Who the hell give socks as presents?

... too crazy. And sure- you may be able to take time off but that’s a day off from your PTO you could use for something else or get paid off. Your bills are still due just the same, you still have all your responsibilities, you still have an image (if you have one,) and you generally can’t just do whatever you want. Since as an adult you can usually buy most anything you want that isn’t crazy expensive- that means most things you don’t have are things you want but don’t feel are worth the money, or are too expensive and as for toys- a $400 console, $1,000+ computer, jet ski, $400+ drone or RC, $600 table saw, new car etc. are a bit too lavish for most but tend to be the types of “toys” adult males would play with but might not buy themselves. You also tend to have hobbies and specific tastes that make it hard to predict. Maybe you need a new 1/4 socket set and the C5000 series caught your eye, or have been wanting Art Deco wall sconces or a Shimano derailer for your bicycle. It’s...

... worse than being a kid and getting the Blue super ranger instead of the Black one from grandma because the specs get more specific than a simple color or name, and it’s not $10 but hundreds if it’s the wrong gift- and there’s a good chance you might be thinking “where did they get this- because I know a place they probably could have saved 20%....” and the world doesn’t kiss your ads anymore usually because it’s your birthday. The gas company won’t say “well, just pay next month since you probably spent a bunch for your birthday..” fee stores offer adult freebies and most wont do anything really meaningful- maybe a tiny discount akin to a small sale markdown. Coworkers might wish you a happy birthday and that’s usually about it. If you’re close there might be cupcakes or something. All your work is still expected to be done, they generally aren’t going to let you leave early or anything or cut you much or any slack because it’s your birthday. Traffic is still traffic and you...

... still have to stand in line at the store or the post office. It just... TL:DR: it just stops being very magical and fun. It becomes just another day, except one where you might have social obligations you may or may not want, and you know there’s a good chance of money being wasted that you wouldn’t waste on those things any other day just because you wanted to do them. Men in society are also conditioned not to make a fuss over ourselves and most don’t want to be the center of sentimental attention. For many it also serves as just a reminder they are that much older- and further from their “prime” and they thought they’d be somewhere else at this stage of life. So for many men- it becomes just another day and one where good intentioned people are likely to waste money on things we don’t want but are mostly grateful for, but would rather have had something else for the money or nothing at all and you keep the money. Plus men aren’t well conditioned for dealing with and expressing..

.. emotions so for some that aspect can be uncomfortable and weird- basically having people say “I’m glad you’re alive..” and you have to be like: “hey... yeah. Thanks. Me too?” You can wake up with a happy birthday attitude hopin lg for a special day all about you where you get birthday wishes- but making it the whole day with it.. good luck. You do that for a few years thinking it might have just been a fluke and then realize that is what birthdays are now. Just another day, and a chance to get disappointed. So you stop treating it like anything but another day because watching your childhood joy die every year isn’t fun, and you’d rather just call it quits and preserve those memories of when birthdays were special days than to overwrite them with memory of lack luster birthday after lack luster birthday.