Image Credit
So appropriate. Count yourself lucky, #1Nana, that I found this perfect pic and didn't trawl further to find the pic of you in the faux suede cowboy hat in black and white cow spot print from the Royal Show circa 2006....or the one from your youth in the impossibly high necked turtle neck. You're welcome.
#1Nana is probably the hardest person to buy for in the entire universe. FFS!?
She doesn't want anything when her birthday or Christmas nears. She can't think of a single viable gift that she would like. FFS!?
The rest of the year she's full of ideas, and will often email, call or text them to me at random times. FFS!?
I've found magazine and catalog clippings strategically draped over my keyboard - at least 4 months prior to her next gift receiving occasion. FFS!?
She then buys those coveted items for herself before anyone else has a chance to gift them to her. FFS!?
This year we've placed a $30 limit on Christmas gifts. No FFS!?
It just gets too expensive and out of hand otherwise. Plus, we're all saving to go to Bali for Christmas next year. No FFS!?
First up, I had bought her some pricey earrings in Cambodia. They were about 10 times our gift limit, but I was going to claim birthday / Mothers Day / Christmas all in one. All present angst done and dusted for a full 12 months. No FFS!?
Except she already had that exact pair, which she had been wearing for at least 2 years without my perceptive self even noticing. FFS!?
That incident spurned the series of Christmas Gift Ideas posts. No FFS!? / FFS!?
Next up, one of the many daily deals websites was advertising refurbished robotic vacuum cleaners for $34.95.
#1Nana has coveted a robotic vacuum since they first hit the market. Anything to save her from lunging around the house pushing her heavy old vacuum.
But they're not cheap (new), and so she held off. I figured it would be the perfect gift to give her a trial of what the robotic vacuum was like, so she could decide if she wanted to buy a new one at some point. No FFS!?
With only $30 to spend, it was safe to say I had NAILED IT. No FFS!?
Then I took part in the Dyson DC59 trial and she so desperately wanted one after taking it for a spin, that I convinced #1Pop to cough up to buy my trial machine for her for Christmas.
No FFS!? for her getting what she wanted.
No FFS!? for him getting out of thinking of a gift for her.
FFS!? for me with a second useless gift.
So I'm on my third attempt at a thoughtful gift for #1Nana.
If this one fails I am going to buy her $30 worth of discount multi packs of enormous grandma kidney hugging knickers every year from here on in. No FFS!?
Perhaps $30 worth of non-alcoholic wine. No FFS!?
Or get the kids to make her macaroni craft items to the value of $30. No FFS!?
Better still, spend the $30 on a couple more of these appropriately worded gift boxes, and gift her the gift that keeps on giving - the Twin Tornado. No FFS!?