Siouxlanders like their Christmas presents
By Tim Gallagher Journal staff writer | Posted: Thursday, December 27, 2007
Nearly 40 percent of American adults will return a Christmas gift this year, according to the National Retail Federation. The day after Christmas has become so big in retailing, it has assumed its own identity and name. It's called "The Day After."
Yes, we're creative this time of year.
Armed with this knowledge, I went in search of dissatisfied Christmas celebrators on "The Day After."
Guess what? Nobody I met headed back to the stores. Or planned to. They liked what they unwrapped. Didn't want more.
Here's what they got. Here's what they said.
* Terry Orr of Sioux City: "I turned 50 on Christmas Day. I probably got 30 gifts, things like a radio, a wallet with money and lots of gift certificates. I was very happy.
"When I was 9 or 10, I thought it was a bummer to have a birthday the same day as Christmas. But now I just look at it as another day. That's what you do when you're 50."
* Jesus Antonio Macedo of Matamoros, Mexico: "My birthday was on Christmas, and I am treinta (30). I got new boots from my mother and a wine flask for whiskey and vodka. The boots are muy bonitas (very pretty). My mother fixed spaghetti with pork and chicken for Christmas."
* Amy Vuncannon of Sioux City: "I got exactly what I wanted. It was a diamond anniversary ring. I took my husband where I wanted it from and showed him what I wanted. We even had it sized. He surprised me when he told me a month ago that they (Wal-Mart) was out of the ring I wanted and he asked me what else I wanted.
"He lied to me. He gave me this huge box on Christmas Eve. I opened it and said, 'Oh you ...!'
"The ring was inside!"
What did she buy him?
"I got him a rocking chair for his den. He didn't like the chair he sits in when he plays his PlayStation."
* Scott Jennings of Sioux City: "Yeah, I got what I wanted. I'm a simple guy, a bachelor. I treated myself to a seat cover for my pickup. It cost $32."
* Nic Taylor of Sioux City: "I bought my 12-year-old son an electric guitar off the Internet for around $100. He'd broken his acoustic guitar last week. He was carrying it and it fell from the bag he had it in and broke the neck. He didn't know he'd be getting another one. He's been asking for one forever."
* Tera Arnold of Merrill, Iowa: "I got everything I asked for, plus some extras. I'm in college, so I got a lot of basic necessities like shampoo, conditioner and body wash. I also got a new digital camera."
* Jan Lennon of Sioux City: "I got a new computer from my kids, that was great. And all four of my kids were home, so we were together."
* Jeremiah Donovan of Sioux City: "I got gift cards to Menards and Barnes & Noble. You can't go wrong with those places. I like to read horror stories and biographies on people from around World War II, so I know I'll use the one at Barnes & Noble."
And the Menards certificates?
"I just bought a house 1-1/2 months ago, so there's always something I can use for the house at Menards."
What did he buy?
"I bought my mom a remote starter for her car. She loves it! The trick was getting the car away from her a day so we could have it installed. I took her car one day and told her we were having the oil changed and were getting it winterized."
* Esperanza Mace, 5, of Sioux City, got an MP3 player, some Brats dolls and V-Smile that hooks into a television and "makes game time brain time." She gave her aunts and uncles slippers.
What did she like most? "The toys."
Like the others, she didn't return a thing. "The Day After" to little Esperanza meant play time. Not standing in line.
Yes, we're creative this time of year.
Armed with this knowledge, I went in search of dissatisfied Christmas celebrators on "The Day After."
Guess what? Nobody I met headed back to the stores. Or planned to. They liked what they unwrapped. Didn't want more.
Here's what they got. Here's what they said.
* Terry Orr of Sioux City: "I turned 50 on Christmas Day. I probably got 30 gifts, things like a radio, a wallet with money and lots of gift certificates. I was very happy.
"When I was 9 or 10, I thought it was a bummer to have a birthday the same day as Christmas. But now I just look at it as another day. That's what you do when you're 50."
* Jesus Antonio Macedo of Matamoros, Mexico: "My birthday was on Christmas, and I am treinta (30). I got new boots from my mother and a wine flask for whiskey and vodka. The boots are muy bonitas (very pretty). My mother fixed spaghetti with pork and chicken for Christmas."
* Amy Vuncannon of Sioux City: "I got exactly what I wanted. It was a diamond anniversary ring. I took my husband where I wanted it from and showed him what I wanted. We even had it sized. He surprised me when he told me a month ago that they (Wal-Mart) was out of the ring I wanted and he asked me what else I wanted.
"He lied to me. He gave me this huge box on Christmas Eve. I opened it and said, 'Oh you ...!'
"The ring was inside!"
What did she buy him?
"I got him a rocking chair for his den. He didn't like the chair he sits in when he plays his PlayStation."
* Scott Jennings of Sioux City: "Yeah, I got what I wanted. I'm a simple guy, a bachelor. I treated myself to a seat cover for my pickup. It cost $32."
* Nic Taylor of Sioux City: "I bought my 12-year-old son an electric guitar off the Internet for around $100. He'd broken his acoustic guitar last week. He was carrying it and it fell from the bag he had it in and broke the neck. He didn't know he'd be getting another one. He's been asking for one forever."
* Tera Arnold of Merrill, Iowa: "I got everything I asked for, plus some extras. I'm in college, so I got a lot of basic necessities like shampoo, conditioner and body wash. I also got a new digital camera."
* Jan Lennon of Sioux City: "I got a new computer from my kids, that was great. And all four of my kids were home, so we were together."
* Jeremiah Donovan of Sioux City: "I got gift cards to Menards and Barnes & Noble. You can't go wrong with those places. I like to read horror stories and biographies on people from around World War II, so I know I'll use the one at Barnes & Noble."
And the Menards certificates?
"I just bought a house 1-1/2 months ago, so there's always something I can use for the house at Menards."
What did he buy?
"I bought my mom a remote starter for her car. She loves it! The trick was getting the car away from her a day so we could have it installed. I took her car one day and told her we were having the oil changed and were getting it winterized."
* Esperanza Mace, 5, of Sioux City, got an MP3 player, some Brats dolls and V-Smile that hooks into a television and "makes game time brain time." She gave her aunts and uncles slippers.
What did she like most? "The toys."
Like the others, she didn't return a thing. "The Day After" to little Esperanza meant play time. Not standing in line.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
