My favorite thing about Christmas is giving. I love to buy my family and friends something that will warm their hearts and make their eyes sparkle. I love making people happy. To me, gift-giving is letting my loved ones know that I’m thinking about them.
My family gets this concept, my friends get this concept but my boyfriends not so much. This is to say that I have never received a Christmas present from a beau. I know that people think that presents are superficial but that’s the easy way out. Presents are important because they show effort, thought, and appreciation. I don’t think that a man needs to buy a Tiffany’s Diamond Tennis Bracelet (although it would be graciously appreciated) but it’s nice to receive something that required some effort and shows that he knows what you like.
I don’t think women should forgo receiving a present because that let’s the man know that he doesn’t have to make an effort to satisfy your needs.
There’s also a second layer to this, if a man has the means to get you a nice present and he shows up at your door with plastic roses from the 99cent store then that’s a problem. He’s clearly demonstrating that you’re not worth his investment. His effort should correlate with his means.
Therefore, if a man doesn’t gift you according to his means and your interests with a dash of effort then take heed. Gifting shows how thoughtful and giving he really is. . .
P.S. Giving can be a homemade gift or a cooked dinner for all I care. . . . It’s the effort and intentions that count!
What do you think? Are presents important? Do yo think they show that he cares? Or are gifts a product of a materialistic society?
Internet Drama 
I am with you honey! I don’t need an expensive gift. Just something that shows some thought, something that wasn’t rushed. If he can spend money on a game system for himself, you can at least buy you a piece of jewelry. Not asking for much here!
Exactly! I get so mad when women say they don’t need anything! I settled for too long but I never thought I didn’t need anything! I always got my bf’s presents with the hopes that I would get one too. . . . But I’ve learned my lesson, if I don’t get a present, he doesn’t either. And if I don’t get a present then he’s outta here!
So agreed… I didn’t realize how much I was settling with my lt-ex till I broke up with him~!
There’s also a third type of present a girlfriend should never have to put up. Lingere or a single gift that serves as a duel purpose aka, he get’s something out of it as well. My ex used to do this all the time, and I felt guilty and let him. Lingere is great, don’t get me wrong. But if there’s only one box and lingere is in it, you can better believe that is more of a selfish gift for him than it is for you. Just saying.
Love your blog 🙂
Agreed. There IS such a thing as putting more thought into it than money. I HATE half-assed gifts that were bought just MINUTES before gifts are to be exchanged. BF works next to a DVD/CD store, and for the first 3yrs, alllll I got were DVD’s and CD’s I didn’t want. I spoke to him, and said I’m not your little brother, shop for me like you want to see me naked again. He smartened up, and now he asks for a list of things I like… which I feel bad about, I want him to pick out what I think I like, even if he doesn’t get it right, I’d like it because he actually THOUGHT about it. I do like my 20 pairs of Hello Kitty socks though 🙂 .
Usually he just leaves the gift in the bag it came in, with the receipt, and says “OK! Close your eyes and put your hands out!” And this is how I receive my gifts, every time. This year, was the first year he didn’t ruin his own surprise by getting to excited and telling me…. AND actually wrapped my gift! I’m so proud of him. AND, he really thought about what I would like and it was so thoughtful and fantastic!