What did you get for Christmas????

m's girl: there's a reason why a lot of people in the US actively resent christmas gift-giving, and you've just touched on the heart of it.

i should note that by no means should it be inferred that it's common in the US for an actual computer to be a present, even among family members.

ed
 
silverwhisper said:
m's girl: there's a reason why a lot of people in the US actively resent christmas gift-giving, and you've just touched on the heart of it.

i should note that by no means should it be inferred that it's common in the US for an actual computer to be a present, even among family members.

ed


Oh, but I did not mean to put the gifts-giving down. It just seems to be so much! I received an e-mail from a friend in San Jose who also gave me a whole list of what he received for Christmas. I would have been totally bankrupt if I were to buy such expensive gifts for everyone ;). I think your family all pulling together to buy you guys a new computer was a very nice and loving gesture. And again, I'm not judging it, it just amazes me a bit. On the other hand... we spent quite the amount of money to buy the children Sinterklaas-presents, but still nearly not as much as the average American seems to be spending.
 
no, to be honest, if i had more presence of mind--i was struck dumb for a good 15 minutes--i might have refused it. that's really just too much.

then again, my PC is 7 years old. it needs replacing...

ed
 
silverwhisper said:
no, to be honest, if i had more presence of mind--i was struck dumb for a good 15 minutes--i might have refused it. that's really just too much.

then again, my PC is 7 years old. it needs replacing...

ed


It's not a nice thing ;) to refuse presents... :D
I was, by no means, trying to feed your already awkward feeling about your present! Just enjoy it!
 
it's OK. i was using a p2 400megahertz machine: the new one's a p4 2.8ghz. all i gotta do is rip out the graphics accelerator from the old one and throw it in the new one, find some cat5 cable and i'll be good to go! :>

ed
 
Christmas

Well my Christmas was not all that good - got word from my sister my beloved dog is not doing well and most likely will have to be put down within the next couple of months (sob), and here I am in TX and she is in PA - do not see how I can see her one last time before that.....

Then I screwed up my relationship with my sweetie, and now I don't think he is even willing to talk to me anymore is not even talking to me - :confused:

Am so glad to hear you all had wonderful Holidays!
 
i got cash from all my family to get clothes (which i really needed) i got some really cute sweaters and jeans, and some really cool boots, and a peacoat (even though it's the end of december and i'm walking around outside in shorts... i'm hoping it cools down soon) and my bf got me a camera and told me he really wants us to take some pictures of 'us' because we don't have any and we can frame them. he said it would really mean alot to him too. which i thought was sweet as hell.
 
sassy_girl--I'm so sorry about your dog. That is such a hard thing.

M's girl--Your Christmas sounds perfect. For years I have actively hated the rushing around for gifts, the amount of money spent, the "did I get them enough" business. I would love to just escape for the holidays and spend it quietly, sitting on a beach somewhere. This year, my own personal rebellion was not making Christmas cookies. And you know what? The world didn't end, my family still loves me, and Christmas still arrived--right on time. So much of the stress is what we put on ourselves.
 
i thought it was a strange thing to add to this thread... :>

i've heard good things about the toyota sedans.

ed
 
Scalywag said:
It sucks to know going in that the salespeople are trying to pry every bit of money out of you, inflate prices in order to give you a "good deal", manipulate every bit of the conversation, and shit, they all seem to immediately be my best friend.
You know who really are your new best friends though? The Internet Managers (or whatever they're called at your dealerships). I may embarass myself a little here, but we did the dealership route at first, and while I was researching after a particularly awful day of looking, I figured out I could get web quotes from each dealer. I asked a fair number of dealers in the state what exactly they had in-stock and for their best price, keeping in mind I was price shopping. When they emailed me back, I told them what the lowest offer was, and asked them if they wanted to beat it for my business. Some did, some didn't, but a couple managers invited me to get the lowest price, and they'd beat it by $100. I took one up on that, met him for a test drive (no pressure or slime because he'd already sold the car), and bought the car at a fair loss to them (big dealership, they could afford a loss to make room for a newer model with worse financing).

So, I did have to deal with a little slime at the very beginning, but the internet and ensuing price war made the rest way more hassle-free than the "hassle-free" dealerships.

This article, "Confessions of a Car Salesman," is really informative and entertaining. Maybe it'll take the edge off the experience a bit, Scaly. :rose:
 
I've bought my last two cars fromt he same dealership here in town, and I'll continue to buy from these guys. They actually have a Ford, a Saturn and a Pontiac dealership. What I like about these guys is that their prices are set, no dickering. Also their sales guys get paid the same commission no matter what care you buy or for how much they sell it for. Basically it's a no pressure buying experience.

The other beautiful thing is that most of their used cars are priced at 80% of book price. It's not just easy, but a good deal. I'm not sure what more you can ask for than that.

It's the only time I've ever bought a car and drove away not wondering if I got screwed. :rolleyes:
 
sassy_girl1963 said:
Well my Christmas was not all that good - got word from my sister my beloved dog is not doing well and most likely will have to be put down within the next couple of months (sob), and here I am in TX and she is in PA - do not see how I can see her one last time before that.....

Then I screwed up my relationship with my sweetie, and now I don't think he is even willing to talk to me anymore is not even talking to me - :confused:

Am so glad to hear you all had wonderful Holidays!

:rose: :rose: :rose: :rose: I hope things get better for you soon milady. :kiss:
 
Scalywag said:
Thanks for the link Erika. It was both interesting and somewhat comical to read, and was good information to have while car shopping. :)
You're welcome, Scaly. While I'm thinking about it, I'll pass along a few really useful sites people referred us to. I'm sure you're already familiar with at least some of them and a lot of the info (though I found enough missed and forgotten tips to make my head spin!), but perhaps someone else will find them as helpful as we did. :rose:

Clark Howard's Car (Buying) Advice - He's a consumer advocate, and the whole site's great

Edmunds.com - New and used pricing, reviews, buying guides, etc.

Kelly Blue Book - New and used pricing and values, comparisons, ratings, ownership costs, online quotes...

Car Buying Tips - Run by a consumer advocate who just wants to help people save and avoid the confusion and scams.
 
To answer the question.....What did I get for Christmas?

The most fantastic smile from my 2 year-old grand-daughter on Christmas morning
 
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