Category / cellphone

by Kelly Mattei

My Favorite Amazon Purchases of 2025 to Make Your Holiday Shopping Easier

My favorite Amazon purchases of 2025 to make your holiday shopping easier…

  • Solar Power Bank. I have purchased a lot of power banks over the years, but this one is my favorite of all time for several reasons. You can charge it with solar power (sunlight) or at an electrical outlet. It’s fast-charging, and the charge lasts a long time. It has built-in charging cords for different devices. It also has a wireless charging platform, so you can charge your phone without a cord. I also love that it’s not as heavy as lots of power banks. Added bonus? It’s inexpensive! It makes a great gift for lots of people, including teenagers and college students who might need extra power on their devices. Priced right now (at time of writing) at just $29.59 on Amazon, you can purchase it here.

  • Dyson AirWrap i.d. Multistyler. Dyson AirWrap systems have been popular for a long time, and there’s a reason…they are great products. It’s a gift lots of people would love to receive. I have seen people get more excited about this than anything else. They’re expensive, no doubt, but right now, this one is on sale at Amazon. Regular priced at $649, it’s now priced (at time of writing) at $499! That’s a $150 savings! Get them while they last here.

  • SUNNOW 12 Ounce Multicolor Crystal Wine Glass,for Home Dinning, Bar and Party,Set of 6 I got these for my college daughter, because she is always having friends over. With this multi-colored set, its easy for each person to remember which glass is theirs! And because they are inexpensive, it one gets broken, no one panics! They make a great gift, and these are a popular item on Amazon. I get “fast-selling item” alerts, and this was one of them. Purchase for $32.99 while supplies last here.

  • SHOWKOO Luggage Sets Expandable PC+ABS Durable Suitcase Double Wheels TSA Lock I purchased a set of this luggage for myself and one for our daughter. They are inexpensive but more rugged than I expected, and if you get a cool color, you can spot it easily on an airport carousel! Purchase for someone on your Christmas list here.

  • Trendy 14K Gold Plated Hoop Earrings for Women, Chunky Gold/Silver Earrings for Women Cubic Zirconia Baguette Hoop Earrings Heart Hoops Lightweight Hypoallergenic Jewelry,25mm/35mm/40mm/50mm. I have purchased these inexpensive earrings six times over the past year. They are my favorite grab-n-go earrings for running errands or meeting friends for lunch. I get compliments on them every single time I wear them. You can purchase them in multi-color, single-color, gold, or silver. When I say these earrings are one of my favorite Amazon purchases ever, I mean it. Most colors are $13.99, but some are as low as $13.59, and some colors are $14.99. They’d make a great stocking stuffer for every girl/woman on your list! Get them here.

  • Damero Pill Bottle Organizer Bag, Travel Medicine Bag Organizer, Medicine Organizer and Storage for Pills, Vitamin, Fish Oil, Medical Supplements for Women and Men. Another favorite purchase! I used to just keep my meds in a ziploc bag, but earlier this year, I decided to be more organized, and what a difference! I used this bag when I’m home and take it with me when I travel. It has slots for medicine bottles and pocket for other things like a pill-cutter or anything else. I literally use it every day. It comes in dusty rose or black. It’s great for college students too…for items like Tylenol, ibuprofen, cold medicine, allergy meds, etc. In fact, it could be a great gift for someone you know who is going to college soon…fill it with all those items and wrap it up for a Christmas gift! Purchase from Amazon here.

  • Girafit 3MP 2K Window Camera,2.4GHz&5GHz WiFi Indoor Cameras for Home Security 2 Pack with ChroMax Al Color Night Vision,Person & Motion Detection,24/7 Recording,Easy&Quick Install. I purchased these for our daughter’s college apartment. I had sent her a Ring doorbell, but because of the design of her apartment, installation was complicated. Since their front door has a window, this was super easy to install. The picture quality on it is amazing! She and her roommates thought they had an intruder one night, so the police came, and later, when she showed me the video of the officers arriving, I could read their names on the tiny nameplates on their uniforms. Highly recommend! Purchase here.

