Is Anyone Else Going to have a No Presents Christmas?

Amyboo

Sorry to hear about your husbands job. It sucks. I hope he gets something soon and things pick up for you both.

What about freecycle.org for a christmas tree and some decorations?

Amy.x.

Dizzie77

jaja wrote: »

Trying to find something cheap and cheerful for the parents, and not so sure my Aunt will understand either.

tbh, I wish it would go away and I could wake up in January just now.

JaJa, sorry to hear about your job - there isn't a good time to lose your job, but just before Christmas must be appalling.

How about family photos for your parents? Won't cost anything if you already have the photos, and just stick them into a scrap book or something....family is terribly important, and the reminder of their family would be something they would treasure, I'm sure.

Also, I don't know what sort of work you did, but if it is admin/clerical stuff, then maybe try your local council. I work for a County Council and we have an internal agency for clerical staff. They are recruited for short term (up to 3 months) contracts for people who are on leave/longer term sickness.
I don't know if all councils do this, but it might be worth a phone call.
Ours is called the temporary register....and the rates of pay are pretty good (as you would expect with Local Government).

Dizzie77

ohhh...and if you don't already have the photos printed....have a look on the freebie sites, as there were a couple offering 10 free prints a little while ago - use enough of them and you could get a whole load of photos printed..!!!!

maman

Thanks to tesuhoha for starting this thread. It's just so sad that the idea has come from such misery. Although I'm sure you'd agree whole heartedly that redundancy is nothing compared with what cw18 is going through. All the more reason to value family over stuff. She has all our thought and sympathies I'm sure.

We're having a no presents Christmas except for the children. For us it was almost using the recession as an excuse to say no more 'stuff', no more commercialism. When I see all the carp in the shops it makes me wince. We're going to have a lovely family lunch with all the trimmings and enjoy each others company. Fortunately we have all our decorations as I enjoy getting the same ones out year on year. Last year we bought one of the real trees in a pot and I'm delighted to say it's going strong, perhaps a funny shape but it'll look fine smothered in tinsel! Not having to trawl the shops looking for rubbish that no-one really wants is quite liberating!

P.S. I'd like to nominate tesuhoha for post of the week but that seems to have disappeared!

PinkTwirl

Hi,

Having a no present xmas this year. I have told people that I don't want anything, but I know they will buy me something, so I think I will buy them a bottle of something each and that will do. A total of about £50 at the most.

I've done xmas in the past spending £100-£200 on each person and £500 on the ex. All it ever amounts to is a load of tat and a load of debt.

I think the only thing I have to show now for xmas from the past 5 years is a necklace (from the ex which I don't like to wear now) and a dvd (also the same).

Bah humbug! :santa2: :snow_laug :xmassmile :rudolf: :xmastree:

Sharon87

I'm having a cheap Christmas.

I'm making some gifts (CDs, a montage of photos in a frame of my sister's wedding for her and the brother in law), and I have put a spending limit, not target, limit of £5 for each person.

I'm also spending Christmas day at my aunty's, so that'll be nice (my mum's away in France, lucky her!). so it's gonna be a cheap Christmas, although I might, if I can afford to, buy a few more decorations lol. I'm using Christmas cards left over from the past 5-6 years lol.

tesuhoha

After all these posts maybe I should rename it 'A Present Free Christmas'!

I'm really sorry and sad for anyone else who has lost their job. Its very tough. Fortunately, my husband has a resource he can fall back on, his trade and he has been getting a few odd jobs. On Christmas Day as long as we have a nice dinner and the mortgage is paid I will be perfectly happy. As everyone has said there is no pressure. If we get invited to the relatives for Boxing Day as we usually do then I'll get them a big box of biscuits or something.

tesuhoha

maman wrote: »

Thanks to tesuhoha for starting this thread. It's just so sad that the idea has come from such misery.

We're having a no presents Christmas except for the children. For us it was almost using the recession as an excuse to say no more 'stuff', no more commercialism. When I see all the carp in the shops it makes me wince. We're going to have a lovely family lunch with all the trimmings and enjoy each others company. Fortunately we have all our decorations as I enjoy getting the same ones out year on year. Last year we bought one of the real trees in a pot and I'm delighted to say it's going strong, perhaps a funny shape but it'll look fine smothered in tinsel! Not having to trawl the shops looking for rubbish that no-one really wants is quite liberating!

P.S. I'd like to nominate tesuhoha for post of the week but that seems to have disappeared!

Thank you very much.

Larumbelle

Tesuhoha, where abouts are you? I have a tree, decorations and other bits and bobs I'd like to give you if you're close enough. PM where you are and I'll see if you're close enough, then OH can drive down.

septemberblues

I am sooo glad I saw this thread today, it's too late for me to have no presents xmas, as I am already totally broke from saving my money to give people either cash or gift vouchers for xmas, but that's it, I am not going to make myself broke and miserable anymore, just so that I can give my money to people who have a lot more than I have! And the funny thing is - most of these people (well, my daughters) don't want me to get them anything anyway cos they know I'm skint. Unfortunately the rest are all holding out their hands for gift vouchers, which to me is the most expensive way to give pressies, I won't do that again next year.:rolleyes:

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now, but Xmas isn't about being broke so other people have money to spend!

So thanks for starting this thread