My parents started talking Christmas plans with me yesterday.

{{{Laura}}}

My sisters have already started the "I'm not hosting any holidays at my house this year" battle. They'll go back in forth until the beginning of November and I'll have the stress of trying to decide if we're driving over to Indiana to deal with the crap, or instead, stay here and just have a dinner with the four of us.

Between that and sorting which December weekends we're splitting between families for Christmas, I'm tempted to just tell people we're going to call and leave it at that.

Hell, Cash - just come out here. So much more funner. We can go to DisneyLand!

Question for the hivemind:

Let's say that someone came to visit you, you knock yourself out to get them tickets to museums, etc. They bought something at a store here that they wanted to return. You offer to return it. They send it to you, with a thank you note for helping them out in town and a gift certificate for a local store.

You try to return the gift, but it had to be returned within 14 days. You send them an email, explaining what happened and ask them what they want you to do. Their reply is (quote) "Thanks anyway. Send it back, and don't forget the thank you gift for you. Thanks again."

Does it sound like they want the thank you gift back or that he's just making sure that I knew that it was in the package?

He's just making sure you got it. He doesn't want it back.

Aimee, that would be great, except for the second mortgage we'd have to take out to get all four of us admitted to Disneyland. I'm hoping that SoCal is on the list soon for one of DH's annual meetings so we can get to LA eventually.

Vortex, I can't imagine someone asking for that back but that's what the wording sounds like to me. I'd totally ask Miss Manners or something because this situation sounds fraught with confusion. I'd honestly even be afraid of offending someone by asking if that's what they meant.

I like Aimee's advice better. Bad word choice but nobody would ask for a thank you gift back.

Vortex, I can't imagine someone asking for that back but that's what the wording sounds like to me.

exactly! I'm going to assume that he wants me to keep it. It's a Lush gift cert ;)

What Aimee said. Surprisingly, not all people are diligent about proofreading and checking punctuation and wording. He would probably be very embarrased that it might look like he wants his gift back.

Aimee, that would be great, except for the second mortgage we'd have to take out to get all four of us admitted to Disneyland.

There is that.