  • Protected By Home Security System Signs for Yard – 10″ x 28″ Police Dispatch Connected Warning Sign with Ground Stake, Alarm Signs for Home Security Rust Free 40 mil Reflective Aluminum Composite – UV Protected. I also purchased these for our daughter’s apartment. Her apartment is part of a house, so she put these in the front yard. Purchase here.

  • Makeup Eraser 7-Day Set. If you have never used Makeup Eraser, its time you did! It’s amazing how quickly these remove makeup with just water! My daughter have been using them for a long time and love them. they make a great stocking-stuffer or a great gift! Purchase here.

  • Nespresso Vertuo Plus Deluxe Coffee and Espresso Maker by De’Longhi, Matte Black I’m just a regular coffee drinker, but our daughter loves specialty coffees, so we got her this Nespresso Espresso Maker, and she loves it. Someone on your list will love it too! At just under $125, it’s not cheap, but she said it’s worth it! Purchase here.

  • Women’s Sandals Peep Toe Slides. I’ve told y’all about these before…my favorite dupe sandals! I have them in four colors. No, I’m not wearing them in freezing temps, but they’re great in spring and summer…and on tropical vacations! Someone on your list will love these! They’re awesome! I found them to be true-to-size. Purchase here.

  • Favorite Dupe Handbag. Since we are talking about my favorite dupes, let’s look at my fave dupe handbag I purchased from Amazon this year. In fact, I purchased it in three different colors. Is it a perfect dupe? No, but it’s cute! And it’s 1% of the real thing. I have some nicer bags, but I do not like to travel with them, so these are great for that. Purchase here.

  • OCTOBUDDY Classic – Silicone Suction Phone Case Adhesive Mount – Hands-Free, Strong Grip Holder for Selfies and Videos – iPhone and Android Compatible. My daughter loves this phone case adhesive mount. It’s not the case; its something to mount on the case so the phone will stick with suction to surfaces…window, tables, shower walls, etc. It’s available in lots of colors. Just trust me on this…it’s a great gift for teenagers and college students. At just $14.99, it’s a great stocking stuffer. Purchase here.

  • JBL Vibe Beam – True Wireless JBL Deep Bass Sound Earbuds, Bluetooth 5.2, Water & Dust Resistant, Hands-free call with VoiceAware, Up to 32 hours of battery life Y’all, I’m prone to losing things, so I don’t want to pay a lot of money for wireless earbuds. I just can’t make myself do it. I found these from JBL, and I love them. They’re more comfortable than others to me, and they produce great sound. Starting at just $29.95 right now, they are a steal! This makes a great gift! Get them here.

  • SPOTMINDERS Apple MFi Certified Wallet Tracker Y’all…this is a game-changer. I always used other tracking devices for my luggage/handbags, etc, but they didn’t track in real time. Spotminders are rechargeable and track in real time! I have purchased them for the whole fam! Just link them to your phone’s tracking app. It will make a great gift or stocking stuffer for anyone who has a wallet, handbag, passport, luggage, or anything else they don’t want to lose! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! You can charge them on a wireless charger, and the charge lasts five months! Purchase here.

  • Stitchy. Who knew this tiny gun-shaped item would be such a life-saver? I didn’t know I needed it until someone gave me one, and now I use it all the time…almost daily! I use it to stitch collars with one click, so they will stand. I use it to reinforce buttons. I use it to ruche items. In a fix, I’ve even used it to secure the hem of some pants! At our white elephant Christmas party last year, this was the single hottest item! Purchase it for everyone on your list! Purchase here.

  • Tales Conversation Cards. We have one two different sets of these, and as corny as it sounds, we use them all the time! We use them when our little family is gathered around the table or when friends come over for cocktails. Each card has a question or directive. “Who here is most likely to live off the grid?” (No one named me, for sure.) “What’s something you think everyone should experience at least once.” https://amzn.to/4pUeP6xThere’s a family version, a teen version, and more! Get them. We find them great fun! Purchase here.

