Gifting
Generous Aunt gets no thanks
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Each year I give my niece and nephew an expensive gift of something they want or need. I often include money. If I'm there for the holidays, they say thank you but I have never once received a thank-you letter.…
3 Comments
Teens ‘n Twenties shopping guide
DEAR READERS: It’s time again for Straight Talk’s shopping list — direct from the source. I’m always hoping Santa will “think outside the box” (literally) and scratch video games,…
2 Comments
Holiday wish list for teens and 20-somethings
DEAR READERS: I’d be lost without this list. I shop from it exclusively. Yes, I’m talking about Straight Talk’s annual shopping list for teens — (FYI: official adolescence goes to age 25).…
3 Comments
Stepparent plays Scrooge to spouse’s kid
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My husband and I have 2 sons ages 10 and 12. I also have a son, 15, from an earlier marriage who I will call Travis. All the boys live with us full time and Travis spends…
1 Comment
From the source: Best holiday gifts for teens
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Will you run your “favorite gifts” column again this year? The grandparents and I have begun relying on it. — Joyce, Auburn, CA
5 Comments
Irrational fear of teenage man closes doors, hearts
Dear Straight Talk: My husband just informed me that he invited “Chris” to our home for Christmas dinner. Chris is 19 and is a former juvenile runaway who lives and works in town. Last year he spent four weeks in jail for a drug-related…
0 Comments
When it comes to holiday shopping, stepkids count
Dear Straight Talk: My husband and I have two children, ages 7 and 9, and we struggle financially. My husband also has a daughter from his first marriage… 0 Comments
Teens from blended families say give equally to all the kids
Dear Straight Talk: I will soon be a stepmother and the hot topic in my stepmother’s group is how many presents to buy the stepchildren. Part of the group believes that they should treat… 0 Comments
Gift-giving with the future in mind
Dear Straight Talk: The grandmother who wanted to know what to get her grandson for Christmas made me think of my own grandmother. Starting in my junior year, she began giving me things she knew… 0 Comments
