Gift Registry

Years ago, when I went to a big shop in the nearby mall, I saw a couple standing next to a computer and doing something in that, selecting an item in the shop and doing something again in the computer. When I asked my friend what it was she said they were probably creating a wedding registry. She told me how people go to a popular shop, select items that they need, add them in a registry and in their wedding invite tell the invitees that their registry is open in so and so shop and people could get gifts for them from the registry. I found it very strange and funny. I also thought it was silly of someone to tell people what they should gift. Its like saying "Your gift might probably be useless, so why don't you get me something that I need and you'll get it in this shop." Was I naive (or parochial)?

In my recent trip to India, we had a big family function. I was helping my relatives unpack the gifts. And quite expectedly there were many wall-clocks. People still think some families don't have any clock on their walls and help them by getting wall-clocks. And some people are scared that the gift-receivers might re-gift that precious wall-clock, so they print their name and the dial says "With Best Compliments from XYZ to ABC". To save space on the dial, they could've said "Sponsored by XYZ". Suddenly there is this omnipresent "gopuram" that seems to be at the No.1 position in the gift items list these days. Its a black gopuram on top of a wooden base and there is something embossed in silver on the black piece and a glass kind of acts as a shield to the silver piece. Its amazing how many people think this is a cool gift. When my enemy accidentally invites me for his/her family function, I am going for this gopuram. If you receive 5 of them or even 7, you can somehow arrange them in your living room and explain to guests that you are not selling them but what do you do when you get about 15 to 20 of them? I know its the thought that matters and any gift should be accepted with grace blah blah blah... but these wallclocks and gopurams really test the patience of the hosts. If my host wasn't aggravated, I was.:-) And I was thinking of gift registries. I guess I was naive AND parochial. Being the one that takes a middle ground on every issue, I know what I'd do. I am going for "No gifts please" henceforth. And I sympathise and empathise with Ammani's girl.