  • JBL Flip Portable Speaker. Y’all, I love this little speaker with big sound! I use it by the pool in the summer, in hotel rooms, in the kitchen…or anywhere else I want good sound. With Bluetooth capabilities, it plays straight from my phone. This is a great gift for just about anyone on your list, and it comes in a variety of colors. Purchase here.

  • Matcha Set. Our daughter came home for the summer and wanted to make Matcha at home, so we got her the kit to do it. She made Matcha all summer, and she has been making it all fall in her apartment. If you have someone on your list who loves Matcha, this could be a great gift. Purchase here.

  • Arctic Air Personal Air Conditioner. Y’all, I sleep with this thing pointed at my face every night. Sometimes, I put water in it, and sometimes, I don’t. It also has a light that you can set to one of many colors. I set mine on red, because it seems to give off the least light but just enough for me to make it to the bathroom safely. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! When I say I highly recommend this, I mean it…it’s one of my favorite things ever. Purchase for under $30 here.

  • OtterBox Rugged Tracker 4 Pack for Apple AirTag I got this for our keys…just pop an AirTag in it, and anytime you can’t find your keys, this will help you find them! Purchase here. And if you need AirTags for it, get the four pack here.

  • Ladies’ Wallet with RFID protection. I love this wallet. It makes it easy to find my credit cards when I need them. My ID is in a window pocket. It’s everything I need in a wallet, and it’s cute too! It comes in several colors, so you can get a different color for each person on your list. Plus, it’s priced right at $16.99. Purchase here.

  • 12 Pack Extra Heavy Duty Large Moving Bags with Strong Zipper & Comfortable Handles I purchased these when we were moving our daughter back to college last summer, but now I’m using some of them for storage at home! I love them! And they’re super-sturdy. I’m not sure they’d be a great gift, but maybe they would for the future college student? Purchase here.

  • Little Jesus. Lots of us could use a little Jesus. These pocket Jesus figurines could be fun stocking stuffers or fun to hide around the house. I hid them in our house, and my husband laughed every time he encountered one. Now we have a few strategically placed in cabinets or drawers to remind us that Jesus loves us. Purchase here.

  • A Super Comfy, Cozy Recliner. Y’all are going to think I’m crazy. Yes, I ordered a recliner from Amazon. I had a couple of surgeries earlier this year, and when I found out I needed a second one, I knew I needed a recliner to sleep in when I got home, but I only had a couple of days. I went on Amazon and found this gem. It was delivered two days later, and my husband took it up to the guest room, where I would recover from my surgery. Easy assembly…just slide the backrest into the back of the seat. It rocks, swivels, and reclinesl, and it has storage compartments built in. This has now become my favorite place to be! I call it my “drug chair,” because it just totally relaxes me! I think everyone needs one! If you know someone who could use a super comfortable, cozy recliner, this could be the perfect holiday gift for them. It’s available in gray and cream. I got the cream colored one. Did I mention I love it?!?! One of my best purchases ever, even though it’s not perfectly suited to our decor. Purchase here.

  • Acrylic Clutch Purse for Women Evening Bag This was something my daughter needed for all the cocktail parties in college. She got it in gold, but it’s offered in lots of colors, and it has held up very well for her. Could be a great gift for the college girl or anyone who might need an evening bag. Purchase here.

  • Bedside Lamp with Wireless Speaker and Phone Charger. This lamp/speaker/charger combo is also portable! I keep it on my nightstand and use it every night to charge my phone. I love it and think everyone needs one. Purchase here.

  • Vibration Plate. I know lots of people who swear by vibration plates to stimulate muscles and improve bone density. I don’t claim to be a doctor, but I have friends who swear they feel healthier after regularly using a vibration plate. If you’d like to try it, you can get one at Amazon for $99, and if you like it, purchase a more high-end one later. You can get a bestseller at Amazon here.

