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Forum -> Relationships -> Giving Gifts

Tablecloths

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cm ↓

Sun, Apr 05 2009, 8:20 pm

At least four or five different people from different social circles have given me tablecloths as gifts. While I appreciate the gesture, I find myself scratching my head...Most of these people had never been to my home, so they didn't know what our taste was like or even what size table we had. Is giving a tablecloth considered in some communities to be a standard one-size-fits-all gift? Just curious.

chocolate moose

Sun, Apr 05 2009, 8:53 pm

I have a friend who takeh likes to give a tablecloth. just put them away, cm. you'll use them eventually.

queen

Sun, Apr 05 2009, 10:34 pm

I have a similar question. We got many for wedding gifts, and many I was unable to use.
Now we got a larger table and I had to get rid of all smaller cloths, some really pretty.

Personally- I'd be concerned giving a cloth, unless you know table size.

ganizzy

Mon, Apr 06 2009, 12:44 am

after our wedding, I told my husband we were not officially married bec we only got one tablecloth as a gift!!! and only one vase?!? but he said it was ok bec we got a double portion of photo frames.

jk

some people like to give what they'd like to recieve and others give whats practical to find or what they found on sale or what they can regift.

my grandmother was a shadchan and she has a closet full of glass bowls and platters she recieved as gifts. she gave away plenty to her children/grandchildren and the closet is still full

RachelEve14

Mon, Apr 06 2009, 3:25 am

We also have a lot of tableclothes from our wedding. We use them as gifts in a pinch for weddings. We have a few different sizes but it's fine. Our table extends out so we just use whatever one fits the best.

Marion

Mon, Apr 06 2009, 4:05 am

Also, over time tablecloths do stain. I don't actually give them as gifts, but I saw that several people "overestimated"...so we use them when we pull the table out. Others "underestimated"...so we use them on a side table. The ones that are stained get used under art projects or as oversized placemats for our messy (junior) eaters.

greenfire ↓

Mon, Apr 06 2009, 11:50 am

I love giving table cloths ... and as your table grows into a dining room table you now have nice ones for your kitchen table too ...

when you have many table cloths you can change your look - not worry about spills - simply dump in the hamper and on to your next one ...

aside from the idea that it gives a couple the chance to set the table to their own life Idea

↑ greenfire ↓

Mon, Apr 06 2009, 12:00 pm

btw - I love tablecloths - send them all to me ...

Fox

Mon, Apr 06 2009, 12:10 pm

You can never be too rich or too thin or have too many tablecloths!

I agree that it's a pain to store the sizes you don't use regularly -- especially if you don't have lots of space to start with -- but you come to appreciate all those odd sizes. We often have enough guests that we have to set up a folding table in addition to our regular table. All of a sudden I have fond feelings for those smaller tablecloths that usually just annoy me as I'm trying to find a clean 70" x 140".

As far as whether a tablecloth makes a good gift, I agree that it's nice if you can find out the recipient's table size. But I think most people give tablecloths with the idea that they're adding to your household stock -- not helping you cover your table right this minute.

↑ cm

Sat, Apr 11 2009, 9:52 pm

Thanks for your insight, everyone. By the way, after about 15 years of storing things I don't need, I gave most of them away (to people who wanted them).

↑ greenfire

Sat, Apr 11 2009, 11:41 pm

I didn't get one Confused

louche ↓

Sun, Apr 12 2009, 10:54 pm

I don't mind getting something like that as a gift. If it doesn't fit my table, I'll regift it or donate it to the Chinese auction or something. At least it doesn't take up much space while it's waiting to be passed along, and if it does fit my table and I like it, well, that's what it's for!

There are always trends in gift=giving. When my sis got married, the gift of choice was damask tablecloths with napkins. When I got married, it was wine decanter sets. When my niece got married, it was fancy challah covers in clear vinyl zipper cases. When my sil got married it was faceted crystal bowls. Unless a kallah is a major regifter, you can almost tell by looking at her living room what the gift-giving trend was when she got married. At least tablecloths have the advantage of being unbreakable, taking up very little space, and not being the sort of thing one displays when not in active use, so if the giver comes by and you've either never used it or given it away, you need not panic. a tablecloth that's not on the table can be in the wash or in the linen closet. What do you say when your aunt asks why the Waterford crystal wine decanter she gave you is not in the breakfront?

↑ louche

Sun, Apr 12 2009, 10:55 pm

"I save my nicest pieces for Pesach," that's what.

Fresca

Mon, Apr 13 2009, 5:26 pm

I got a tablecloth when my ds was born. Nice baby gift Smile

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