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Simon Says
Ultimate Terrible Gift Guide: Part 2
Ultimate Terrible Gift Guide: Part 1

Perfect present for the lazy or totally technophobic

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Zombie Ms. Skittles
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
I actually am buying my fiance a gift out of TWOP's gift guide. The dude likes NCIS!
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Tartan_Tart (formerly Scarletbegonia)
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
I treat them the way I treat everything else in magazines. I ooh and aah over what I like, with no regard to others, and end up not buying anything.

Also I love you, Simon Doonan. You can decorate my house anytime.
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randomnessish
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
To be fair, it WAS the gift guide from Time Out NY that alerted me to the existence of a "Cake or Death?" Eddy Izzard mug. So yeah.
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rodmanstreet
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
Ironically, I would love to find out what Simon Doonan would suggest for Christmas. He's fantastic, and I'd probably buy any number of horrible things if he recommended them.
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judgingamy
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
Bust's gift guide this year was pretty good. I figured out what to get my dad from it. A record player that converts your vinyl into mp3s? That's perfect. And I had no idea we had the technology to do that.
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Edited by judgingamy at 12/02/09 12:52 PM judgingamy was starred judgingamy was unstarred

PhoebeC
12/02/09

@judgingamy: That is what my dad is getting this year! First time in about 10 years I actually knew what to get the man.
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Devi
12/02/09

@judgingamy: We got this for my dad a few years ago and he's never used it. The man has hundreds of records lying around and gigs of mp3s on his computer and yet...

Sigh.
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judgingamy
12/02/09

@Devi: This is why I'm thinking that its a continuous gift... because you know who will be converting all those records? Me. So that's an extra part. But then I get a gift cuz then I get to listen to all his super awesome underground new york 70s glam records, including crazy B-sides from MC5. I am excited.
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Devi
12/02/09

@judgingamy: And now I feel like a bad daughter! I really should have gotten more involved. He does have a pretty awesomely eclectic collection...
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
I find that gifts guides are generally based on stereotypes that have nothing to do with the people in my life. My dad hates golf and gadgets and my mom hates cooking and beauty products. What now generic gift guides?

That said, I do like the holiday book lists from NYT and WaPo.
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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
12/02/09

@Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd): I've often wondered what it would be like to have a golfing dad – or to be one. 90 percent of crappy last-minute gifts are golf-related, it seems.
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Hana Maru
12/02/09

@Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd): Does your mom like $78 candles? I bet she does!
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
12/02/09

@Hana Maru: My mom makes her own candles out of super-cheap bulk beeswax. Try again, Gift Guide!
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Rare Affinity
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
I find gift guides can be useful at Christmas when I am buying for say children or a man I don’t know that well, like my friend’s brother.
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f-words
12/02/09

@Rare Affinity: My philosophy is that if you don't know what to get for someone, they'll be better off with a basket of muffins or something.
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Rare Affinity
12/02/09

@f-words: That used to be true but these days people have so many allergies and food intolerances, that buying food for people you don't know that well is also a nightmare.
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anteup
12/02/09

@Rare Affinity: Kid gift guides rule. I am kid stupid. I have no idea what they play with at what ages.
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Rare Affinity
12/02/09

@anteup: If I want to play with it too then it instantly gets to the top of my must buy list.
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Penny
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
Too bad they're a PR person's dream.
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Lymed
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
Simon Doonan later found out his search for a person who likes gift guides was perhaps limited as it was conducted in Antarctica.
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ElleL
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
I don't hate them per se, but they usually help me get an idea for people. Sephora always has a great gift guide.
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BabyJane
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
I lined my litter box with holiday gift guides once, and I'll never make that mistake again. Cats, cellphones and a Sharper Image catalog made for a very expensive January. On the bright side, we do enjoy lounging in our massage chair while shredding documents and sonically sanitizing our tooth brushes.
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Edited by BabyJane at 12/02/09 10:45 AM BabyJane was starred BabyJane was unstarred

Ratinski
12/02/09

@BabyJane: My cat once found my CapitalOne. I'm still paying it off, but the catnip is all long gone.
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winner
12/02/09

@BabyJane: Brilliance.
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berlitzfrench
12/02/09

@BabyJane: Be grateful it wasn't the Fredericks of Hollywood catalog or you might have been treated to this:
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BabyJane promoted this comment Edited by berlitzfrench at 12/02/09 11:02 AM berlitzfrench was starred berlitzfrench was unstarred

berlitzfrench
12/02/09

@berlitzfrench: ugh. Another edit fail.
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BabyJane
12/02/09

@berlitzfrench: It was well worth waiting for! That image shall be forever burned in my brain.
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berlitzfrench
12/02/09

@BabyJane: At least the bottoms weren't of the crotchless variety.
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BabyJane
12/02/09

@berlitzfrench: Thank heaven for small favors and all that!
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BeckySharper
12/02/09

In reply to Simon Says
I enjoy looking at all the pretty things I can't afford. And then I recycle them.
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brendastarlet is on it
12/19/08

In reply to Ultimate Terrible Gift Guide: Part 2
I got a marble-based pen and pencil set from an ex one Christmas. He was a workoholic and I know that he ran down to the stationery store in his building before closing time to pick it out. I almost cried, I was so mad, and he was pointing to the brass plate that came with it and said, "You can get it personalized!"

We broke up about three months later. Now I can laugh, but I couldn't for a long time.
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Madge
12/19/08

In reply to Ultimate Terrible Gift Guide: Part 2
One year when I was about 17, my Uncle asked my mom what he should get me for Christmas and my mom said to just get some pyjamas. So Christmas morning I open his present and pull out a tiny, hot pink, see thru baby doll nightie. I was understandably confused. Mom took a look at it and said " Tell me who got you that?". I said Uncle Dave. She started laughing and explained she told him to buy me pyjamas. My boyfriend was psyched about it. I never wore them.
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Hana Maru
12/20/08

@Madge: Whoa, that's funny/tragic! I just laughed out loud and had to explain why.
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Maulleigh
12/19/08

In reply to Ultimate Terrible Gift Guide: Part 2
A friend of mine gave me proactiv. It kind of hurt my feelings and pissed me off.
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