Sunday, February 10, 2013

What NOT to Get Me for Valentine's Day

Just $45+shipping for this 26" pink monstrosity.
It's that time again... Listicles! This week, in honour of the crassly commercialized Hallmark holiday Valentine's Day, the topic is 10 gifts NOT to get me for V-Day. I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of this holiday & we don't really make a big deal out of it in our household. I prefer Christmas & Halloween, even Easter & Thanksgiving because of the family dinners that go with them. But I'll play along. I've come up with a list of gifts that just ain't gonna do it for me. Some will be universally hated, some you'll probably scratch your head at because they're just my idiosyncrasies, hopefully the rest will at least make you laugh, if nothing else.
  1. A bouquet of tulips. Yes, they're colourful & they're flowers, but they're also usually THE cheapest ones you can get, available at any grocery store & they wilt in seconds flat. If you're going to go the traditional route with flowers, get something that doesn't say, "I'm a skinflint & I snagged these at the Safeway on my way home from work."
  2. A heart-shaped box of chocolates from the drug store. Yes, they are called chocolates, but seriously? They're usually just a whole lotta sugar & wax with a bit of chocolate flavouring in there somewhere. Get a smaller quantity of quality chocolates, perhaps even fair trade. Bonus points if it comes in a package that's actually recyclable!
  3. Lingerie that you think is sexy. It'll quite likely be too small & if it's too big, you're in serious trouble. Even if it does fit, I'll probably never wear it again because it's itchy or bunches or something.
  4. Floral perfume. Hate the stuff. Every time I smell it on someone, I get a sneezing fit. I've always liked scents that are really simple & generally smell edible, like vanilla, spices, fruit. But it's been years since I actually used perfume, so don't bother anyway.
  5. A stuffed animal. Particularly one with "Happy Valentine's Day" embroidered onto it, or a heart sewn to its paws. I'm a grown woman. Why in the world would I want a dust collector plush toy as a gift?
  6. Diamond jewellery. Not that I think I am in danger of receiving this, but I wouldn't want it. I'm not into dropping a whole bunch of cash on this particular holiday. I'd rather the money went toward something more useful, like a dishwasher. Plus, if you want to get a conflict-free diamond, you have to spend a LOT of money. 
  7. Heart-shaped stuff in general. Not sure why, but hearts just ain't my thing. Too girly or something. It's not that I hate them, but they just seem too overdone, especially at this time of year. If you got me something that was the shape of an actual human heart, that would be cool though.
  8. Those pastel candy hearts with the sayings on them. "You're cute", "Kiss me". You know the ones. I'm not sure what they're made of, but is it really intended for human consumption? Blegh.
  9. A gift card. Do I need to explain this one? No better way to say, "I felt obligated to spend money but didn't really put enough effort into thinking about what you might like".
  10. Dinner at a chain or family restaurant. Um... FAIL. I don't think you need to spend a ton on V-Day, but if you're going to do dinner, do it right. For a romantic alternative that won't break the bank, how about cooking something interesting yourself, or packing a picnic--you know, fancy bread, wine, fine cheese, maybe some sausage, olives. If there's a metre of snow or pouring rain, you could spread the picnic blanket in your living room & it could still be awesome.
What gifts would you NOT want to get for Valentine's Day? Have you got any juicy stories of terribly unromantic gestures on V-Days past?


Check out Stasha's blog for a link up to tons of other hilarious bloggers' lists every week. Join in the linky fun yourself or just read along here →



Like what you see here? Subscribe to The Sprog & don't miss another post!

25 comments:

  1. hahaha I LOVE 6 and 8 the most and I forgot ho much I dislike stuffed animals! I think he got me one last year actually. hmmm great list

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! What always shocks me is how many are made specifically to give to adults, like graduation gifts. I don't get it...

      Delete
  2. I am with you on so many of these - the candy hearts, the perfume and the stuffed animals - they aren't my thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, from the lists I visited, we all seem to have a lot in common! :)

      Delete
  3. I saw a knitting pattern for an anatomically correct heart. I'm not sure Oli can manage to knit it in time for Thursday though! ;)
    I usually get flowers-the one time per year. Not roses though-I don't like a bouquet of roses..very few actually SMELL like roses, they are just like little plastic buds.
    I bought a card for P, and will make him 2 dozen butter tarts to gorge himself on. And he will be thrilled-you can be sure. :) We don't go big in this house..the kids will get some Valentines Smarties to eat, and I bought a little watermelon to cut heart shaped slices out of for them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with you on most of these.i like flowers from the grocery store - bit not on V-day. I don't want any flowers on that day. I love gift cards. That's totally speaking my language. My husband hates getting them for me because it takes out the fun and creativity for him. I still like them though. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly--grocery store flowers are fine as an impromptu just-because gift. But for V-Day?

      Delete
  5. I agree with lots here. No stuffed bears. Please.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very interesting set of responses. I am in agreement with most of them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. and especially those heart holding stuffies that play some ridiculous song.
    My kids will press that sucker a kazillion times in an hour and no body wants to go to jail on Valentines. *eye roll*

    we don't make a big deal about the day here either...hubby's birthday is the following week so we just go out once to celebrate both.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OMG, I completely forgot about the tinny, high-pitched electronic music chip things! They're horrible! Good call.

      Delete
  8. Agree with most - but for me, a gift card says "We have been together forever but I still buy stuff you want to return, so I'll save you the trouble and let you purchase it yourself." It gives me permission to shop guilt free :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah... it's true, gift cards are definitely easier. :)

      Delete
  9. I never understood the stuffed animal thing either. Erin

    ReplyDelete
  10. Honestly, like we were separated at birth my friend. Heart you ( not the shape kind ;))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha! You know, when I was putting my profile pic together to submit to the linky on your page, I almost put a heart on it too, just for this week, but couldn't *quite* bring myself to do it. :)

      Delete
  11. Hate stuffed animals too. Cheap chocolate, there aught to be a law against it. A romantic dinner at home is the best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stuffies are fine for small children, but I draw the line somewhere around age 12. :)

      Delete
  12. YES...I mean NO to lingerie!!! I am definitely not a Victoria's Secret kinda gal and my husband will vouch for that. ;P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I got lingerie once as a surprise gift & it was a hassle because it didn't fit. It's hard enough for ME to buy a bra for myself that fits--but for someone else to buy one when I'm not even there? Nope. Bad idea. Plus, yeah, comfort is more important than anything, so I doubt I'd fall into the Victoria's Secret camp either. :)

      Delete

Thanks for commenting! (I've had to enable comment moderation on older posts to thwart spammers, so your post may not appear right away.)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...