
Christmas will be here before we know it, so it's never too early to start thinking about what to get our loved ones.
Commercials will tell us that moms want candles and bath bombs or "wine mom" products.
But is that what they really want? The only way to really know is to ask! We wanted to hear directly from mothers to learn exactly what they are looking for this holiday season.
Redditor TheTitanCoeus asked:
"Moms of Reddit, what the hell should we get you for Christmas?"
Here are some of the best answers.
Something she doesn't get enough of.
"An hour of goddamn peace and quiet."
"At least that's what my wife wants."
- opus_4_vp
"I came here to say a weekend home alone. I can't even begin to relax in an hour, I've to clean up first!"
- MsPinkieB
"Same here. No time for myself with all the house chores and cleaning!"
- Dexfolio_reddit
No responsibilities.
"An entire day off from any obligations - and that includes having to remind you to do things."
"Dishwasher needs unpacking? Just do it, don't make me ask you to do it."
"Laundry needs folding? Go get it done, I don't want to see it or have to remind you to do it."
"Kids need feeding? You know where the kitchen is."
"Just.... let my brain have the day off, yeah?"
- BlueShoeLover
"That will result in the dishwasher having 2 days worth of dishes, kids being hungry, and dinner being some microwave food."
"You can't just except him to remember everything. A better idea would be to spend the day in some spa."
"Unless he also wishes for the same thing, and you settle on hiring a professional housekeeper XD"
- King_Dagda
"I am getting increasingly depressed by the number of responses in here that amount to 'things you should already be getting regularly anyway.'"
"Why do so many women put up with useless men? Why would you live with someone who makes your life more difficult?"
"If my wife said this I couldn't live with the shame."
"If you're a single mother it changes things a bit, but if your kids are more than six months past old enough to do chores they're old enough to do them unprompted."
- Otherwise_Window
"From a once upon a time wife who tried too hard to be the Flash in her only marriage, thank you. This means more than you know."
- oyofmidmidworld
Get the house cleaned and send her to the spa while you're at it.
"Have the house professionally cleaned! Like detailed! Have it done while you send me to a spa day and you're good for Mother's Day and my birthday too!"
- datagirl60
"My mom does housekeeping. Drop $140 and that house will sparkle."
- Chrissyspeaks
"Massage gift certificates, not just one, but 6-10. Growing a person does some weird stuff to your body and then you get older with not time so everything hurts."
- Representative_Bad57
"Appointments! Lashes, hair, laser, etc."
- string1969
Don't forget the car.
"Auto detailed car. Kids make cars do dirty. Having someone else clean the car would be so refreshing to many moms I'm sure."
- khall20
People Share Their Unexpected Happiest Moments | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
While many of life's big events like weddings and births bring us joy, even the smallest of gestures or gifts can leave a lasting impression. Especially if y...Use your hands and get creative.
"Make me something! Bake me bread, paint for me, draw me something, frame a photo you took, make me a playlist .. show me your art!!!!"
- somethingblue331
Redecorating.
"I honestly had no idea what the hell I wanted until I accidentally overheard my boyfriend telling his mom he wanted to completely redecorate our bathroom in my favorite color as a Christmas gift. And I then realized that is exactly what I want for Christmas."
"Now I have to pretend I didn't hear that conversation lol."
- Arperiod_Io
"'Like ohmygosh you painted the bathroom in my favorite color lavendeeee-Teal. You painted the bathroom teal!? That's not my favorite color!'"
- Caffeine_and_Alcohol
Declutter.
"A storage unit for all of the clutter. That's it."
"That's all I want. The clutter is stressing me out. Actually, I think I'm low-key depressed because of it."
"I just want to feel peaceful in my home."
"And maybe some candles that smell like almonds. Or the new Stanley Tucci book."
- TheAmazingElGato
Cook a nice meal, maybe more than once.
"When my kids were younger I asked for a unique Mother's Day gift and it was one of the best gifts I ever got."
"I asked them to cook a dinner for the family (4 of us) once a week for three months. They had to work together AND clean up. And they needed to LMK 24 hours in advance about what ingredients were needed so I had time to go to the store."
"They were 12 and 16 so I knew they could handle it. There were a few hiccups along the way but they worked through it and it was awesome for all of us!"
"A win win! They grew in their cooking skills, got closer as brothers, gave us parents a break, and they learned to appreciate us more too."
- CA_catwhispurr
Make it personal.
"Literally anything you know I'd actually want. Not some sh*t you randomly let the kids pick from the store. Know. Who. I. Am. As. A. Person. Mom is not my identity."
- GingerSnapsPeas
"If one is not specific, one gets a basket of random bath products or a candle."
"A hairless guinea pig that looks like a tiny hippo."
- lekanto
"I'm totally fine with the stuff my kid picks. I like to see her face light up when I unwrap the gift she chose. That being said, it usually comes with a side gift from my husband, like a bracelet or some earrings."
