The best gift anyone has ever given me has been a bag of sea shells. They cost nothing, but it was a profoundly moving moment to realize this person had been saving the sea shells I'd been handing him since I was a child.
One Reddit user asked:
What are inexpensive gifts you enjoy receiving?
and the comments section absolutely reaffirmed what I felt in that moment. It's not the cost that makes a gift great - it's the sentiment and message that the gift conveys. A really good gift tells the person that you know them, you see them, you think of them and appreciate them in some way.
Gold and diamonds aren't the only way to show that. Sometimes all it takes is something little like:
A Tired Nurse and Mother
My husband has bought me expensive jewelry including diamond rings etc.. But one of my favorite things he has ever done for me was when I came home from work to a steak dinner on the table. I'm in nursing school and working as a CNA so it meant a lot to be able to just come home and eat a nice meal that I didn't have to cook.
I also love it when my kids give me anything. When The Minions movie came out I had mentioned that I thought the minions were cute. My oldest daughter was about 6 at the time. We went to McDonald's and she got happy meal with a minion ornament thing and she gave it to me. I hung it in my rear view mirror and there it stays! I've had it for about 5 years now.
My youngest daughter gave me a little coaster thing that has a frog on it that says "mom." It sits on my desk and put my cactus on it.
Socks
spongebob socks GIF
Giphy
I feel like the threshold of adulthood is purely based on whether you're disappointed or excited about getting socks for Christmas.
I'm away on a short break this week and treated myself to some new thick socks for all the walking around we'll be doing (10 miles today BTW). Pulling on new socks every day is wonderful. I also bought new bamboo fabric underwear too. Bliss.
Dude I used to think people were joking when they said this, but man, getting socks gets me so excited, especially bulk packs.
Hand-Made
Anything handmade. I just appreciate the sentiment behind it even if it's cheap you took the time to make it for me time your not gonna get back. So I love when I get handmade gifts
This. Every year, I'll write in my Reddit secret santa that if they're crafty, I'd love something they made. Only ever received one, but it hangs in a place of pride on my Christmas tree every year and I keep the hand painted card on display in my workshop year round.
Professional Gifting
A handwritten card, flowers, nuts, fine-tip pens, a potted cactus, gift card for movie tickets (before this year, at least), craft beer 6-pack, kitchen implements (like nice wooden spoons or really sharp scissors), a handsome journal or notepad, solar phone charger.
I used to be the buyer for all employee gifts at my company, not because I worked in HR or admin, but because I like it and am good at it.
Pick Your Pick
A bulk pack of guitar picks, every person who plays guitar will know how much of a pain in the ass it is to lose a pick.
- Verne_
I buy them by the hundreds - keeps me going for about 5 years, because for every 2 I lose, I find 1.
- squ1bs
I used to lose them all the time. Then I made a DIY transparent one as a joke and of course I've never lost it. I've had it for over 2 years now and still use it...
Mars
A Mars bar. It's my comfort food. My hug to myself. My pat on the back for making it through a hard day. When a friend who knows all this gets me a mars bar it's such a beautiful gesture, I cry every time.
Happy Birthday Jack-o-Lantern
jack o lantern halloween GIF
Giphy
Every year on my birthday (late October) my friend gives me a pumpkin from her garden, and I always use it for my jack-o'-lantern. I love it!
Positively Positive
Home made cookies, a hand drawn comic, even a fancy bar of chocolate is under $7. Clean the kitchen, sweep/vacuum the house, or a foot rub.
Nothing beats positive attention.
- seadecay
Movie Candy
Any kind of those $1 boxes of movie theater candy. I'll take them all!
I once put together a little gift basket of these for one of my kids as part of his birthday. He LOVED it. That was years ago and he has continued to ask for that every year, and to request the same thing in his stocking at Christmas. He always says he doesn't need anything except a $20 Steam card, and boxes of movie candy.
Rocks Rock
Interesting shaped and/or colored rocks people have picked up while outside/on a trip. Find a rock that's purple or looks kind of like a heart? Maybe one that's green with colorful flecks? One made perfectly smooth by water? If you bring it to me I will be happy. (I wish I could afford a rock tumblr.)
I also like rusty old square nails, bits of old broken pottery, and shards of purple glass. I hope someday someone will bring me seaglass or I find some.
