I think it’s due to being old. As a child, I didn’t care for practical gifts the way you didn’t. As an adult, I do now.

Many of the people in the groups I belong to for Rheumatism and other auto-immune conditions have expressed joy at receiving heating pads, jar openers, compression gloves, and other similar gifts to help ease the pain and make daily tasks possible again. Some of these people are as young as their early 20s and some were diagnosed in childhood; so while they’re not chronically old, the diseases impair their function similar to aging. Chronic pain and fatigue do help people appreciate the simple things.

Maybe old age factors into it and maybe not, some poor, destitute child might appreciate warm socks, warm gloves, a muffler and even an umbrella.

I wanted toys as kids.

Now I want sock, boxers, a coat, gloves and so on. That is money I saved and can be used for computer stuff, dishes, and drugs.

I would be wearing the same undergarments from 2004 if it wasn’t for my b-Day and C/Mas.

I have liked practical gifts since my teens. Only as a very young child did I want toys. Don’t get me wrong, as a teen I probably wanted a watch I didn’t really need, or some clothing that wasn’t necessary, but I liked it. Mostly, I received money during the holidays, and there is nothing much more practical than that. I just put it in the bank.

Other than old age what would make people really appreciate warm clothing or an umbrella?

I bet being homeless and living in a cardboard box would do the trick.

I think besides being poor, kids worried about keeping up with their friends in fashion would like scarves and gloves and anything else that helps them fit in.

Victims of a disaster would appreciate these things.

Not having enough money to buy those things on any kind of regular basis. I love those kind of gifts. Especially if the are pretty colors

Poverty, as already stated.

If anyone got me an umbrella for xmas i’d shove the pointy end up their arsehole & prepare for a shitstorm.

I still don’t want practical gifts. I’m picky about clothing and there’s a 95% chance I won’t ever wear those socks, underwear, scarf, sweater, etc. Everyone I know knows better than to buy me clothing as a gift. Adults in our families don’t get many gifts for Christmas anyway. This Christmas we got a gift card to Outback and baked goods – that’s it. No complaints, because it saves us from buying a bunch of gifts.

We don’t know even buy gifts for each other – if we want something and can afford it, we’ll go get it. It seems odd to spend our money on a surprise gift for the other person. It’s not really a gift if I’m paying for it.

@livelaughlove21 You say you don’t want practical gifts, but do you want impractical ones? Or, just prefer very little gift swap in general?

@JLeslie I prefer to skip the gift swap and avoid having more stuff sitting around my house not being used. It took forever for people to stop buying me jewelry. I don’t wear it.

I forgot, along with baked goods, I got new Tupperware from my mom. I definitely appreciated that, so maybe I do like practical gifts…as long as it’s not something I wear.

Safe go-to gifts for me consist of makeup and fitness equipment (like dumbbells), but those are things I’d need to pick out myself and are usually pretty expensive. I think gift cards, though a pretty thoughtless gift in general, work best for me.

But still, not getting a gift is just fine. My grandma got my mom and sister genuine leather Bible cases with their initials on them and I got nothing from her. I have no use for a Bible case, so it’s probably best I didn’t get one.

I am slowly changing my outlook a little on the whole gift thing. Now I have more appreciation for token things around my house or pieces of jewelry given by other people. I’m torn. The gift giving thing is still very uncomfortable for me. I don’t think I have ever been through a Christmas gift giving session that felt great during or afterwards. That’s just crazy as I think about it.

@JLeslie: Maybe this is worth a new question, along the lines of “what are your thoughts on gift giving and gift receiving?

@jca Would you like to ask it? I think we have hit on it here and there on other gift Q’s, but maybe a specific question about it and if people have changed their perspective on gift giving over time would be interesting.

@JLeslie: If you want to ask it, please do. I’m having coffee now – was trying to formulate what the q would include. It would include details about “do you prefer impractical gifts? Do you like gift cards or do you feel a gift card exchange is kind of useless? If at a time of possibly mutual gift exchange, like Christmas, do you like to know ahead of time if someone is going to give you something so you can get them something in return, or does that not matter to you?” Please ask it.

My daughter loves gadgets and techie things, but she was falling all over herself thanking her mom for some earmuffs she got for Christmas a few years back. She has her ears pierced with large plugs, and had been in an ice storm, and saw the value of the gift.

What I would really love is 6 black leather right-handed gloves (W L) to match my left-handed collection.

@livelaughlove21 Safe go-to gifts for me consist of makeup and fitness equipment (like dumbbells),
I guess you must not be in the us, people here don’t like fitness stuff. If you are a woman it is worse because people will look at her as insecure or narcissistic, she is supposed to embrace her saddle bags and cottage cheese thighs as being the way nature intended her to be.

@Hypocrisy_Central I live in the US, so there goes that theory.

^ I bet you have haters, especially if you look more toned and hotter than therm.