I'm sure most of you have been seeing lots of advertisements and posts about gift ideas, and if your browsing habits influence the algorithm like mine do, most of what you see is food or cooking related. My biggest problem is that plenty of what I see in those articles appeals to me as a gift recipient, not necessarily as a gift giver. One headline, however, stopped me in my tracks, paraphrased as "Buy your parents better cooking tools so you can use them when you visit."

I had to click through to the article to see if the headline was misleading. It wasn't, and the point of the article annoyed me to no end. This sentence especially enraged me "...you shouldn’t let [your parents] potential lack of enthusiasm keep you from buying them gifts from the kitchen department this year, because there is one person that will always be grateful: you, the person who has to cook in their kitchen over the holidays." I was gobsmacked at the selfishness of this thought.

Buying something the intended recipient does not want, does not need, and will not use, is not in the spirit of gift-giving. Color me old-fashioned, but I want my friends and family to be pleased with their present, and I put careful thought into what I purchase so it doesn't immediately end up in the thrift store pile. In fact, I would rather not give anything than to give someone a "gift" they will not use.

I am not against the idea of buying tools to use in someone else's kitchen if you cook in it frequently. Just don't call it a gift for them, and of course be respectful of the item's utility and the amount of room it will occupy. For instance, a Thermapen or a Microplane will not take up much space and might be well used, but a set of large mixing bowls consumes a lot of real estate. Perhaps I am overthinking this issue (I have a tendency to do that). However, I am resolute about the idea that gifts should have meaning for the recipient. What say you?

Remember you can send your loved ones a link to your wishlist here at Eat Your Books to guide them with holiday shopping.