Parent Gifts

I'm one of those people that give absolutely terrible gifts - unless I know you. If I do happen to know you well, odds are that you'll get something fantastic. Like a pair of pants with the words "hot legz" YUDU'ed onto the butt. You know you want some.

But sometimes, crazy gifts aren't the most practical - like this super-awesome find I was *this close* to buying for my dad:

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A snorkel camera! He would have both hands to swim with instead of having to carry the underwater camera around! It would be perfect for Hawaii!

...But not for many other places. Especially not our cold Northern Californian waters. So out went the snorkel camera.

Now, Sak suggested we go the tried-n-true route for thanking our parents for being our parents: the wedding album. Sounds good, we'll do it! But that kind of gift doesn't come until after the wedding, obviously. And Peng-Mom says she doesn't need no stinkin' album when she can just look at a digital album. She's so high-tech.

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So then I had a thought - let's do something completely unlike us, and get gift certificates! To a fairly fancy restaurant called Roy's.

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Okay - I know. Giftcards at first glance = lame and unthoughtful. But you have to understand our parents. They don't (as far as I know) do date nights. They are always too busy worrying about their hapless children or friends instead. So I think giftcards, in this case - might be a good idea.

Roy's is a Hawaiian fusion restaurant, and both parents have been before and loved it. Though they are probably more well-known for their seafood, here's some shots of desserts Penga-Mom tried when she went for a graduation party:



Yummm.

I've never actually been to Roy's, even though there's one right here in San Francisco. Sak and I tried fine dining once before, and have been too scared to try again since. But that's a story for a different day.

Anyway, with Roy's gift certificates they can have romantic dinners with just the two of them! Weddings kindle romance, right? Okay, maybe not our wedding, but humor me, please.

However, Sak says, "You know, my parents will just try and bring my grandma along with them. And your parents will just invite their foodie buddies."

I can see that happening (they are chronic non-date-nighters, afterall), but what can I do to stop it? I'll write a strongly-worded letter, saying it's for a romantic dinner for two. And only two! If they choose to ignore my attempts at creating a date-night, well, they can. It's their gift, after all. I'll just sit in a corner and pout a bit.

So did I do the right thing? Or should I have gone with the scuba camera?

Did you give your parents a "thank you" gift? What did you find for them? Do they still have date-nights now and then?