Reply #13: People are different. [View All]

[SOteric]

There of us who tries to varying degrees of success to select a gift that is appropriate and desire by the recipient.

There are those who feel giving any gift at all is tantamount to blackmail and rebel against the entire process.

And there are those who feel the objective in giving a gift is the act of giving and the specific gift is irrelevant.

I won't tell you to 'be grateful' since you've already indicated you're having a hard time doing that and I suspect you don't have an on/off switch for your emotional responses. As convenient as that might be. I'd ask you instead to consider reframing your definition of exchanging gifts in specific regard to your father. For him, apparently, it doesn't matter what he gives you, the act of having given you something is his excentric little way of showing you he loves you. He doesn't like to shop, he puts it off as long as possible, but for you, - he'll do it.

For everyone else in your life, you can continue to select and hope for gifts which have some specific meaning or value to you. For your dad, it's the act of giving and not the gift which is important. He may very well be a goofball, but he's a goofball who loves you.