Happy Shopping!

*As an Amazon Associate, I receive commission on the items purchased through my links.*

by Kelly Mattei

I Love You

I love you.

I just saw a video on social media about a new trend. Apparently, teenagers are calling their friends at night and saying something along the lines of, “I just wanted to call you and say good night and I love you.” It’s funny to see what the various reactions are.

I don’t call my friends at night and say, “Good night and I love you,” but I do tell my friends I love them at the end of a phone conversation…or even at the end of a get-together. It’s something my family did, and it’s something I have carried over into my friendships. My friend, Wendy, who passed away seven years ago (June 4 is the seventh anniversary of her passing), thought it was weird at first. When we would be hanging up the phone or leaving a gathering, I would say, “Love you!” She would laugh. She wasn’t one who was demonstrative in that way. I would say, “It’s OK. You don’t have to say it back. I know you love me.” But I changed her over the years. I wore her down. Eventually, after several years of friendship, she starting saying, “I love you too, sista.” I’m so happy I wore her down with that. She passed away when she was 46 after a 30 year battle with various cancers. God bless her. She was a fighter. I find peace in knowing she KNEW I loved her, and I knew she loved me. Now that I think about it, maybe I didn’t wear her down. Maybe her constant battles with cancer made her start saying it. Maybe she knew I needed to hear it. The “why” doesn’t really matter, though. She said it.

My parents heard me tell them I loved them almost every single day of my life, and I heard it too. By the time they passed away, they had likely heard it thousands of times. Does that give me some peace? Of course it does. I hope it gave them peace as they were dying. I hope they knew they were loved and that their memories would live on through me and my brother. I hope they knew we loved them and would tell stories about them for the rest of our lives…daily.

Recently, as I was hanging up the phone with a friend…a guy I have known for years who is a close family friend…I said, “Ok, love you, honey!” I said it without realizing it, and I heard the hesitation. I don’t even remember how he responded…some sort of mumbled something. I texted him afterward, “Did my ‘love ya honey’ freak you out? I do tell everyone that, so it’s OK to say it to you.” He responded, “Wasn’t quite sure what you said.” I said, “I said it out of habit. It’s just what I do. Lol.” And that’s the truth. I tell my daughter, my husband, my brother, my aunt, my cousins, my friends, my daughter’s friends…lots of people are on my “love ya honey” list. Do I mean it? You bet I do!

I’m turning 58 tomorrow, and the older I get, the more I realize how important it is to let people know we love them and appreciate them. I love getting older, and I love the “wisdom” that comes with it. I define wisdom as “knowing you only know a little bit about all there is to know in the world, and knowing you can always learn a lot more.” Part of my “wisdom” is knowing I need people to know they are loved.

I think it’s a good “habit.” I always want my friends and family to know the last thing I said to them is “I love you.” So if we talk on the phone or have lunch any time soon, don’t be surprised if I say “love you” before we hang up or before we part ways. It’s OK if you don’t say it back. I won’t take it personally, but I won’t stop saying it.

Love you, honey!

by Kelly Mattei

Who Is Thinking of You Right Now?

Who is thinking of you right now? I had to go to the grocery store two nights ago. On the way there, something made me think of a boy I grew up with …a boy who passed away a few years ago. I don’t even remember what made me think of him…maybe a song? When I arrived at the grocery store, I grabbed a cart and started shopping. I hadn’t been to the grocery store in a while, so I needed lots of perishables…eggs, pepperoni (a staple in our house), cheese, sour cream, butter, etc.

I picked up the first perishable item (the very important pepperonis) and checked the date, only to find it was dated with the birthday of the boy I had been thinking of earlier! It felt serendipitous, so I smiled and just thought of it as a God-wink. I kept shopping, and as I did, I noticed a trend: every perishable I picked up was dated with the birthday of someone who had impacted my life in some way. One item had a college friend’s birthday. Another had a childhood neighbor’s birthday. Yet another was dated with my daddy’s birthday. It went on and on, and each time I saw a different birthday, I smiled to myself and remembered something about the person whose birthday was on each item. When I saw my college friend’s birthday, I thought of ordering delivery from Wings & Things. My childhood friend’s birthday made me think of playing on the swings in elementary school. My daddy’s birthday…well, that just made me think of him.

