201–210 of 285 posts
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A while back someone posted to HN a tool for creating things just like this. In some places it was derided as “single player Facebook” but I could see it being very helpful for a person who sticks with it
I'd be curious if anyone knows what this tool may be or if it still exists?
The worst, IMO, is getting something that's similar to what they asked for, but not quite, and the distinction matters. When I was 10, I really enjoyed Monopoly with my friends, but my parent's set was missing pieces and just overall in bad shape, so I asked for a new Monopoly set for Christmas. My grandma bought me Monopoly Junior, which was an entirely different game, and I was actually upset by it. Years later, wh…
Your examples all speak to attending superficially to another persons request or interests, then half assedly following through. My parents did the same thing, alas.
A much simpler and cheaper way of going about it.
disclosure: im the co-founder who simply modernized warhol’s vision.
Removing yourself from the equation is so important. The most recent gift I bought I thought was completely stupid, but it was something someone close to me had abstractly mentioned wishing it had existed (cell phone controlled tea kettle). I openly mocked them for wanting something I found idiotic and told them at the time they were a lazy bum and suggested buying my sensible cheap manual kettle. But I made damn sur…
The paper he cites, Waldfogel's "The Deadweight Loss of Christmas" omits one of the most valuable results of gift exchange. Namely, it only considers the intrinsic value of the object give, and not any goodwill or pleasant feelings that the mere act of giving and receiving itself provides. In other words, by focusing purely on the material value of the object given, the paper systematically undervalues the benefits o…
Yes, and in particular, the deadweight loss has value because it is deadweight loss. "I paid $100 to ship this $10 thing that you could have gotten yourself on Amazon for $10" is another (admittedly strange) way to say, "I care about you so much that you having $10 is worth $110 to me."
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Ask for food. You always need food. They can make it themselves, such as a favorite recipe, which will make it special to them. Or they can buy something that they like and think that you might like, which conveys a connection between you. If it's good, you get a great memory. Even if it's not, it's soon gone, and not weighing down your life. There are some who have rigorous diets or otherwise don't want their routin…
Food is pretty good. But its not perfect, I don't want a bunch of, say, chocolate since I'll eat it all and feel bad.
Both have a long shelf life, so even if we have plenty on hand currently, eventually we’ll get around to enjoying it.
They also both come in at lots of price points: from affordable to fancy.
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My intuition would be to not give a book on baking bread, but on something tangential to bread baking... like a book on brewing or other kinds of fermentation! Something that connects with their expertise but is new to both of you. If somebody is into knives, maybe gift a course on blacksmithing or some japanese whetstones.
Or unusual bread supplies could be cool. Like flour made from ancient grains and/or ground with a traditional stone mill, etc. For knives, a nice grind stone or knife oil could be useful. I think splurge hobby consumables is a great way to go.
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Food is pretty good. But its not perfect, I don't want a bunch of, say, chocolate since I'll eat it all and feel bad.
Wine or coffee is my go to. Both have a long shelf life, so even if we have plenty on hand currently, eventually we’ll get around to enjoying it. They also both come in at lots of price points: from affordable to fancy.
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Since around the time of the Great Recession, my siblings, parents, cousins, etc., and I agreed to give gifts to each other only via one of those secret Santa methods with a limit of $40/gift. This has made things so much easier! We only have to gift something to a single recipient, making it less costlier, simplifying the gift idea hassle, and allowing us to focus less on the "shopping bonanza" and more on just enjo…
This is a good idea. A "white elephant" gift exchange is another alternative, though with gifts that are desirable and not just amusing.
(One the one hand, it's a box of one foot extension cords; on the other, you quickly realize you need one per stupid power brick or unnecessarily weird shaped plug.)