I wouldn't say that I'm as good of an example of simple living as I'd like to be, but I really just don't enjoy things that much. I have a small-average size wardrobe, and I probably have too many things in my kitchen, but I live in a one bedroom and I'm very conscious of not bringing more stuff into my house. I got a gift at white elephant exchange for work and immediately gave it to someone else even though it was funny (a triceratops taco holder) and my husband would like it because I knew it would be used once then take up space in my kitchen.
Everyone in my family tells me I'm so hard to buy for. I have a ton of food allergies so anything except gift cards to one food website are out, I'm allergic to all fragrances so there's goes the girly bathroom gifts, and I don't wear jewelry or makeup because I just don't like to. When I tell my family what I want, usually dog treats or something for my house like new sheets, they always say things like "but those aren't really for YOU, what do YOU want." But that is all I want. Or I tell them I want a gift card for acupuncture or something and they don't want to because they've done that before. My ideas of gifts for myself don't live up to their expectations of what gifts should be. So inevitably I end up, like tonight, crying from frustration because yet another family member got me a gift I won't use. And I know I might sound ungrateful like "oh poor me, my family is nice and buys me stuff," but it really makes me feel so guilty, especially since I know they try and really love me. My father in law, who works nights at the hospital and doesn't have a lot of money, got me a smart watch. I know it was a sacrifice for him and very thoughtful. But I don't want that as part of my lifestyle. Every year my grandma gets me another set of pajamas and a robe or hoodie and every year I return them because I don't need endless numbers of robes and hoodies.
I love giving gifts to others. Its one of the main ways I express love. But I mainly do it through experiences like golf lessons for my husband or a spa treatment for my mom. It makes me feel awful that I can't give them the same joy I get from giving them good gifts. I've tried to talk to them and be very explicit about what experiences/small gifts I would appreciate but it's not what they want to give me. How do you explain to your families your choice to live simply and what does that look like for you around the holidays?
Submitted December 24, 2018 at 11:50PM by poodlenancy http://bit.ly/2EKEyv1