And There's Cake Involved
My husband will on his way home from work sometimes at our favorite bakery (the one that made our wedding cake) and bring me home a cupcake. A sweet gesture and there's cake involved. Can't beat that.
A Special Scavenger Hunt
A Starbucks latte always brightens my day, flowers, chocolates and I still love getting stuffed animals even as an adult lol I once woke up to a 'scavenger hunt' of handwritten notes with a clue to the next one and a lovely compliment on each. That makes me feel so special
I actually have to ask not to be given jewelry or clothes because even I struggle finding things I like and it's too much money for the risk lol. Some guys have been legit offended by this? But I'm just being honest
Not Hard To Please
puzzle rubix cube GIF
Giphy
Puzzles.
I love puzzles... things like rubik's cube or variations of it, wooden puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, any puzzles.
I'm not a hard person to please.
Before He Needs It
Honestly I find it more fun to find out what those things are for my husband. Like sometimes I'll pay extra close attention to his shampoo brand if it's low and then get him more before he realizes he needs it. Basically if I can take like 5 minutes of my time to make his day way better today/tomorrow, I'm all about those "gifts".
The Card Counts
I personally love getting cards. Even without any sort of gift. I feel like these days we don't really take the time to say nice things to people, particularly not in writing, and cards are a really great way to do that. They can also be kept as a sentimental thing and they're super cheap. You can make your own with just a piece of paper and a pen.
- auditail
Basmati Jeans
Fave from Mom: she took this old pair of Guess jeans that I wore to threads in some areas. She keeps old jeans for patching, projects and the like. 5 or so years on, she had taken the jeans and sewn them into one of those microwavable rice bags, you know for when you have an achy neck.
It smells like basmati, it's my old jeans, and she sewed a belt loop on the top for hanging even....melted my heart, and I'll have it forever.
Thought Of You
Anything that comes with the person giving it to me saying, "I saw this and thought of you!" Whether it's a drink or a treat, or a little flamingo or cat thing, or a cool pen... just the fact that someone thought of me and knew it was something I'd like really means a lot.
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Case in point...
Redditor rallfreedom wanted us to update Santa's deliveries for the children on the naughty list, they asked:
"Since Santa is old, and coal was considered worthless back in the day, what new worthless item could Santa give to naughty children in 2021?"
If you really wanted to set me off on Christmas morning, then you should leave me something personalized. Something you how I'd hate. Like a cassette tape of 80's Christian soft rock. That would make a statement of just how naughty I've been.
What a Difference
Blockbuster GIF by Big Potato GamesGiphy"Blockbuster gift cards." ~ GamerOfGods33
"And still no one will shop at the one franchise location still open." ~ pesto_trap_god
Discs
"AOL Internet discs... (actually getting rare these days)." ~ whorton59
"After collecting enough of those AOL discs, I just open a bottle of Tennessee whiskey and make AOL disc fish wall art." ~ ExRockstar
"I wish I still had the picture, but my friend passed onto me a photo of a chair (more like a throne, if I recall) made entirely of AOL discs." ~ PM_MeYourSmilingFace
Discharge
"Outdated phone chargers." ~ TheBrotherhoods
"A correct phone charger for the device, but it only works in one very specific angle and charges the phone super slow." ~ Karl_the_stingray
"People rave about how good old Nokias were but they forget that if you went up a version like you got upgraded to a 3310 from a 3210 then all your chargers were now something like 0.25mm too small and you had to buy all new ones." ~ erroneousbosh
Interpretations...
"We currently misinterpreted what 'naughty kids get coal' originally meant. For a poor family in December, coal was the difference between warmth and freezing, hot food and not. 'Coal' was not something mean. It was like socks, now." ~ adaza
"Exactly. If the child was selfless, they would get a personal gift as a reward. If the child was selfish, they instead would get a gift to be shared with the family, forcing them to be more altruistic." ~ MoobyTheGoldenSock
Necessities...
toilet paper help GIFGiphy"Toilet paper. Just like coal, it's something the whole house needs and will use but is going to be bought anyway. It's also consumable and practical just like coal." ~ NeverGetaSpaceship
I could still use toilet paper. You never know when society is gonna go off into the deep end again and buy it all up. Remember the beginning of Covid?
