All I want for Christmas is …
Christmas is
a time of crazy spending money for gifts bought at the last minute and standing
in a very long queues in the shops.
Christmas gifts worldwide
The Christmas
season is celebrated in different ways around the world varying by country and
region. In many countries presents are placed near the tree but it is not a
standard.
In Mexico children gets their gifts in the children's shoes filling with
candies, oranges, tangerines, nuts, and sugar cane, even sometimes money.
In China
don’t wrap presents in a white paper because white colour is a symbol of mourning
and death. The best colours are red and gold.
Otherwise in Japan you should
avoid also white, red, black and the numbers 4 (symbol of death) and 9 (bad
luck). Many Swedes have the tradition that each Christmas present should have a
rhyme written on the wrapping paper.
In the United States don’t forget to buy
presents for your pets! :)
Buying presents
Buying
presents it is not an easy thing. Have you got your Christmas gifts yet?
It
seems to be the only thing that people want to talk about before the Christmas.
American researchers found that shoppers with multiple recipients in mind were
likely to buy different, unique gifts from those shopping for one person -
rather than focusing on what the person would actually like.
In Poland the
most popular gifts are like another pair of socks, slippers, mops, pots,
toiletries with a big sign 'GREAT PRICE', ‘SALE’ or '2 FOR 1’.
If you are
not satisfied with your present it tends than many companies in a different
countries arrange gift exchange programs like for example in Singapore.
In some
areas of Canada 26th of December is free of work but many shops open
in the midnight. The Boxing Day is one of the best day of sales in the year.
 |
| Boxing Day crowds shopping at the Toronto Eaton Centre in Canada, 2007 |
start: 00.45
start: 00.36
enjoy :)
Here are some questions for you:
1.
What's
the weirdest gift you got in your life?
2.
Do
you prefer practical or impractical gifts? Why?
3.
What
do you think about exchanging gifts? Would you do that?
4.
Have
you ever had a chance to spent Christmas abroad?
Sources:
Hmmm... Last year I got from my boyfriend a kit of knifes. He noticed one day that in my room in dormitory we had lack of knifes and without hesitation he bought them for me as a Christmas gift.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I like getting impractical gifts. When they symbolize something for me, remind me about important person or place, I would never choose anything else. However, when it’s another photo frame...
I think that it can be rude somehow, but in fact, when the gift is completely not for me, when I never use that thing and it will be just lie on my shelf, the idea of exchanging gifts sounds great for me.
No, I’ve never had a chance to spend Christmas abroad and by now I don’t regret. I like polish traditions, time spending with my family.
I can't remember what was the most weirdest thing I've ever got.I usually something what I want.
ReplyDeleteFrom my family,I usually get practical gifts,which can be useful for me,but from my close friends I often get some impractical gifts,which can remind me about them.
I've never exchanged any gifts.For me,it's inappropirate,even if something is really useless.We shouldn't exchange gifts or even give them somebody else.
I've never spent Christmas abroad.I'd rather spend Christmas at home with my family next to the fireplace.I really enjoy Polish traditions and singing carols.
I always got what I want so I don't know what was my weirdest gift. Of course I get practical gifts but just from my family. I get unpractical things from my friends. I also have never exchanged any gifts. It isn't kind for people who gave us sth. I've never spent Christmas abroad but I'm really happy because of that. Christams in Poland are traditional and I can spend much time with my family:)
ReplyDeleteUsually I get normal presents, particularly money although it isn't really unique kind of present.
ReplyDeleteI prefer impractical gifts because practical things I buy on my own, when I need it. I spend money for example on warm shoes, better quality jacket for example. Goods as a T-shirt with funny overprint or Christmas mug I treat as an impractical gift which I'm content when I get from my friends.
I think that exchanging gifts is a good way when we don't enjoy our Christmas gifts. If the shop offer that possibility - why not? Nowadays, we have to pay for everything so much so every purchase should be considered.
I have never spent Christmas abroad but I would like to see what beautiful traditions are in other countries. Christmas are amazing and certainly in different countries have a similar, unusual atmosphere.
The weirdes gift i have ever got is probably historical book "Kronika Państwa Polskiego". I don't know who bought me it, and why he did it, but what i know is that i have never opened this huge book, becouse it's like calendary of whole history of Poland. I rather prefer gifts which are impractical, becouse i really enjoy reciving books, or some music cd's. I think that exchaning gift is not really good idea. When someone buys us a present, he thinks about as and choose something, that fits to us in their mind. I wouldn't like to do that. I have never had chance to spent christmas abroad, and i wouldn't like to tho that, becouse for me, christmas time is time, that you spend with your friends and family.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was fifteen it was really popular to call your sixteenth birthday "sweet sixteen" after a popular MTV show - so when I've turned sixteen my friends gave me the gift in the "sweet" theme - big pink gloves with "Fight for love" written on each of them. That was the weirdest gifts I've ever received.
ReplyDeleteBut I love both practical and impractical gifts. Every gift is a sign of someone else thinking about me and making an effort to make me happy and I appreciate every gift even those I'll probably never use.
I would never exchange my gift because, like I said before, I appreciate every gift. But I understand why people are doing that and this way you can give your things better second life, maybe someone really needs things which are useless for you.
I've never had a chance to spend Christmas abroad, I've never even spend this time outside Warsaw because my whole family lives here.
ReplyDelete1. What's the weirdest gift you got in your life? Once time I got some very wierd and awful vase. It was terrible but I couldn't exchange it because it was from my godfather.