Later that night, I received a text from a friend I met in California a couple of years ago. I tend to talk to everyone I see, so I make friends that live in different cities. This particular friend is bi-coastal, living in New York and Los Angeles. (Don’t get all weird on me now…my husband is very aware of this friend and enjoyed watching him in the FX documentary, Hip Hop Uncovered, which I highly recommend, but that’s a story for another day. See the trailer here. You can watch the documentary on Hulu now.) I rarely hear from him. But the text on Wednesday night simply said, “Hi Kelly! How you been?” I smiled and replied with, “I’m doing great! How about you, my friend?” We had a brief text exchange, and afterward, I thought about how often we all think of someone and never let them know. All those friends whose birthdays appeared on my perishables have no idea I was thinking of them that moment in the grocery store. If my friend in California hadn’t texted me, I’d have never known I had crossed his mind.

So now, I think I need to sit down and make a list of those birthdays from the grocery store. I need to reach out to those friends whose birthdays made me smile in the dairy aisle of my local store. I need to tell them I’ve had them on my mind. I need to tell them I’ve been thinking of them.

I have lost several friends to COVID over the past couple of months, and my only regret is that I didn’t reach out to them more often. Maybe my grocery store trip combined with my message from my California friend is God’s way of telling me to reach out. It will make me happy, and it might just bring a little happiness to someone else just to know someone is thinking of them. Don’t we all like to think friends and family have good memories of us or just think of us every now and then? Remember those old Bell System “Reach out and touch someone” commercials from the late 70s (see one here) and AT&T in the 1980s (see one here that features the late Janet Carroll, the mom from Risky Business)? Maybe we should remember that…and actually reach out, even if it’s just a simple text asking “How you been?”

by Kelly Mattei

Sharing Your Location

Sharing your location?

Y’all, you need to check your phones now. You might be surprised to find out you’re sharing your location with everyone you know. A few weeks ago, a friend texted me to tell me she was turning off her location services on her phone. I asked, “Why are you telling me?” She said, “Because I’ve been sharing my location with you and didn’t even know it!” So funny…because I had no idea she was sharing her location with me! She then said, “You might want to check your own phone to see what info you’re sharing through the FindMy app and others!”

Holy moly. For the technologically challenged (me), this would be a chore. I sat down with my phone and eventually figured it out. Seriously…when I say “eventually,” I mean it took me a while. I had to Google different things, but I finally figured it out.

I had no idea I had been sharing my location with so many apps and with so many contacts!  Maybe I had done that intentionally at some point, but I don’t remember it. It’s very possible that I had intentionally shared my location with hundreds of friends through my phone…maybe at different times? Maybe when some of us were trying to meet somewhere? I don’t recall. But there it was in front of my eyes…I was sharing my location with hundreds of people all the time. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a criminal, because if I were out committing crimes, it would be easy for people to see where I was!

I’ve gotten a couple of texts from friends who noticed they could no longer see my location, and then today, my friend, Mary Ann, tagged me in a post on Facebook, “Did we break up? I can’t see your location any longer. How am I going to stalk you?” Always the jokester…leave it to Mary Ann to call me out publicly. She was kidding, of course. We are not “breaking up;” she will always be my friend. I’m not even sure how she noticed it…maybe she was stalking me?!?!? Bahahaha!

Last year, I downloaded the Life 360 app, because our teenage daughter was starting to drive, and I intentionally share my location with family through that, but that’s it. No friends. Only family. Because really?!? Is it necessary for anyone else to know where I am all the time? Nope. Am I paranoid?!

Know what else? It’s not necessary for me to know where folks are either. Not gonna lie. It’s a little creepy. I don’t even want to know where they are. I prefer to think they might be enjoying an afternoon of social distancing in a tropical location, drinking Mai Tais by the pool.

