The men in my family, for instance, have a wonderful tradition of buying each other the most practical, yet overall unthoughtful gifts we can possibly think of.

Take this Skil 22-Piece Dual-Sided Socket Set, for example. I just happen to have three of these sitting in the back of my closet and three in the truck of my car at this very moment. Why? Because not only do my father and grandfather not concern themselves with taking an interest in learning about the things I actually enjoy, but they also can’t be bothered to remember that they’ve bought the same set of twenty-one chrome-finished 6-point sockets and a ratchet for me every year for my last three birthdays. Also, they do not coordinate who is going to buy me what each time, thus I end up with two brightly-wrapped Skil 22-Piece Dual-Sided Socket Sets and they end up in an argument. Sigh.

It’s fine, really. I’ve bought them both the same set of summer sausage, crackers, and spiced mustard for about ten years in a row at this point. When it comes down to it, it’s better than all that hugging stuff, anyway.

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