It’s that time of the year! We have to dig deep into our hearts and our pockets to come up with that perfect gift that expresses our exact feelings to family and friends.

Some are easy and some are tough. We try our very best to give them what WE think they really, really need. But no matter how hard we try, there will always be that one person who fails miserably.  And thanks to these debacles, I have two things one should never ever, EVER gift anyone during Christmas.

Holiday themed items

Sweaters, mugs, towels, socks, picture frames.

Christmas themed anything has the super power to transform you into a dorky, stupid idiot in any of the other 11 months. Although as teenagers, we might act careless, we most certainly are not and can remember when it’s Christmas. With coupons, flyers, BOGO deals, emails and POP sales that invade our lives right after Thanksgiving, we are constantly reminded of the soon approaching merry season. Do we really need a collection of red, green and white snow globes, candles, pencil holders and yes mugs that will ensure we do not forget this wonderful time of the year until next Christmas?

Calendars

Oh please! With calendars on phones, laptops, tablets and watches, I seriously do not know anyone who still needs to look at the wall calendar to figure out a day and date in the future. With screen savers that remind us of …ahem… ourselves or our most cherished moments, I really don’t feel the need to look at cute kittens, wild horses, swiss landscapes or colorful birds or waterfalls all year long.

So I officially declare wall calendars as 20h century relics that must be left alone to rest in peace.

Goody Baskets

Gooseberry marmalade that you didn’t even know existed on this earth, shortbread cookies that make your mouth as dry as the Sahara, a jar of birch syrup (whatever that is) and crackers made from some kind of wild grain that hasn’t been harvested since humans first attempted to tame the wolf.

Something personalized

Now we have to be careful here. There is a fine line between gifting a classy watch with an inscription on the back and a doormat with the name right under the picture of the grinning red nose reindeer.  Come to think of it, without any kind of fancy font inscription, each and every one in your family knows your towel from theirs, your coffee mug from theirs and even your toothbrush from theirs. Then why this fuss?

No one will even dream of using your towel. Whether it has your name or not, it’s yours and you will always have the pleasure of owning it 100%.

And just something extra for those newspaper folks, don’t ever give an AP Stylebook as a gift.  If you know what I mean….

So there it is.  My very own super short list of the unmentionables and totally forgettables that no one should ever give or receive.

Happy holidays everyone!