Appreciation for presents

My DGD aged 14, was working her way through opening a stack of Christmas presents with lots of appreciative noises, when she came to one my DH had specifically picked for her. Cue shrieks of delight. A gravy boat and stand. When she comes for Sunday dinner she always gets teased for hogging the jug of gravy. Now she has her own. Her dear dad was a bit miffed that this little gift had the most impact! I hope she brings it with her when she comes for dinner today.

Such a lot of lovely comments on here. Sorry for you muffinthemoo your mum sounds an entitled princess and your MIL without awareness of other people’s feelings. You’ve got the measure of them both though!
I love the tale about the gravy boat it really made me laugh!

My DS skyped us as 3 year old DGS opened the stocking I had sent. He was so excited, tearing of the paper and showing us everything. He even demonstrated how he was going to use his new Batman toothbrush! My DS always does this when we send anything and DGS says thank you. It almost makes up for them being a distance away.

I buy presents when I see them for people and most I gave I had had for months - last year my best friend had liked a porcelain figure especially and so I bought it for her and kept it for Christmas, and I also say a lovely navy spotted dressing gown I knew she would love - I suppose I listen to people pretty well? Last year I got her similar presents that she had liked during the year, and both years she has been amazed at what I have given her which has been lovely! I really don't like to say this as it sounds so ungrateful, but what I have been given in return is something that has had no thought whatsoever which I do find upsetting - last year it was a Boots voucher (I ended up spending £20 on Tena Lady's as I am allergic to and don't 'do' smellies!) at least this year it was M&S .... but it just feels as though no effort was put into it at all sadly .... apparently I am difficult to buy for, but I could have come up with loads of stuff that I wouldn't buy for myself but would like ... I know I really shouldn't feel like that, but unfortunately now I do

All our AC and seven GC visited for a few days returning home on Christmas Eve. This year I made Bucilla 3-D Christmas stockings for all the GC and filled them - any sewers here may know what they are. They had other presents (too large for stockings) as well. As they were all together we agreed they could open a few of their presents before they left. We have a step-grandson whom we have only known for 18 months, and he has sometimes been a bit unsure of us. As he unwrapped his stocking he squealed "Wow Nan this is great, did you really make this. I LOVE it. I'm going to keep it forever!" I had to fight back the tears when he called me Nan, it's the first time he has ever called me anything.

Our other GC took their stockings home to open. I don't know whether they liked them or not. No thanks have been forthcoming. But that little lads reaction made all the hours of work worthwhile.

Our 9 year old gd sent me a video today of her making something with a kit we gave her yesterday. Lovely to watch. I also had a video clip from a dd showing me my 10 yr old gd busy with the little sewing machine we gave her. This was a nice surprise as I’d thought she looked distinctly underwhelmed when she opened it yesterday!
These little gestures make the effort I put into it all so worthwhile.

Because this year I have been unable to shop for presents I told everyone I didn’t expect any but my son and daughter in law gave me a hamper of luxury items such as truffle oil, special olive oil and different kinds of rice, wine and gin etc.

This Fall we had our roof replaced because of a hail sstorm. The insurance pai for most of it, but my Generous Mom gave us the remainder to pay off the bill. She was here on Christmas and looked up at the roof. She said "Now how am I going to get a big red bow up there, since that is your gift?" We laughed not knowing how, but BFF is trying to make a photo of our cottage with a big bow atop for Mom.

OPgrndtr what a lovely idea!

JackyB My DDs are very good and the DGC about thanking for presents. We had an early get-together as we were unable to be together for Christmas.

I was so hurt for my dear friend who is very generous and had bought what she was asked to get, which was clothes, for her DGC who live abroad and visited her after Christmas. They returned the gifts saying quite bluntly that they did not like them. The parents of today and offspring thereof can be very spoilt and hurtful I fear.

Well if anyone did that to me Tillybelle I’d take them back but they wouldn’t be getting anything else! What a cheek people have.

Oh dear, most people seem to only have ungrateful recipients, even on this thread.

I forgot to mention that my DS1 also always waits till we are connected on Skype before DGS opens his presents from us, so we can watch and join in the excitement.

DS1 from America sent us a bottle of whisky, suggesting that we have a drink together when it's opened, over Skype. The problem there is that when we are having a tipple it's their breakfast time and when the sun is over the yardarm in Silicon Valley we are fast asleep in bed!

We had both appreciation and non appreciation this year. One DD skyped so that we could see the DGC open their gifts and they were obviously pleased and said thank you. From the second DD we have not heard a word of thanks, despite giving a very expensive gift to her son. I must add that both girls were brought up the same way and both should know that the correct thing to do is to say thank you for a gift. We were a bit upset by this.

Give her time Antonia. It is only a week since Xmas and she may well thank you in the next day or two. Youngsters are relaxed about timescales.

Well! I had an especially decent response this year from my granddaughter, age 6. A little while back I asked her on the telephone what she might want for Christmas, and she depicted some swimming goggles she might want, saying they were Wonder-lady goggles. I got a few and offered them to her, with some different things, when she visited here (she inhabits the opposite end of the nation) two or three days back. I dreaded another person may have given her a similar thing, or that she would have gone off the thought.
I require not have stressed. When she opened the package, she truly shouted with bliss - for quite a while! She bounced all over. I have never observed anybody so satisfied! It recently demonstrated that little exhibits, on the off chance that they are correct, it would be ideal if you the same amount of as costly things.

Give her time Antonia. It is only a week since Xmas and she may well thank you in the next day or two

If the children are young and you are getting them to write their own thank yous I find that its best to only do one or two a day or they get frustrated and sloppy and start making mistakes and getting upset about them.

Lots of people have been away from home over the holidays visiting too

It seems on GN that people get the hump if a thank you isn't received within 48 hours or so! Ive seen this on other threads.

Me, if a month has passed and I havent heard anything about a gift I sent I might start to wonder whether or not it was received before jumping to the conclusion that the recipient was rude.

A lot of people on here are quick to reach unfavourable conclusions about younger people

We had only bought our 3 year old DGD two presents - not expensive. On Christmas day we arrived after some present had been opened and the opening continued for a couple of hours after this. I was really worried that in the mountain of stuff she had received our presents would fade into insignificance. Ours were the last to be opened and as she did so she exclaimed - "Oh look Mummy just what I wanted!"
We were thrilled.

My DC and DGC always seem appreciative of presents though we do send each other wish lists beforehand.
This year my older DGD bought me a present with her own money which was lovely.

I've sent a present back once and that's because MIL knew it was something we said DD wasn't allowed but bought it anyway.

Other than that, DH and I will always say thank you for the gifts sent to DD and now she's older, we get her to say thank you to everyone also.

@Antonia We're still trying to get round to everyone with thanking them. Between going back to work, school and visiting everyone over the break, it can take time.

We don;t do thank you cards as I think it's more important for DD to actually thank them by either phoning or visiting.