The Nappy Cat Chronicles

This post was inspired by the anecdotes contained within this TODAY article.

Gift giving isn’t that much of a chore. I give by one simple rule: When in doubt, give a gift card (or two!). This Christmas, most of my family will be receiving Amazon gifts cards. It’s not that I’m too lazy to find out what they want. I’ve simply been scarred by too many bad gifts.

I attended college in Conway, SC, which is a city that borders Myrtle Beach. While there, I received bad gifts like an ice-scrapper, a bottle of deicer spray, and winter gloves. Though those gifts proved to be useful in the future, like every college kid I had immediate needs like booze and ramen noodles. And, really, it only snowed one day out of the year and the entire state shut-down at the mere threat of snow.

But nothing tops what I received from my mother one balmy winter. During my freshman year of college, my mother sent me a bouquet of canned foods. Wonderful, right? Who doesn’t like food? Unfortunately, I was not in possession of a can opener. Also, my mother had talked up the gift to such a degree that I thought I was receiving something big like a car.

I’ve received more bad gifts but I think I’ve repressed the memories. Obviously, I’m not one who believes that it’s the thought that counts. If I do go beyond a gift card, I put thought and effort into it and I’ll get you something unexpected. On the flip side, when I receive a bad gift, I feel bad. Seriously, if you can’t expend the effort or the money, tell me and we can exchange greeting cards. I’d rather you keep the money and buy yourself something enjoyable.