how to give good gift (or not).

yes, yes, we all know the mantra of the holidays is "it's the thought that counts." but what happens when you don't give good gift?

i gave my manicurist our very own holiday mix cd (granted, it's not packaged as bee-u-tifully as gnome g's) and a lovely handmade brown sugar soy wax candle. personally, i loved giving the gifts and she seemed appreciative. smelled the candle ("makes me hungry for cookies!"). the candles are tdf!

but then "stacy" came in.

apparently stacy is the gift giving goddess of 2004 because stacy gave good gift. first, an adorable little santa sack that held this awardwinner: a decorative business card holder that almost made the manicurist fall out of her chair. she said "thank you" about 70 times and "i love it" about 70 more. maybe it was because it was more personal? she just moved salons and didn't have a holder. or maybe it was the design?

as my toes were drying, i steamed away, cursing stacy and all those good gifters out there. there's no way i could join in rubber-sol's gifty round 2. i thought i gave good gift, but then again - there was stacy.

bitch.

does that thought count?

update: to make matters worse, for the first time in three years, the manicure she gave me left me with hangnails on almost every finger, dry cuticles and peeling polish. what the?

photo credit: real simple. ps you need to get the december/january issue. it's amazing.