Everybody knows where we are right now anyway…home.

by Kelly Mattei

I Hope They Don’t Call the Cops

I just got home from a long day, and the phone rang just as I was getting settled in to finish reading a book I started yesterday. It was the home phone, which is rarely used in our house, so I knew it was likely a scam, a robocall,  or someone asking me to donate to some fraudulent cause.

Now, I’m hoping it really was a scam or someone fraudulently asking me to donate to a cause.

I used to get downright angry about the stupid robocalls, scam calls, and fraudulent donation calls. Then I started having fun with them. I started playing games.

One of my games is to answer cheerfully and listen carefully to their spiel. Sometimes it’s a person, and sometimes it’s someone pressing a button with a prerecorded message…you know…they always ask for Bryant first. When you say they have the wrong number, they press a button so the recording might respond, “Well, you can help me. I’m calling on behalf of the Egg Handlers of America.” And they launch into a long speech about how your donation can help their organization. Since the number often shows the name of another company or “Unknown caller,” I feel pretty sure it’s fraudulent. I let them finish the long speech and then say, “I’m sorry, my child came in while you were talking. Could you repeat that?” They press the button to repeat the speech, or maybe it’s a real person who repeats the speech, and then they say, “Can we count on you to support us?” I then yell, “Touchdown! I’m sorry…my team just scored! Could you repeat that?” Often, they will jump straight to, “Can we count on your support?” I then ask, “Support for what?” They usually hang up at that point.

Another tactic is to answer with an unknown bad foreign accent. Don’t start saying I’m “appropriating” someone else’s culture by using a made up foreign accent. I’m just trying to stop the madness, people! Sometimes I simply will tell them early on that I don’t speak English. Sometimes, I let them go through the whole speech, and then tell them they “talk too fast.” I ask them to repeat more slowly. They go through it all again. I tell them again they “talk too fast.” They usually hang up.

Sometimes, I actually feel sorry for the person on the other end of the line. I know it’s likely they are working for pennies in a developing country. The person on the phone likely isn’t making much money at all from the scam. It’s their employers who are cashing in.

I know. I shouldn’t even engage with these folks, but dang it! I can get mad about it, or I can make it fun.

And that leads us to tonight. Tonight, I tried a different approach. When I saw a number pop up on the Caller ID that I thought was a sales/scam/robocall, I picked up the phone and yelled, sounding out of breath, “It’s done! There’s blood everywhere! What do I do now?!?!” Click. They hung up immediately. My husband walked in from the other room and asked me what I was yelling about. I told him what had happened, and he asked, “Who was it?” I said, “I don’t know.” He then asked, “How do you know it wasn’t a parent from school?” I explained it was an “unknown” caller from a familiar-looking number that always calls saying they are working for a nonprofit. Surely, if it had been a legit call, they would have said something. But they didn’t. Plus, no one calls me on my home phone.

My husband then said, “I hope it wasn’t a real person. I hope they don’t call the cops.” Yeah…that would be bad. But since I’ve had time to write all this, and the cops aren’t knocking down our front door, I guess it’s safe to say it was a scam call. Whew!

pexels-photo-923681.jpeg

Photo by kat wilcox on Pexels.com

I don’t know how to block unwanted calls on my home phone, but on cell phones, there are lots of apps out there that can help reduce the number of unwanted calls you receive. My favorite, though, is one called RoboKiller. I saw the creator talking about it on TV, and it sounds awesome. It plays games with them…the same kinds of games I mentioned before…wasting their time and decreasing their revenue. You can read about it here. Or you can see a news story about it here. You can download it from the App Store and get a one week free trial. Service for 12 months, is $29.99, or get one month for $3.99.

As for that call I received today, I hope they won’t call back, but just in case they do, I need to come up with something else. Any suggestions?

 

 

 

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by Kelly Mattei

Group Text Etiquette

Group texts…I’ve started some and I’ve been included in others. Chances are, you have been on a group text too.

