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Gift-giving is a huge part of relationships, whether romantic, platonic, familial, or otherwise.
We see them as an expression of love, respect, and admiration.
However, some people seem utterly lost when it comes to coming up with ideas for presents.
So much so that their gifts may end up hurting other peoples feelings.
The OP was leftutterly devastated.
Scroll down for the full story and the online communitys reactions.
Unfortunately, it seems like theyre for real.
One possible explanation is that the authors boyfriend simply isnt into gift-giving as a way to show love.
Like, at all.
The OP clearly values gifts an incredible deal.
Her boyfriend, however, may put more emphasis on other aspects of their relationship.
Perhaps he has other ways of being affectionate.
Another potential explanation is that the boyfriend may not care about the relationship as much as his girlfriend.
And the poor state of these gifts may be a subtle way of expressing this.
Guessing the mans intentions will get you nowhere.
As weve covered onBored Pandavery recently, many men in committed relationshipsforget to filltheir partners stockings altogether.
Think about your partners values, passions, and hobbies.
Consider their character and why you fell in love with them.
If theyre into art, get them some paints or pastels and plop them in the stocking.
But the gift-giver must follow up on these: they have to actively participate in the experience.
Or making them something by hand that you know theyll appreciate.
Explain to them that youre stumped.
That youre lost, confused, and bamboozled beyond all belief.
That youd like a hint (or two!)
or the truth about what theyd love to get.
As Time magazine points out, wesometimes avoidgetting people awesome gifts because we already own the items ourselves.
However, in our desire to be unique, we ignore genuinely good ideas.
Stockings are awesome because theyre really good at getting us to use our imaginations.
Though the gifts dont have to cost a lot, they shouldnt be random dollar-store items either.
What matters is that theyre (at least slightly) thoughtful and meaningful.
Its a lovely feeling.
Many readers were incredibly sympathetic and supportive of the author
