re: Ponder with me, if you will, the $50 gift certificate card to Ruth's Chris

I don't read the OP as being rude or ungrateful - he stated so explicitly at the end of the post. I think he's just saying that a $50 gift card to an expensive restaurant is not so much a gift - as it is an invitation to take yourself out to a meal that will still be expensive even after the $50 is spent. Of course it should still be appreciated, but I see the OPs point.