Tis' almost the season of giving and some of us like to get a head start on our shopping...
Some people are just impossible to shop for. When in doubt, it's best to buy unisex and useful.
Though Christmas is over a month away, it's never a bad idea to get ahead and to start thinking of the tougher people on your gift list.
Redditor MrPartyPancake gave us some ideas for our Christmas shopping lists by asking:
"What's the best gifts you can give a person, no matter their gender?"
20. Gift idea compatible with USBs and Spotify playlists
Giphy"My brother and I (43 and 41) give each other mix CDs every year. It's my absolute favorite gift because he put the time and effort to think about it and make the CD. We've done this since college when we were too poor to get each other real presents."
19. This useful gift hits the nail on the head
"Young adults who've moved out on their own often need tools for basic household maintenance. My uncle gave me a tool box when I was 18 and it was one of the best and most useful gifts I've received."
"My Dad gave me an awesome metal carrying type toolbox first year I was on my own. Each year he'd give me some tools, hammer, ratcheting screwdriver, tape measure, etc. I have the most awesome set of tools for taking care of stuff now."
18. A gift that keeps on giving all year long
"If you know someone is into skincare or cool trends, subscribing them to a gifted monthly box is a great idea. My mother is tough when it comes to presents. I bought her a year-long subscription to Birchbox and she gets monthly samples of skincare, makeup, and hair products. It's tailored to her and she loves the little present that keeps on giving.
17. Anyone would appreciate this
"For the last handful of years I've asked for a Southwest Airlines gift card. I don't need anymore things, and I prefer to pick them out myself when I do, but I fly multiple times a year, so having a flight or two paid for is nice."
16. Redeemable experiences
"Lately I've been just buying everyone in my family a groupon or gift certificate for a cool local activity. Escape rooms, massages, dinner, a day at the zoo, ropes courses. There are a lot of great options.
People tend to be happier when given an experience rather than a thing. I don't remember what my mother got me for Christmas last year but my sister got me and my husband a pass to an escape room and we had a blast."
15. All that's missing is some milk
Giphy"One year my sister and I baked a whole mess of various cookies. We did two types of chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal, white chocolate macadamia, a coconut macaroon thing, brandy snaps, and decorated sugar cookies. We threw a few of each of them into cheap tins, attached a nice card, and mailed them off the next day to everyone we could think of."
14. For the cat lovers on your list
"One of my favorite Christmas presents was a self-cleaning litter box. It was made to roll to one side and a little drawer caught all of the clumps and strained the litter. So much easier!
I had no idea such magic existed."
13. Everyone has a favorite piece of luggage
"One year my godfather got me a small suitcase. One of those carry-on sizes. It's been 15 years, it's falling apart a bit, but I still use it all the time! Perfect size for just weekend getaway trips; ie staying at a friend or family's house, out of town for a football game, etc."
12. We all have cell phones, so this is perfect
"Portable USB power supply is handy for anyone with a phone or other devices."
11. A potentially very valuable gift
"I once had a boss who gave each employee a lottery scratch ticket. Everyone enjoyed seeing if they won or if anyone in the office won. Went over pretty well."
10. A one of a kind gift
"My grandfather died about 25 years ago. I worked in a trade for many years, bumped into a contractor who also worked with my grandfather when he was alive. Gave me a tape recording from his answering machine from the late 80's/early 90's of my grandfather calling this contractors office, and forgetting To hang up the phone while the tape was recording,
He orders lunch, orders an extra apple pie, cracks some jokes with his friends and jokingly busted some chops and never realized the phone was still in his hand thinking it was just ringing. I made a copy and gave it to my mother for Xmas. She had no clue. She cried."
9. Nothing like mom's cooking
"My Mom made my brother and I (m) a cookbook of our favorite dishes. That was 25 years ago; it was totally unexpected, but both of us use the books when the mood strikes to recreate childhood favorites Mom used to make. Our cookbooks are prized possessions now, and we both use them regularly. If your son can boil water and you can cook, consider giving this special Christmas gift!"
8. Keep your loved ones safe on the road
"My mom gives me a AAA card every year. It's my one of my favorite gifts because it makes me feel safe."
I get the young drivers in the family AAA and renew it every year. Its not cool or fun to open but they're soooo thankful when they don't have to pay for a tow truck or lockout. It always pays for itself, plus there's no waste involved.
7. Socks that will last
"Darn Tough Socks."
"Nice socks are the best gift. Expensive socks - real wool, a brand name like Tough Socks, SmartWool, or some other 'fancy' socks are an A+ gift.
Hand knitted socks are an A++ gift."
6. Books and booze (or tea, hot chocolate, etc.)
Giphy"My standard 'You won't tell me what to get you so here's what I settled on' is a book and a bottle of booze of some description. The booze gives me the opportunity to get them something I know they'll like, and the book gives me the opportunity to get them something I think they'll like, and that is personal to them -- especially if I write something on the inner cover that makes it unique."
"An alternative for those who don't drink alcohol is nice hot chocolate mixes, or syrups to mix with soda water for fancy sodas. You can even make your own, too."
5. There's no gift like time spent together
"When I was living 10 hours away from my folks (a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away), my brothers once flew me home for Christmas to be my mom and dad's Christmas gift. It was the BEST Christmas any of us ever had."
4. People love when you pay attention to what they say
"Not very personal maybe, but I try to slyly find out if there's something they've been saving up for, and then get them a gift card for the store so they can put it towards whatever they have their eye on. You can do it in a low-key enough way that maybe they don't even realize they mentioned it, and it shows that you pay attention to them/know them well, which is a gift in itself."
3. Who doesn't love a day off?
"A day off.
Especially parents of little kids. Ironically, for "Father's Day", when my kids were babies/toddlers, my wife would take the kids to the kid amusement park and let me chill at home. Sweet sweet silence!"
2. I loved getting this in college
"One of the best things I've gotten were grocery store gift cards. I was just out of college, broke and the peace of mind I got knowing that I had one less expense to worry about for a little while was incredible.
My whole family gave me them, and I was able to eat and actually eat well for a few months while I got my finances in order.
Not really a fun gift, but it was the one I was the most appreciative of for sure!"
1. Make it personal
"Something personalised - doesn't have to be a lot
Buy a $2 wine/beer glass etc. (depending on their preference) and get their initials engraved into it for another $5 (you can get this done at most key-cutting places) or a symbol that's relevant for them. Most people are thrilled, and my father still jealously guards 'his' pint glass from a few years ago.
It turns cheap gifts into something that comes across as heartfelt and valuable."
Do you have a gift that you'd recommend for anyone?
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.