10/3/15 To Gift Or Not To Gift?

    Tomorrow we have a get together with one of my few male friends.  He recently built a new house so the dinner is part get together and part "come see the new house".  I am usually not comfortable at other people's houses, we have usually hosted any get togethers or parties over the years with any other friends.  But he has been promising to have us over as soon as his new house was presentable.

    My thought is do we bring a house warming gift?  In the movies, and on TV, it seems to be what people do.  I know it's not essential that we do, but I think it's nice.  I've done this before, maybe a Home Depot gift card, there is always something else to be done to the house and everything costs a bunch.

    When my in-laws moved into their house in San Antonio about ten years ago, we bought them their refrigerator.  I still remember my mother in law insisting on bisque for the color.  That was the one color I didn't think people ever used.  Appliances came in white, black, bisque (yellowish cream color), and stainless steel.  Of course, I thought everything new should be stainless steel, she new that the rest of her kitchen was that bisque color.

    In return, when we moved to our current house, my in-laws returned the favor and they purchased our pool table.  Honestly, we don't play much pool, but I love knowing it is there.  Wife uses the table during christmas to wrap gifts, Boy has used it with the extra ping pong surface as a flat area to have computer parties or to even play those huge table top games that require hours and patience.

    Anyways, it should be interesting.  He divorced about two years now, has a new gal with a couple kids, he has a couple kids.  They are all living together a la Brady Bunch style, except the house is huge with five or six bedrooms so each kid has his own space.  

    I am sure even if the Longhorns play at 11:00am, there will be some other game at 7:00pm, that is prime time.  Plus he'll have the grill going, I can't help myself, I'll take some meat and a dessert.  I never like the idea of being a mooch.  He's not the drinking type.  I really don't drink either, specially if I am not at home.  I keep saying we need to make some changes to our routine, this could be a big one, specially if we do it more than once.  Let's see what happens tonight...