Okay, so despite me being all grinchy and grumpy about festive seasons, the spirit of giving really takes hold of me this time of the year.

I don't have many personal people to gift, and I usually find myself buying for people outside my immediate circle.

What are the rules with these things?

For example, I want to get something for the really nice girl who cleans the office for us. I just want to give her something small and thoughtful, but I'm afraid she'll feel obliged to reciprocate (which I don't want her to feel).

Was also thinking of getting something for my regular cafe down the street.

So, anyone got any tips? Or is it a free for all in the Christmas season, ie I can give anyone anything?

I'll just take cash, thanks.

@Dek,

What are the rules with these things? 

Well one rule is ...buy me stuff. I really need a new Aston Martin.

Look, and seriously,  I know you shouldn't buy people "practical" stuff like that  - you know the sort of thing: you don't buy the wife a vacuum cleaner because it 's a little gauche or unthinking  -  but I really wouldn't mind all that much.

Is Tangler just a forum for gift ideas for our Dek?

I'd rather have something practical than something useless... what's the problem with practical?

(I'd be equally/more happy with a load of chocolate, but that's a different thing)

@Dek

You just give them a card wishing them a Happy Chrismas and thanks for making your life a bit better over the last year.   Do that for everyone and make a donation to charity with the money you would have spent on them.

Well, let me tell you what I do.

People generally (the good ones anyway) love things that you really appreciate. Example, a co-worker who loves Ferrari's. If you buy him a ferrari model, he appreciates the effort you made.

This concludes that people appreciate effort, something you shouldn't miss out on. Make people something that are unique to them. You've got some cardboard somewhere right? and a color printer? Make them a custom card unique to them. Do this for those outside your "inner circle" it's cheap, quick and can mean a lot.

Why? It's useful for bribery later on only jokin'
 

Well, my gifts are always practical and thoughtful. I think it wasteful to buy something people won't use. I have gotten it wrong a few times, but I really do try.

I know what I'll get the cafe. A small photo thingy they can use to display the pics of the owner's new baby. (right now they're stuck on a flower pot with Bluetack)
 

And Arthur, I also keep my budget low, so there's always enough for the charities.

And JR, and Aston isn't practical And if that's why you wanted it.... I couldn't get you one cos you don't show a good enough understanding of the car and what it means
 

Str1der I'd make stuff, but I'm so un-handy that my best efforts are still worse than a kindergarten-aged child's worst effort....

Serve them plastic food!

Okay, not with cyanide

I'm celebrating Christmas right now....

I have a glass of red, and I'm watching Grumpy Old Men on Christmas

hehehe
 

This one has Jeremy Clarkson too! Woo hoo!

They're all bitching abt Christmas cards right now... hear hear!

And JR, and Aston isn't practical And if that's why you wanted it.... I couldn't get you one cos you don't show a good enough understanding of the car and what it means

Oh ....Please GOD!!!    Nooooooo.......... I had one (2nd/ 3rd/ 4th hand) once and it was a nightmare. Now that they are really good and not just cool, I can't afford one and....... I wuz hopin'.........on your MASSIVE Tangler salary

Oh, since you don't want it, I'll have to keep it for myself.... poor me

hehehehe
 

(Funnily enough, I've just wrapped the presents I bought earlier. And Grumpy Old Men has finished. Feels like Christmas is over!)

Eh?......and .....Eh?

Huh?

I don't un-der-sta-nd either of your comments

You're not getting an Aston, and I'm done with Christmas!

Scroooooooooooge

hahahahahah

I love Scrooge!

No you love the story "A Christmas Carol". No one loves Scrooge. Even at the end he hardly reforms beyond his own self interested needs.

Okay, I should have specified - I love Scrooge McDuck!

@wtf I'll keep that in mind thanks

And yeah, it was great!
 

Hey everyone, head on over to Tangler Feedback

It'll warm your heart to see my Paint efforts... really
 

mwahahaha!

It's the morning of the 25th

Merry Christmas everyone!!
 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight ..... from Canada!

Christmas here in Aust is almost over. Hope you guys get better weather than us!

Merry Christmas!!
 

Buttered Chickens ftw. I laughed every time they were mentioned.

hehehe

I think it's Butter Chicken!
 

It snowed on Christmas day !  For only the third time in my life I think (they even had some  at the airport, the official measuring station for Vancouver -- which is right on the warm water approx sea level  --- so according to the news this is officially the first time in 100 years for snow on Christmas Day).

So its on to Boxing Day... and leftover Turkey et al for the next several days....then its on to Butter Chicken...mmmmmm

From what I hear, a lot of people uphold the turkey tradition.

 

How cool Bric!! You got a once in a lifetime! brrrrr

We had a fairly wintery Christmas here in Sydney.
 

It's Boxing day here, and I'm waiting for my wings to cook on the barbie

We had turkey (and sausages and roast potatoes and various vegetables and yorkshire pudding and those little sausages wrapped up in bacon)

My dad loves Christmas food, and he's good at cooking said Christmas food. Everyone wins from this situation
 

hehe... birds within birds within birds. I like that idea.

Sausage wrapped in bacon is less elaborate - its just a little sausage with a piece of bacon wrapped around it

Start with a Blue Whale - largest animal. Then go down through all the animals in size order and see if you can stuff one of animal n inside of animal n-1

umm.. depends how much you want to eat insects I guess. I would probably limit it to vertebrates at least.. possibly further since amphibians and reptiles aren't such common eating material.

If you took it to the other extreme, what about a Streptococcus bacteria stuffed with the Ebola virus 

Pigs in blankets seems to be the "in" name for bacon stuffed with sausage or sausage wrapped in bacon or whatever...

It pissed down the whole of Christmas day and the temperature was always around 8 degrees which is far too warm an wet for us.

hahahahah Be grateful!!

I'd love to be present at one of these christmas meals.... I've never even had eggnog!

Neither have I. Its never really caught on after its appearance on the Simpsons.

huh?

I cant remember which episode it is but they use it instead of milk.