On the subject of husbands.........

This is perfect, like chatting to friends- started with DH and pressies and somehow moved to milk and food. Anyway re onions. Cut them tip to root and take out the very centre which often looks a bit green- this seems to be the part that causes upsets. It's worth a try.

My husband of six years refused to buy birthday or Christmas presents for me or his daughter or grandson, I have given up having any Christmas celebration as he hates Christmas so much, I now buy cards and send cheques to his family otherwise they would get nothing, this year I have arranged a Christmas meal with friends at our local restaurant on Christmas Day, he's invited and I can't see him staying behind with no dinner.
My birthday I just accept I won't get a card or any thing else.
I have now stopped getting him birthday or Christmas presents, doesn't seem to bother him.
Apart from that he is very careing,

Yes it does all sound familiar. My H tends to say 'You've already got lots of (shoes, coats, bags, fill in the gap yourself) , why do you need more? Usually I choose something for myself, with him in tow and say That's your Christmas present to me. I do the same for him, - he chooses and we say it's from me. But come the day we usually get a small 'surprise' which is where the problems start as he has bought me I don't know how many pieces of costume jewellery which I really dont like, and then says : 'Why aren't you wearing my necklace' etc. Likewise I've bought things he has gone and changed (I save the receipt. )

I loved the 'Anything with diamonds ' story BTW!

What a familiar conversation Telly - no matter how often you try to steer these men into acting thoughtfully and with a little finesse, they still muscle their way through life with a firm grasp of the wrong end of the stick - for ever missing the point!

Telly
How I wish I had your patience.

Telly
How I wish I had your patience.

Why didn’t you just tell him cwasin? we men really, honestly, just don’t ‘get’ hints, they are pointless and frustrating. Just say what you want and then enjoy it when you get it.

They are mostly (obviously not all) hopeless and clueless.

Many years ago when asked by my husband what I would like for Christmas, I said a black necklace. As usual he shopped at the last minute so the black ones were sold out so he got a green one instead. He told me the shop would exchange it for a black one if that's what I wanted, and I said 'yes' but my husband seemed quite put out! I did exchange it and have worn it on thousands of occasions ever since. Don't think he ever got over it but I very rarely wear anything that a green necklace would go with!!!

My DH used to buy me a Lilliput Lane cottage, we would go to local shop & I would point out ones I already had & then go off & leave him to choose so it was still a surprise.

Christmas we often bought a "house" present. I was so lucky that my DH rarely said "why do you need that?" or "haven't you already got one of those?"He was not argumentative at all.

On the subject of school milk - YUK, I still hate milk apart from in coffee, love cheese & cream but I hate yoghurt, tastes of sour milk

My husband and I don't share the same taste, but every year (quite close to Christmas) he takes me out shopping and I choose something for myself. For special anniversary or birthday presents we always visit the the jeweller and he has something made - since my birthday is in January it can be for both Xmas and birthday. Years ago he used to go off-piste and choose something himself, often disatrously, but never minded if I exchanged it. The low point was the electric deep-fat fryer, really a present for himself! Since then he's always asked me what I'd like.

I know that he will always be very pleased with a couple of new non-fiction books on his favourite topics, mainly historical.

As regards food, he can't eat brassicas or many green veg (they actually make him sick) and doesn't enjoy salad. I just don't understand why people ask if there is anything we don't eat, and then when we arrive for a meal we find that they have included spinach or some other food that makes him ill. Once we were served lasagne with spinach layered between the pasta and meat. He was really not able to eat any of that - much to the hostess's annoyance - but that is really preferable to him being sick I think?!

This is like reading two different threads, one about presents and one about food dislikes!
I send my husband a list of what I would like with the relevant links as he finds me hard to buy for. I'm not but he doesn't listen. For years I went round the shops showing him what I liked. He seemed to always pick the revolting stuff that was next door to what I had shown them because he liked them better. One year he went to M&S to buy me the handbag I had told him in explicit detail. When he got there on Christmas Eve(!) it was out of stock so he chose another one. The shop assistant pointed out that I had written that it had to be leather, brown and a rucksack style. He came back with an orange, fabric, strapless thing much to her amusement but not to mine. I pointed out how thoughtless he was being but was slightly hampered by the fact I'd got it completely wrong that year too. I usually listen to what he says during the lead up to Christmas and buy a range of stuff on a theme. He had mentioned he was thinking of growing veg so I bought all the tools, seeds etc. It turned out that he meant when he was retired and this was 20 years ago. He was somewhat bemused but probably better tempered about it than me!

