(01-03-2022, 01:53 PM)Bchbunnie4 Wrote:

(01-03-2022, 01:01 PM)Mikey Wrote: This needs to be framed and distributed globally.

SiL has basically ghosted the entire fambly. When I got to addressing the few xmas cards we send, I didn't bother sending them one, as they've relocated a few times and I don't trust the address we have. Wifey yelled at me about it, but hasn't put one in the mail either, that I can tell.

Wifey blew probably $150 on xmas gifts for a friend(ish) that only tends to call when a favor is needed. Basically the call was "here's our wishlists (nothing under $50, mind you), please send us something so that we can send you stuff. In the end, the other person shipped gifts for the kids (and us, maybe? I got lost in the fog of unwrappings) to our house, unwrapped, and wifey ordered everything shipped here. So, we had to wrap both batches of gifts, and the exchange was little more than the friend stopping by to pick up their crap. My suggestion to hand her the box of unwrapped items (as we received) didn't go over well, and I couldn't imagine how suggesting a response of "how bout neither of us buy stuff for each other since we aren't actually hanging out or doing what friends actually do" would have fared.

I'm done with takers.

People actually buy gifts like that for other adults? I can see giving a little something personal or meaningful if you’re invited to a party, or just because, but to have “friends” give you a gift list? Unless there was a fire and they lost everything, those friends are on their own! 
I’m not down with gift grabs and the people behind them.

This is actually kind of a "trivial annoyance" and could go into the other thread.  We have friends that we exchange gifts with, but more because we want to and NEVER has a "wish list" been exchanged.  Granted (not that it matters) it's usually something like a bottle of wine or some kind of food that we all might share or something like that.

I have some friends help me throughout the year, especially when it comes to cutting down trees.  Now when we cut a few trees down I usually like to immediately cut them into logs, split them and stack them to season.  Most of it is either Hickory or Oak wood.  Doing the whole process (cut into logs, split and stack) takes some effort and when my friends help out we always provide food and beverages.  However, a couple of friends always "have something to do" or "have an aching back" whenever we have a "tree cutting party".

This year we have/had a lot of firewood ready to go.  I gave plenty to the friends the helped me.  One friend in particular that always had "something to do" or a "sore back" keeps hinting about how he has to buy firewood from the box stores.  I just respond that I'm glad that I don't have to do that and we have plenty.

It just irks me that people that know how much time and effort goes into producing the firewood that we have kind of "expect" me to just give it away.  I don't mind sharing with people that helped us and I have given a bunch to people in need, but I refuse to "give" it to able bodied people that couldn't take a few hours out of their time and put some effort into producing it.

---