Women, what is the big deal about a vacuum for your birthday?

[waylon]

Its really cool and has headlights and a hepa filter and and and.... awe piss on it, Im screwed!

[blondeatlast]

1. Yep--it's the couch for you, big fella!

[JPace]

2. I am one of those strange women who likes....

practical things for my birthday, but most
women would prefer something more personal.

[Piperay]

21. Me too...

if I need a new vacuum I would be thrilled to get it rather than some perfume or something on that order, guess I am weird. :shrug: :-)

[girl gone mad]

3. I wouldn't mind..

as long as it was one of those robotic ones.

[Bertha Venation]

4. Name a chore you loathe.

Then imagine your wife buying you an implement to "help" you do that chore better.

[Fleshdancer]

5. as long as you're the one using it, it's a great gift! n/t

[Demobrat]

6. You bought your maid a vacuum?

Nothing wrong with that.

edit: Oh, it was your wife. No difference in your mind, obviously.

[trof]

7. If you had ONLY asked me.

I gave Miz t. a vacuum cleaner for Mother's Day early on in our voyage through life. I thought I was doing something really nice for her.
30-something years later I have STILL not lived this down.
Sorry, waylon.
:-(

[SoCalDem]

8. Here's the deal..

Household appliance are things that are "needed", and require "work" to use.. The result they achieve is enjoyed by EVERYONE in the house...

a GIFT, should be something special for that person... something that they can hoard to their heart's content if they choose to, or share, if they desire.. It's something personal TO them FROM a special person in their life.. Most gifts have a sentiment attached to them, so that every time the recipient uses/wears/sees the gift, the memory of its presentation and the "gifter" comes to mind..

Household appliances are "ho-hum", and say.."You did not pay close enough attention to me to even know what I like, so you took the easy way out"..

[trof]

15. Wherethehell were you back in '72?

jeez

[Pale Blue Dot]

9. "awe piss on it, Im screwed!"

No, I don't think you're going to be THAT for a long time.

[Liberal Christian]

10. Here's the deal

Frankly, you should buy the vacuum anyway. Vacuum cleaners aren't fun. They're work. If the vacuum cleaner comes with your promise to be the sole person responsible for vacuuming the house for a year and then if you really do that, now you're talking about a gift.

If you're just looking at the list of things the house needs and crossing one off while calling it a birthday present, you're talking about reminding her of what her job is.

I got a vacuum cleaner for Christmas from my mother when I was in my first apartment and had no money. I was thankful for it, though I had little joy in receiving it and lugging it home. I probably used it more than any other gift that year, but I think I liked the sweater and the book and the CDs (or whatever else I got) better.

If someone were buying me a vacuum cleaner, I'd like to see it happen this way: I open a present which is something personal or fun or something that says something about who you think I am. Then, without the giver even saying anything about it, I'd like to notice a new vacuum cleaner in the closet next time I needed to vacuum. That's thoughtful AND fun.

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. But wouldn't the robo-vacuum feel rejected?

Like it was fun for a while, but now it's just old and in the way? I mean, if a new vacuum suddenly came into the home?

We must consider the feelings of the robo-vacuum. It is sentient, you know.

[Liberal Christian]

18. Gee, Rabrrrrrr

I was speaking hypothetically. Now that Roomba has come into my life, I need no other vacuum. And Roomba knows that.

Well, ok. I did use the Hoover to get up the popcorn under the desk in the study the other day.

[SoCalDem]

20. How does Roomba react to shoelaces??

All our catnip toys have shoelaces attached to them.. I have a mental image of Roomba under a coffee table, trying to hack up about 15 shoelaces as the "mousies" on the other end try to smother poor Roomba :(

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. I don't know where you live or what your typical chores are

but let's just assume that you live in the north and handle all the snow shoveling for the household.

How would you feel if your wife gave you a snow shovel for your birthday?

[SOteric]

13. Dude.

I don't think 'screwed' is gonna enter into it for quite some time.

[artfan]

14. Nothing...

If you like that sort of thing. My mom loves vacuums and she would love one as a gift, I am the type of person who loves to cook so I would not mind a food processor. I would also add that if giving something pratical for a gift be sure to throw in something fun/romantic/frivilous ie a cd, favorite book that she would never buy for herself, earrings etc.

[RUexperienced]

16. It sucks!

[Kamika]

17. lol.. would you like a vacuum?

If you would like one please buy it for her :D

[Melsky]

19. I like gifts like that

but you got to find out beforehand! I'd much rather get something practical I need than something "fun" I don't want and have no use for.

The worst gifts are the ones your partner buys for you that they actually want. My ex would get me books that he wanted to read!