Sometimes I love technology and sometimes I hate it. I love when I can text five friends at the same time to share pictures of their sons or daughters involved in an activity. I love when we can arrange group gatherings more easily because of group texts, emails, or Facebook Messenger. Really, it can make life so much easier.

I was included on a group message on Messenger recently about an upcoming event. We were all able to let each other know if we would be participating, and we were able to volunteer to help with certain things. And maybe I did the wrong thing: once I knew my job, I dropped out of the message. Yep…dropped out of it. But I wasn’t making some terrible statement. I wasn’t saying I didn’t want to be involved in the event. I simply didn’t need to know how the sausage was made! I knew my job, and I knew I would do it.

A friend who was on the same message called me shortly thereafter, asking, “Did you leave the group message?” I replied, “Yes. Was that wrong?” I explained that the host knew I would be there, and she knew what I would be bringing…did I really need to know what everyone else was doing? Did I really need to hear my phone “ding” every two seconds for the rest of the day?!

Maybe I broke some unwritten rule. I’m kind of a no-nonsense, “just the facts” kind of person. When we had our pool resurfaced a few years ago, I asked the contractor when it would be ready. He started telling me what all they had to do, but really…I didn’t need to know how the sausage was made. I just wanted to know when I could use my pool again. Of course, I tried to say it in a nice way, “I have no idea what all that means. I’m leaving town for a couple of weeks, so I guess what I’m actually asking is what date the pool will actually have water in it. What date will we be able to get in the pool?” Just the facts, sir. Despite the fact that I am from the Heart of Dixie…in the Deep South…I’m just not good at sugarcoating things…at all.

So in that recent group message, it was the same situation: I didn’t need to know what Susie and Mary and Jane were bringing…I needed to know my job. I didn’t need to get more notifications on my phone.

Remember when we all first started doing the group email thing? Remember how everyone would “reply all”? I hated that. I still hate it. When I send a group email, I usually say, “Please do not reply ALL. Please simply reply to me.” But you can’t do that in a group text or group message on Messenger. You have to suffer through all the notifications that someone else has responded…unless you leave the group. And if it’s something I won’t even be participating in, well, I’m out as soon as I say I won’t be participating. Once I tell the host that I can’t be involved, I’m out. Get it?

Am I breaking some unwritten rule by taking myself out of group texts and messages when the business part seems to be done? If you’re not volunteering to help with decor for some event, do you really want to read all the texts about it? Am I crazy? Better yet…am I offending people when I leave the group?

Lots of times group texts are fun and/or necessary. There are plenty of times that we’re sharing pictures. I’m totally staying in that. I have some group messages with college friends that we use for special things. We don’t constantly send messages to the group…only when there is something we really want to share. Son’s getting married? Daughter made the team? And then there are times we are still in the middle of discussing what to do for decor for an event…I’m totally staying in if I’m participating. But if I’ll be on vacation while y’all are decorating, I’m leaving the group text. Sorry. I certainly don’t mean to hurt any feelings, but my brain can only take so many “dings” on my phone.

I can’t possibly be the only one who gets annoyed by excessive notifications. Lots of folks have made memes about it, so I know I’m not alone.

So, if I’m ever on a group message or text with you, don’t be offended if I leave it. Either I’m not attending the event you’re discussing, or I feel like the business is done, and I know what my job is. I’m not leaving you; I’m just leaving the notifications/dings.

I have a friend who once told me that if someone doesn’t return her phone call promptly, she automatically thinks she has done something to offend them. I told her, “Oh, I always think they didn’t get the message…or they’re out of town…or they’re as busy as I am.” I guess I’m just not easily offended, so I don’t expect people to be easily offended.

But please…someone tell me if it’s offensive to leave a group text. If it is, I will find a way to tolerate the excessive notifications and dings on my phone…or maybe I’ll just go back to an old flip phone that doesn’t receive texts!

 

 

 

 

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