Gift Cards for Christmas

I think gift cards for a store could actually be a great thing, provided one thing, if one can really use them, otherwise, maybe an outright money gift would be better...the reason? My Aunt Carol in CA for instance once sent me a gift card for Walmart which, yeah, nice, but one basic problem....there's no Walmart near me! I think a lot of people assume that Walmart's are all over the place...not here though..so the gift card was useless. :(

I don't think the people are lazy for getting that, I think it just shows that you are hard to shop for. I'm really hard to shop for and if I don't tell people major hints about what I want, I'd probably get a ton of gift cards. I like presents too though, especially surprises!

In my family they only usually get gift cards for somebody if they're working too many hours to really go shopping. I've had gift cards that I never got a chance to use and just went totally to waste. (I'm homebound since cancer and don't have a car to get to a store) Personally, I'd rather have something that somebody picked out by themselves from a dollar store than just a gift of cash. Not that cash or a gift card isn't appreciated, it's just that in my family those are usually the last choices to give somebody because you don't know them well enough to know what they DO like, or because you just don't have time to bother. No matter which a person's preference is, (gift card, cash, or present), what counts is that somebody thought enough of you to give you a gift in the first place, and for that, to be grateful. Happy holidays! Joy

I do like to recieve gift cards for Christmas. I tend to buy things that I normally would not for myself. We buy the teens in my husbands family giftcards. They are hard to buy for as they are more into electronics and high price things. I would rather give them a gift card than a present that they don't want and just throw down.

I think it is the thought that counts. yes, i would love a gift card, because i can pick out what i want, and i like to give gift cards too, my family loves them

I would prefer a gift card over a gift someone picked out especially if it's clothes. People have different tastes I might not like what they picked out. It might not fit me etc. I'd rather have a gift card that way I could pick out whatever I wanted.

Gift cards are great for me.Each year I have to stop and think what do I want for Hanukkah/ Christmas. One year I remember going to the mall Just to see what I should put on the Christmas list.I love to shop, so gift cards are a great gift.It comes from my favorite store and I can use it anytime of that year.So if there isn't anything that I want now, I can wait and get something later. My family and I give each other a Christmas list.Sometimes gift cards are on this list. But if you can't get what was on the list, a gift card is a good substitute, especially when the store has sold out of the gift, the person can use the card and get it themselves. I have also given gift cards for their favorite restaurants.One year I didn't know what to give my nephew so I gave him a Krispy Kreme gift card.He loved it.It isn't the lazy way to shop, it is just a little easier. And it is a good way to give a gift to someone you don't know well like a co worker.But if you know the person you are shopping for Doesn't like to shop, then a gift card is the worst gift to give.

Personal I think you can't go wrong with gift cards because the person that is receiving the gift card can go and purchase what they want and /or use how they choose. Thats way I think a gift card is a good way to go.

I think it's sensible rather than lazy. Everyone tends to get at least one gift a year that they really didn't want. It's a good way to ensure that the person gets something they really want. Some people are nearly impossible to buy for and it's better not to waste your money on something they might not like. I know traditionally it's thought to lack thought and effort, but it really is a better choice sometimes.

Since I moved 1600 miles away from my parents 3 yrs ago, they have sent me a gift card each Christmas and birthday, and that is fine with me, because they are getting older and it is harder for them to get around. Sending my a gift card is easier for them, instead of trying to pick out gifts and package them and get them mailed. So I don't mind getting a gift card, and I don't look at it as being lazy. My daughter did both for me this Christmas, she gave me a lovely gift and a gift card to Micheal's, because she knows I love scrapbooking and now that I am on leave, til March, I'll have plenty of time to do it.

I give them. I receive them. I have 2 nephews. One is into books. One is into video games. And they both prefer to pick out their own stuff. So one gets a Barnes and Noble Card. The other gets one to his favorite..The Game Stop. They are happy. I am happy. And no nore going to the store for returns. Which was becoming a PAIN.

I like getting them. It gives me some freedom to get what I want. I don't think people are lazy when giving a gift certificate. I think they just want to play it safe and maybe didn't know what specifically to get you.