- Routine_Log2163
"As a kid I don't know who mom is as a person, because you were always mom to us/me. Also if others are like me, which i know they are, moms true colors and interests never really show in front of the kids. I have no idea what my mom likes aside from traveling but she won't go alone and none of us can go with her school, work, else and she has no friends."
- No_War_8097
"When I was growing up my mom always said she was not my friend and only spoke to us to scold us and stayed alone. It took me until I was an adult to realize she didn't want to be a mom and was depressed. Took me until I was 30 to actually form a relationship with her where I could ask what she likes and wants. Just putting it out there so people can know to be understanding if mom doesn't want to talk, and it might get better someday."
- lurkerlady71
Take the decision making out of the equation.
"Plan a super nice date and take me on it. I make enough decisions everyday for the household and I just need to not care and enjoy."
- captainwhiskeytits
"Oh my, yes, this. The greatest relief any day is when I don't have to make every single decision."
- Oh-Oh-Ophelia
Maybe some moms do want candles and bath bombs!
"New, luxurious bath towels. Soft, thick ones."
- ChickFromTheSticks
But it all depends on the person.
"Make up, PJs, jewelry, favorite skincare products, some nice trainers, a gift voucher for something, paid for hairdressing appointment."
"I mean it obviously all depends on what your mum likes, if it was my mum I know she loves gaming so it'd be a ps4 game she really wants."
- Shegotthatvibe
Tell her you love her.
"Show up and tell me you love me. For all the stuff I did and all the sacrifices I made. The few years we had make your own Mac n cheese night because I had no money and various sprinkles and jimmies to put on dinner."
- Ottothedog
"Hey. I know it means nothing coming from an Internet stranger, but you sound like an amazing parent. And I thank you for putting your family first and doing what you had to to make sure they were OK."
- Daylar17
"A phone call and just let me hear your voice, tell me everything about your life and let me continue to be so very proud of your accomplishments and your failures. Let me enjoy hearing about the wonderful adult you've become. Let me hear your frustrations and your pains, your bad judgment calls and your sorrows but know that I hurt for you too but nothing you ever do will make me love you any less. You are the air I breathe."
- Illsleepinaminute
Let her know you're thinking of her.
"New empty nester chiming in- One son just started college 2.5 hour drive away and the other son just graduated from college and got a job a six hour drive away."
"Here's what a great gift for me would be: For three weeks send me a POD, picture of the day."
"It would let me know that they were thinking of me and would make me see something of their day."
- CA_catwhispurr
Some moms want to get their gifts themselves.
"Etsy gift card. I'll buy what I want."
- ThrowAwayGarbage82
"Honestly candy and gift cards so I can actually shop for myself..."
- Aggravating_Lawyer13
"$100 gift voucher to her favourite skincare/makeup place."
- Different-Street-919
Moms deserve so much more than we give them for everything they do.
They raise us, they run the house, they work hard, and they rarely get the praise they deserve.
Give your mother something that she really wants this Christmas, but don't forget that you can show her how much you love her any day of the year.
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Love is so elusive these days isn't it?
Who knows what anyone is looking for in the relationship department anymore.
It's all too exhausting.
But people we keep trying.
RedditorProblemNice5257wanted to hear why so many people are still on the hunt for that perfect one. They asked:
"Why are you single right now?"
I'm single because I've given up. And I'm good. For now.
Peace
"I put absolutely no effort into meeting someone."
grayestorm
"Same! Also it's extremely difficult when you feel so at peace being by yourself. The fact that I have to find someone whose presence outweighs my level of comfort being alone seems impossible."
cheezkurls
Staying Put
"Hard to meet people when you are a hermit."
EchoOfShadow
"Yeah, I describe myself as a shut-in, lol. I leave my apartment to work, I leave my apartment to buy food, and occasionally I’ll bring out the trash, otherwise I just watch Hulu, play online chess, surf Reddit."
Tru-Queer
"Same. I've spent months trying to find an apartment I can afford without a roommate and finally settled on a small studio apartment for $1100 a month because I'd rather living in a tiny space and be left the hell alone than share a much nicer place even with a good friend."
ablondedude
Problems
"I have too many unsolved issues, i can't in good conscience bring someone else into them."
Zdos123
"Idk your issues but everyone's got some crap. Not sure how unique yours are but everyone's got some crap. It's good to share some of your struggles with other people. Just don't open with it haha."
dr-305
"Issues unresolved or not, (in my case) only makes it worse when you feel like you could open up to them, and they just take those to use it against yourself afterwards."
if_itsMolly
Isolated
"I hardly go out and expose myself to people. I'm uncomfortable with the notion of myself being in a relationship at this point. Also, I'm very dry in terms of personality."