Spin
fidget GIF by Future GenerationsGiphy"Idk why but I feel like fidget spinners would be pretty infuriating to the masses of children as something that still counts as a gift but is for sure a let down & past trend." ~ mmaster42
Way back when...
"An "Introduction to Windows 95" book." ~ Actual_grass
"There's one of those package shipping stores near me that sells all kinds of miscellaneous stuff. Anything to make a buck. They have a carousel stand with laminated sheets containing tips on how to use various computer programs. Still for sale as of last week: 'Shortcut keys for Windows XP' and 'Tips for using Microsoft Word 2010.'" ~ dartdoug
All Yours...
"He could give kids one of the old cables that was collected over the years but wasn't thrown away because it could need it at some point." ~ CaptWeirdBeard
"I have a tupperware tote full of those things. I'll sell it to Santa for scap value of the copper. You hear that Santa? $5 and it's all yours." ~ GreatJanitor
Dial Up
"A rotary phone." ~ cannotbefaded
"My Grandma had a rotary phone she kept(still worked so why not) as well as having a cordless phone. Had a relative that wanted to use the rotary phone the one time just to use it instead, decided they didn't want to do that again." ~ golden_fli
"Okay, I actually like rotary phones. I was young enough to remember using rotary phones and preferred using them to touch tone phones. Only because it was fun to spin the dial and watch it spin back into place." ~ GreatJanitor
So close...
ronald mcdonald mcdonalds GIFGiphy"McDonald's toys from 2 years ago. Old enough to not be popular trends, but new enough to not be collector's items." ~ GavinSnowe
McDonald's still has toys? Who knew? And those fidget spinners, how did anyone ever enjoy those? That would set me off as well.
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They say your 30's hits different, like one day you're young a hopeful and the next day you're just WAY too old for this.
What is the "this" you're suddenly too old for?
No idea. It's different for everyone, but make no mistake, it'll happen to you too.
Maybe it already has?
Reddit user BMA1500 asked:
"What sh*t are you too old for?"
Let's take a look at how "too old" hit these Reddit users.
Internet Arguments
"Arguing with ignorant people on the internet."
- Brundleflyftw
"Amen!"
"I have no patience or bandwidth to argue with random a-holes on social. Learned that lesson a long time ago."
"Too many fakes and bots now anyway. I am pretty much a 'read only' user of other platforms and only share opinions in person on polarizing issues."
- grumpybaldguy
Games
"Petty games while talking to a potential partner."
"Just be straight up and real with me. Tricks are for kids."
- Squanch42069
"I've always felt this way."
"I remember when one of my girls explained the concept of 'playing hard to get' to me and I was annoyed just hearing it."
"If I have to chase you, that means you’re running away, and I don’t have time for that. If you seem uninterested, I’ll take it on the chin and leave you alone."
"If you like me just say that. If you don’t like me just say that. It’s not hard and moves the process along much faster."
"If you text me and I’m free, I’m going to text back. I’m not going to wait three hours for aesthetic purposes."
"The list goes on."
- -helpwanted
GiphyCut That Out
"This sounds like some Instagram motivational sh*t, but spending time around people that I genuinely don't like or who make me unhappy and uncomfortable."
"There's so short of a time we have on this Earth and it just hit me right before I turned 30 that I spent a ton of that time with people who I thought sucked."
"I cut that out and I'm much happier."
- PrairieBunny91
"BOOM!"
"I realized this at my cousins wedding. I had a family member walk up to me flat out call me ugly, fat and say that I wasn’t the “good” family guy anymore."
"What!?!? Why would you even say that?? And they said it with a smile on their face the whole time..."
"After that night I haven’t spoken to them in 2 years and I’m super happy! I’m too f*cking old to be dealing with that nonsense for the rest of my life."
- MuffinTrucker
GiphyExistential Crisis
"Drinking heavily."
"It takes days to recover now, and most bad hangovers come with an existential crisis attached."
- TheOptimumLemon
"Same."
"When I was young I remember times I'd have a day off from work and be like 'Hell yeah, I'm gonna get trashed and play video games all night it's gonna be great!' "
"Now it's like "Great, I'm 3 drinks in and I'm just tired & have heart burn.' "
"It's not the same."