I'm smiling at the gift idea. Only because he's not my husband though.

You are lucky that he even asked. mine rarely ever buys me anything for Christmas or Birthdays and when he does it's usually something he wants. The worst was a metal filing box from Smiths for my 50th. Buy your - it's safer.

We seem to have solved the present problem in our family by using Amazon wish lists. Throughout the year we all put things we would like on the list and then you get something you really want. You don’t have to buy from Amazon just make sure you put ‘Buying elsewhere’ and it’s taken off the list. Then you don’t get two of anything.! It works, especially for the men in the family who are really difficult to buy for. P.S I hate garlic and it seems to be in everything these days!

With you there DanniRae...I’ve just come back from Sainsbury’s with the beef for my dinner for 8 tomorrow...hubby saw the tweedy biker jacket I’d bought while there and says “what’s that then”? ..”Christmas present from you dear.” “Oh, ok!”. Only way to go in my house as my birthday’s in December and he seems to think 1 pressie does both!

Sunseeker - respect to your witty DH!
I changed schools at 6. I couldn’t force down school milk, sat miserably at the second school with the (paper) straw in my mouth. The teacher nagged me to drink it, the straw went flat. I wasn’t offered orange juice or Ovaltine like previous posters but did get a clip around the ear.

My husband insists every year that he doesn't want presents and asks me to tell the children that. Then when he gets nothing he looks all hurt and says sad things! So, every year I try really hard to surprise him with something. Not easy. He buys everything he needs on-line throughout the year.

I love onions raw or otherwise, but never have them because my Husband doesnt like cooked onions, when he cooks he either grates them or uses onion powder,strange but true.

We don't do Christmas in our house but coming up to my last birthday which is in July I told my husband I'd like a 6x4 greenhouse and even told him which store had one reasonably priced. I was away with my daughter for a few days before my birthday and was talking on the phone to my husband. He told me he was going into town later to get my present. I got so excited at the thought of all the lovely things I could grow in my greenhouse. Imagine my disappointment when he told me he'd been in the jeweller's and bought me something from there. On my birthday I was handed a small box with a necklace in it. Yes it cost a couple of hundred pounds but I didn't like or indeed need it. I bit my tongue regards referring to the greenhouse as I knew it would start a huge ding dong. I was able to exchange the necklace for a ring that is now sitting in its box and will welcome worn. He's bound to have picked up on the fact it's not been worn. At the end of summer sales I was commenting on all the bargains to be had in greenhouses and was told I didn't need one as I'm obsessed enough with the garden as it is. I work full time whereas he's semi retired. I have a very stressful job in the NHS and gardening is my calm time.

I hate cooked mushrooms, but can happily eat raw ones!
On the subject of xmas presents, or b'day presents, my dh usually tells me 'he hasn't had time to buy me one'............what has he been doing for the previous 365 days I wonder?

MOnica and annsixty At school I hated warm milk and as I suffered frequent migraines with vomiting, my lovely teacher Miss Storey thought it might contribute, so she and my mum decided that I should have Ovaltine mixed in the milk each day. Loved it then and still do.

I don't have a husband now?but when I did he bought me a huge long gold necklace, the kind the rappers wear. I hated it so exchanged it for a ring. Friends..and neighbours ...asked if I loved my necklace. They had all tried it on before it was given to me.

One year I spotted a lovely pair of earrings in a Pia catalogue. I circled them and left the catalogue open at the right page on the coffee table. The next day I added arrows pointing to the earrings. A day or two later I wrote on the page 'these would be lovely for Christmas'. I persisted for about a week but eventually just had to clear the coffee table so I left the catalogue in the fruit bowl. After a fortnight I gave up and bought them myself. I love him dearly but I just have to accept that he doesn’t do subtlety. Not that I was being subtle but hey.........

I have a problem with cooked onions but adore them raw and use them in any way I can. Can't bear the thought of haricot beans, but love Heinz beans (or other brands). Weird because Heinz (or other brands) beans are haricot beans in tomato sauce!!