to make the occasion even more spectacular with nice gifts and cute little gestures. But when you don't get that three-tier cake, gold designer watch or dream vacay that you'd been hinting at for the past few months, how do you handle the let-down? What do you do if your man buys a gift you hate?
True story: A while back, I was with a guy that I had been dating for a few years and things were going pretty good. So when the Christmas season shuffled in, I decided I was going to surprise him with a few things that I knew he really wanted and needed. I put a lot of effort into getting him a touching present that year. I even made sure I wrapped it up all neat and cute. At the time, he had lost his job and things had gotten pretty rough for him financially, so I knew his circumstances; but despite his tight budget, he'd still assured me that he had a nice surprise for me for the holiday. Needless to say, I was amped!
Christmas day rolls around and I'm all worked up, ready to see what this big heart-melter would be. I gave him his gift first, and he loved it (as I knew he would)! It was my turn to open mine and, at first, he acted like he wasn't able to come up with the money to buy me anything. Pissed and disappointed, I laid down with my arms over my head, eyes closed. Suddenly, I felt him struggling to put something around my wrist. Now I'm pumped thinking that he somehow came up with a decent chunk of change to get me a nice wristlet or something. All smiles, I opened up my eyes and saw this fool clamping on a cheesy-looking bracelet that came with a four-piece costume jewelry set that he got from some fake-jewelry selling spot in NYC. (Don't laugh.)
I was weak! Part of me wanted to laugh in his face, another side of me was pissed, and a portion of me felt sorry for him because besides him not having a lot of funds, I knew that nobody had ever really taught him how to select nice things for a lady. But overall, (you guessed it) I was disappointed. Despite my mixed negative emotions, I put on a fake smile and thanked him for my cheap ass gifts; all the while thinking, "I can't believe he really thinks he did something special by giving me this turn-your-neck green jewelry). But I looked at his wide grin and how proud he was to have gotten me something and I just couldn't bring myself to crush his spirit.
Hey, it's really the thought that counts anyway, right?
Pretending to enjoy a gift is all fine and dandy if you want to save your man's feelings, but the big problem with "faking it" in situations like this is that your beau will probably continue to get you things that you don't like because he's been tricked into thinking that you really do. So should you just come clean right smack dab in the middle of the moment, no matter how much it might bruise his ego? Or do you keep it fake and safe for the time-being but later guide him to choosing better selections for you in the future?
This can be a tough call, but let's hear your thoughts ladies: what would you do if your man got you a holiday gift that you didn't like?
The post What Would You Do?: Your Man Buys A Gift You Hate appeared first on MommyNoire.
