As Christmas is quickly approaching, the phrase "You don't have to get me anything," falls into some murky water. I am probably the biggest culprit in my friend group for using this phrase. I don't know about you, but I love giving gifts. The thought that I can give my friends something that they wouldn't buy for themselves and have them love it makes me feel so nice inside. However, I want to make it clear that some of us who use the phrase "You don't have to get me anything," ACTUALLY MEAN IT! I know that there are plenty of Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook posts that will assure you that if someone says that phrase, they are really expecting you to get them something but one thing should be made clear: THIS IS NOT TRUE ALL OF THE TIME!
Yes, some of the time people just want to come across as humble and modest, and don't want to make it seem as though they are asking for a gift in return, but there are some of us who genuinely do not expect anything in return, nor do we want you to feel badly about not giving us something. Money is tight, college is expensive, and perhaps buying Christmas presents just isn't your forte and that's okay. I just like to see you smile! I just want my friends to know that I do listen to what they like and hope that my present to them shows that.
So to all of my friends who are scowling at me because I spit the phrase out so frequently, I guess all I can say is that your friendship is present enough. How cliche of me I know, but I hope you realize that I am telling the truth. Just because I got you something does not mean I want something in return, but I wouldn't object to spending an afternoon together. Maybe going for coffee, something fun and together sounds like the perfect gift to me. Thinking of material things to want is hard when you're content with what you have and how things are going, so just sit down and watch a movie with me or talk with me over a cup of coffee about books you've read and I haven't. That sounds like a great present to me.