Torturephile
"I spent a year entirely isolated due to covid and now I can't handle physical contact. It makes me really uncomfortable and a hug is enough to make my body shut down. I'm hopeless."
DinoHunter64
That's funny. But it feels oddly true.
Toxic
"Last relationship was so toxic, I've sworn off dating, at least for awhile. I haven't had this much free time in ages. It's nice."
"Edit: Hey, it's really great hearing from so many people with similar experiences. Like many of you, I've been taking it in stride and focusing on bettering myself, both physically and mentally. It's done wonders for my health and I feel a whole lot better. I wish y'all the very best. Stay excellent, my friends."
muchkoku
Alone Forever
"I'm 35yr old single father to a 5yr old and I work nights. It's hard to find free time to meet someone, especially in my area. If I do have free time to myself, I like staying home and ordering a pizza while drinking some beers and playing video games. I pretty much faced the fact that I will probably be alone for the rest of my life."
No_Leader_2711
taking space
"I was in an 8 year relationship (married for two) to my high school sweetheart. Exactly this same time last year, we got divorced because I found out he was cheating on me with my best friend. The best friend I had known LONGER than him and was friends with since fourth grade."
"She was living with us to try to get back on her feet. Yeah lol. So I lost my best friend and the man I had been with for 8 years within the same night. So I moved to another state, got an apartment by myself, and am now single and divorced all by 26. Not really looking unless the right person comes along."
"It’s pretty happy and peaceful now that they’re both out of my life though honestly. You realize people’s toxicity and flaws the most once you get space away from them."
yodacat24
Bad Loop
"Because my relationships end before they even begin."
_uberwench_
"This is my story right here."
xxshole
Alright. Now that we've laid out all the excuses, let's get to matching with some people.
There is no bigger mystery than what happens to us after we die.
But even those who don't practice an organized religion tend to believe that there is a Heaven, a happy joyful place where our souls will remain for eternity.
No two people share the same idea of what heaven would be like, but everyone who believes in it probably has an idea of the first thing they'd do after entering the pearly gates.
Redditor WeDidItGuyz was curious to hear what would be top on everyone's list upon entering the afterlife, leading them to ask:
"If heaven exists, what’s the first thing you’d do?"
Overcome with joy
"In all reality?"
"Probably cry for about 30 minutes because the biggest existential fear at the very core my humanity has now been lifted."
"If Heaven exists, like 50% of the awesomeness is just the very fact that it exists."
A re-match long in the making
"Ask my childhood friend Kevon for a race."
"He used to beat me handily when were younger (9-13) and he’d always brag."
"When I got older and faster I moved away so I was never able to race him again."
"We arranged for a race but he was shot multiple times and bound to a wheelchair until he passed a few years ago."
"I wanna race him both in our prime."- Abethegreat1
Reunite with loved ones
"Find my husband, give him a huge hug and never let go again."
"Live our forever together."
"I f*cking love him and miss him so much."- jessdfrench
"Embrace my sweet wife and tell her how proud I am of the kids."- RifleShower
"Try to find my brother."
"Man, I miss him."
"He died in 2020 at age 34."- grummlinds1
Achieve the "firsts" we never got to do
"Find my son and have a beer with him."
"Something we never got to do in real life."- tanukis_parachute
Hone new skills
"Try to play Smoke on the water on my harp."- Ashtar-the-Squid
Live on without pain
"Enjoy my healthy back without pain."- Knackbein_
Who knows what's in store for us after our lives come to an end.
But living with the idea that something wonderful awaits when our time has come is all people need to continue to live their lives to the fullest, and treat others with the respect and kindness they deserve.
"Fun facts" generally refers to a tidbit of information about a specific topic which the general public might not have otherwise known about.
But the first word in that term can be misleading.
Indeed, some "fun facts" reveal information that isn't remotely "fun" in the slightes.
Redditor Alternative_kachocho was curious to hear some "fun facts" which were anything but fun, leading them to ask:
What's a 'fun fact' that isn’t fun at all?"
Ironically, something you likely don't think about...
"Your brain blocks you from feeling your organs moving around inside you."- Aydengeist06
Try watching Finding Nemonow...
"Only one in a thousand sea turtles born actually make it to adulthood."- Sebs_123
Shocking new light on an age old classic
"In the books, Stuart Little was never explicitly called a mouse."
"He's pretty much described as a deformed mouse-esque person born form human parents."- Red_Beard47
Nature running it's course...
"There's a bird that feeds its younger offspring to the eldest."- Teacup_Cult
I have no allergies... yet
"Speaking from personal experience here, but your body can randomly decide to become allergic to damn near everything edible at any time."
"Not very fun."- smallemochick
Those poor, innocent creatures.
"In some regions of Australia, 90 percent of koalas have chlamydia, which poses a threat to the species' extinction unless a vaccine is created or widespread koala culling takes place."- tiffanyjcruse
They'd still be here if they weren't so delicious...