2. Do you prefer practical or impractical gifts? Why? I prefer practical gifts because they are always needed and are safer. Of course some impractical gifts that must just be beautiful are great but from experience everybody have a lot of such things hidden in shelves.
3. What do you think about exchanging gifts? Would you do that? I think it's a very good idea of course people that gave us this gifts could be sad but we don't need to say them. I would do that but thanks God I don't get a lot of wierd gifts.
4. Have you ever had a chance to spent Christmas abroad? No I haven't I think that Christmas in Poland are the best from all the world.
to start with - I didn't enjoy the JOKE, it was terrible. Kids dream about santa claus and gifts are supposed to make their dreams come true, so if they get a sponge and get deeply upset, I don't think they understand the prunk and even if they receive another, real gift later I'm sure the threat of Santa Claus beeing so hopeless is not worth the adults laugh.
ReplyDeleteThe weirdest gift I got was a pile of coins, my grandmother thought it would be funny.
I divide gifts into sincere and fake. However, if it has to be fake anyway I prefer it to be practical at least.
Exchanging gifts. It would work if the person who gave me it wouldn't feel hurt. I would not exchange socks for iPhone if I had known that someone had chosen them especially for me and hoped I'd like it.
Even if I had a chance to spent Christmas abroad, I would not take it. My family is important then and I would probably not be able to afford taking them with me.
Well... as I remember, on time I got on Christmas a piece of stone from my grandfather, and he said that this will help me anytime I will need help. It doesn't work.. :D I must say, I prefer practical gifts, cos I know what to do with them instead of these impractical that are lying down in chest of drawers. I will not exchange any present, even the worst in my life, cos I feel something like a sentiment to everything I get as a present. I was spending my Christmas in France last year, because my family live there and I had a chance to admire this beautiful holidays abroad.
ReplyDeletePretty weird gift I I got last year. My friend gave me a box full of worms. They turned to a few black beetles after a little time. I was going to eat them on New Year’s Eve, but they escaped from the box and then freaked out my girl, so she grabbed a vacuum cleaner in panic and upset my applecart. I like practical gifts if they’re practical for me. I think it’s an unnecessary custom, but maybe it’s my childhood trauma since when I find out Santa isn’t real. I’ve spent Christmas abroad a couple of times and I always had a blast there.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I don't remember any weird gift I've got. I like all gifts, it's not important what you get, it's just symbolic in my opinion. Well exchanging gifts is good idea when gift=clothes which don't suit you well or you don't like. I think it's the only case which allows you to exchange gift.
ReplyDeleteI guess I never got a weird gift. But sometimes I get gifts that are strangely packed. For example, a new phone that was hidden in a sack of potatoes. Does that count? :) In my opinion it doesn't matter if the gift is practical or impractical. The important thing for us is to enjoy it. It can be a beautiful picture or iPad. It doesn't matter. I like the idea of exchanging gifts and I would like to exchange some of mine for shure. But certainly not the gifts, in which someone put a heart. I've never spent a holiday abroad but one day I would like to spent the Christmas Eve on a beach in some warm country.
ReplyDeleteAt Christmas I usually exchange gifts only witch family and the closest friends so everyone know what will be nice and useful gifts and I never had hot anything weird for this occasion ( apart from 5kg of tangerine for each year… I was about 5 years old when I told my super-grandmother that the most in the world I love tangerine, since this for next 10 years she have used to give me 5kg of tangerine at every Christmas)
ReplyDeleteI prefer practical gifts. In my opinion it means that someone who has chosen gifts know you well enough and care enough to find something practical and nice.
I have never exchange any gifts, it is little rude in my opinion.
I have never had any opportunity to spend Christmas abroad. However I don’t regret it. For me Christmas is time to be with your family and visit your cousins, holidays abroad is better idea for some other time.
Now I like Christmas, bacause I see all my family and we can together spend several hours. However when I was a child I waited for Christmas bacause of presents. I remember I was always happy anything I got.
ReplyDeleteI like give presents my family and make them happy, but I have always the same problem. I don't know what they want. For that reason I look for presents early. All people don't have time and they buy gifts a day before Christmas. They are under the pressure of time and have to stay in huge queue.
What's the weirdest gift you got in your life?
ReplyDeleteI dont know is it weird but once i got 3 deodorants and 2 shower gels.
Do you prefer practical or impractical gifts? Why?
I prefer practical gifts becouse person who got that gift will use it more than few times before he throw it to the trash.
Have you ever had a chance to spent Christmas abroad?
Yes, when I was 3 I was spending christmas in Rome. I remember it to this day.
What's the weirdest gift you got in your life?
ReplyDeleteI have never get anything weird at least I don't remember anything like that.
Do you prefer practical or impractical gifts? Why?
I like gets presents, so I'm always happy when I get something even socks (thay are always needed).
What do you think about exchanging gifts? Would you do that?
I think it's very great idea to dump unwanted gifts and get something you really like. Yes, I would do that if I only get anything unwanted.
Have you ever had a chance to spent Christmas abroad?
No, I always spend Christmas in my family home.
I don't remember the weirdest gift, but I remember perfectly number of not very good gifts like: the same toys from mother and father, four skin balsam (I DON'T USE THEM AT ALL!!) or a bag, which broke down in two days after Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI like practical things, but it really depends! Sometimes practical gifts are good, because I use them soon or later, but there are some of them (like skin balsam), hich just stand on my shelf and are simply impractical.
I've never exchanged any gift. One time I just give it to the other person (like perfume from my grandpa I gave my grandma but 'from the other side of the family' ;)) .
I've never spent Christmas abroad. Only I spent Christmas in other town, but it was in Poland and I went there with my family.