- dont_panic21
"I used to work 12-9pm, party the entire night. And then be back to work like a pro."
"If this was a Friday, partying used to resume Saturday afternoon. That was my early 20s."
"In my 30s now, and I wait for Fridays so that I can be dead on my bed the entire Saturday."
- youngOldMonk
"The existential crisis is the worst. Just lying there wondering what the hell you are doing with your life, what came to this and when you are going to grow out of it."
"Then it passes and life goes on."
- Noggin-a-Floggin
GiphyNothing "General"
"General admission tickets. My old ass requires a reserved seat."
- sunflakie
"Hahaha… last gen admission show I went to I had to find a 'comfortable' wall to lean on."
- jmmorart317
"When it comes to music festivals, the wife and I go for VIP just so we can get fancier washrooms and shorter lines at the food trucks."
- VanillaGorilla
"I agree but, man, it makes feel like I’m a spectator at at a concert and not part of the real party down on the floor."
- MudIsland
GiphyAsk Yourself
"Facebook."
"There comes an age when you have to consider... 'Do I really care what kind of clickbait sh*t my high school friends who I never talk to and never will see, likes?' "
"I only had Facebook because it helped with socializing in college/high school, but afterwards it's really hard to want to add new friends because they can see your history, and you can too."
- chupalaw
"Honestly, the only reason why I have a Facebook is because I still have my mom as my friend and she passed 4 years ago."
"Every time I go on there, I'm tired now."
- mxnstrs
"I deleted Facebook three years ago."
"Found out all my Marine Corps buddies were either total idiots, painfully stereotypical post-9/11 veterans, ill-informed political junkies, and mostly people I haven't had anything to do with in years."
- combativewaifu
GiphyMoving
"Moving or helping other people move. Just no."
- Hasenpfeffer_
"I've moved a lot of times and have helped many people move."
"One of the best decisions I've ever made was hiring movers. 300 bucks for the big stuff is money extremely well spent."
- aigheadish
"I've broken my body helping people move because I'm the 'young and strong guy' in the friend group. Way too many times now. F*ck that sh*t, hire movers."
- Disastrous_Budget_11
"I can agree with this."
"I used to work as a mover for a couple summers and I don't even want to move myself lmao."
- bigelmn8r
GiphyNot The Cool Old Guy
"Tik Tok."
"I told myself when I get older I need to be open minded and not the close minded grumpy old man..."
"Then I see all these obviously staged videos and corny dancing/lip syncing stuff and realize it’s inevitable I am not gonna be the cool old guy."
- traws06
"I have this exact same process with TikTok."
"I think to myself, 'I’m really the bitter old woman I said I would never be, aren’t I?' Lol"
- moothemost
"I’ve downloaded TikTok at least 3 times and deleted it almost immediately."
"I am drawing a line at TikTok. I’m old."
- theslother
GiphySince We're Talking About TikTok...
"When Macy's Thanksgiving Parade performers are introduced as "TikTok sensation" without any other credentials worth mentioning."
- Foxhound199
"I think the only performer I knew yesterday was Kelly Rowland because of Destiny’s Child."
"My google search history is full of my confusion."
- independencedaffodil
"Oh man I’m so glad we missed the parade then. Maybe I’m just too old but that would’ve been cringe."
- takeoutthewitch
GiphyWhy Are We Screaming?
"People (mainly young girls) who scream for no reason."
"I understand if you're terrified of something, but screaming when you meet up with your friends or just when the situation does not call for it makes me SO mad. I find it so infuriating."
"Just shut up. Lol."
- CatReal7672
"My kids learned a very long time ago not to scream like that. I hate excessive loud noise in any environment, but it’s especially nerve wracking in close quarters."
"My Mother-in-Law will have a dinner every so often for the family to get together. My husbands brother’s kids are so freaking annoying like this."
"We’re having pizza? Scream."
"We’re baking cookies? Scream."
"Someone found you in hide and seek? Scream."
- bluegrassmommy
"I’ve been too old for that since I was 6. Shit was ALWAYS annoying."
- Zombifi3r
GiphyReal talk, apparently I'm *very* old going by the stuff on this list.
I'm gonna need to go sit with that for a bit... let me go turn on the seat warmer so my bones aren't stiff when I stand up later.
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