"The giant tortoise was so delicious, it caused not only itself to be hunted to extinction, but also the dodo."
"Giant tortoise meat was supposedly better tasting than chicken."
"It's fat tasted better spread on bread than butter."
"Also, it was the perfect food for sailors at the time, as their bladders stored 1 litre of purified water, and they could survive without food in hibernation for almost a whole year in the hull of a ship."
"Not to mention, because they evolved without humans, they were easy to hunt."
"You could tie one to your back, and roll another to the ship and they would just let you."
"It was so delicious, they went unrecorded for a long time because expeditions to bring living samples of wildlife to Europe kept eating them on the way."
"Conversely, the dodo, while as easily captured by sailors, tasted awful."
"It was completely unpalatable."
"HOWEVER, one day, someone discovered if you cooked dodo meat in the more delicious tortoise fat, it tasted just like chicken."
"So now, sailors were hunting a few tortoises at a time for their fat and water, storing them, and then hunting dodos on the daily."
"Overhunting, plus the introduction of rats to the environment (because sailors) which would eat eggs, led go the population to decline at a rate they could not breed to keep up, leading to both animals going extinct."- Kyhan
Don't forget the nose plugs
"Antarctica smells like penguin poop."
"Antarctica is a desert, it is too cold for bacteria to live."
"Nothing there to clean up penguin droppings."
"If you are close enough to see penguins, you will also smell them."- gummby8
Makes those long lines so worth it...
"The TSA missed 96% of contraband during an inspection in 2015."- omegasix321
Truly tragic.
"The person who had the first facial transplant had her face chewed up by her Labrador dog while asleep due to sleeping pill overdose." - User Deleted
It's hard not to read some of these "fun facts" and wonder if there should be an alternative term for the facts which aren't fun.
Alternative facts?
Oh yeah, probably not....
People Explain Which Things They Wish They'd Started Doing Sooner That Improved Their Lives
It's amazing how one change to your lifestyle can improve your daily life.
Be it starting your day with yoga, eliminating foods that don't agree with you, or simply seeing your friends more often, something we're all eager to do after months of quarantine, it's amazing how one little change can make waking up and getting through your day more bearable.
Perhaps the only frustration that comes with this change, is that you only wished you'd started doing it sooner.
Redditor kxrllkxrll was curious to hear what hobbies, rituals or lifestyle choices people wished they'd gotten a head start on, leading them to ask:
"What improved your life so much, you wished you did sooner?"
There is always fun to be had!
"I stopped living my life just waiting for the weekend."
"When you work 5 days a week and have just 2 off, it's not good to be always waiting for those 2 days."
"You can plan something meaningful or fun every day, even if it's just a small thing."- cake_or_cookies
Listening to your dentist can pay off.
"Flossing."
"Actually, I use a water pick now."
"Now my hygiene and cleaning visits are a breeze, and I haven't had a cavity in years!"- perrydolia
A change of scene was just the ticket.
"Just packed up and moved thousands of miles away."
"Left everything behind and just started over."
"Besides some debt, a suit case, and contacts for only the non-toxic people in my life, it's been an extremely liberating experience."
"And looking back, nothing was really preventing me from doing it sooner, no real reasons at least."
"I just kept coming up with excuses not to do it until one day I couldn't think of one."- SpicyRiceAndTuna
No more language barriers!
"Learned Spanish."
"Now I have a lot of amazing latino friends and I got a lot of great gigs and opportunities because of it."- kellytai1478
Can't beat the commute
"Not everyone can afford this, but moving closer to work."
"My commute went from 45 miserable minutes in traffic glaring in hatred at the tail lights in front of me to a pleasant 15 minute bike ride."
"I got an hour of free time every day and better health."- munificent
When in doubt, check with your doctor
"Got a proper diagnosis."
"I think a lot of people that for years questioned themselves 'what’s wrong with me?' when they finally got diagnosed it’s a big relief and changes a lot in a better way."- popcornostar
There's no expiration date on education
"Bachelor degree at 47 years old."
"Master degree at 50 years old."
"Doubled my salary in 4 years, from just getting by to on track for retiring at 60."- scientistzero
Get your body moving!
"Exercise every day."
"Anxiety and depression are much easier to manage, and I got some confidence I haven't had in years."- darodardar_Inc
"Low impact cardio."
"F*ck, I loved to run, but it destroyed my legs."
"I can swim my little heart out."- Hyperion0000
Stop and enjoy the beauty of the world once and a while
"When I was told that I would lose my eyesight it made me pay more attention to how beautiful the sky was."
"I can still see and I enjoy watching the clouds on a level I can't even explain."- DaniB3
It's hard not to stop and wonder if our lives would have been even better had we made these changes earlier.
But no point in stopping and looking back, when you can just appreciate how great your life is now.