Posts Tagged ‘gift giving’
My 2017 Christmas haul
Every Christmas, I take inventory of the holiday gifts that my wife gives me. Some people wish for cashmere sweaters, the latest gadget, stylish watches, and jewelry. My hope is often for the least pretentious, most unexpected, quirkiest little gift possible, and she never fails to deliver. For the past nine years, I’ve been documenting…
Read MoreThe two birthday gifts you should be asking for above all others
My birthday is approaching. My wife often asks me for possible gift ideas, as I can be a difficult person when it comes to presents. I am much more interested in eliminating things from my life than adding to it. The accumulation of stuff does not interest me. In fact, if someone would just agree…
Read More3 petty bits of nonsense that should never bother you (unless you are equally petty)
1. Friends or relatives who name their baby the same name or a similar name as your child You don’t own the name.You didn’t invent the name.The name is not a reflection of you (even if you’d like to think otherwise).Most important, the kid will never give a damn if someone else shares his or…
Read MoreJust eliminate gift registries entirely. Also, divorce registries are disgusting.
A recent New York Times piece tracks the rising popularity of gift registries for occasions other than weddings. While it’s hard to count how many exist, registries for not just weddings and showers but birthdays and other events such as housewarmings, holidays and even divorces seem increasingly common, perhaps because of the expansion in digital…
Read MoreSeven years of marriage today!
Yesterday was our seventh wedding anniversary. I couldn’t imagine a better day. Best of all, we ended the day in the negative. My anniversary officially kicked off the night before when I arrived home around 11:00 PM from a wedding and discovered that my lawn had been mowed while I was working at a wedding.…
Read MoreThe Matthew Dicks Law of Thank You Notes
Inspired by a pair of insipid aunts in Will Schwalbe’s memoir The End of Your Life Book Club, I offer this bit of indisputably accurate wisdom regarding gift giving and thank you notes: There is nothing wrong with being disappointed when someone fails to send you a thank you card for a gift that you…
Read MoreBased upon this year’s birthday gifts, I’m much more mature than I was two years ago.
My wife gave me tickets to American Idiot, the theatrical adaptation of Green Day’s rock opera of the same name, for my birthday. Coincidentally, a friend who shares the same birthday as me (along with a laundry list of other bizarre coincidences) also received tickets to American Idiot. Great minds think alike. Though I recently…
Read MoreA holiday gift idea that is unusual, renewable, charitable and might gleefully annoy the materialistic moron in your life.
My classroom operates a microloan account through Kiva that has been funded over the years by students through the sale of poetry. We have a total of $250 that we loan to small business owners and entrepreneurs around the world, focusing primarily on third world nations where our money can do the most good. Whenever…
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