Christmas pressie list .... Your thoughts!

jcr16

my hubby asks for a list , as does my in-laws. but i hate writing them. because there never anything i want or need. but i really apprecaite it when hubby writes a list and my in-laws give me a list. so i do write a list, but i don't feel comfortable writing it.


my children write a list to santa and before it posted we copy it, then we make sure we can get what they would like, and this way we don't duplicate on pressies if a family member ask's what they would like.

writing a list does make things so much easier, as i love to buy something for someone i know they want. but i certainly wouldn't give a list without being asked first.

FatVonD

If an adult gave me an (unsolicited) list they'd be spending Christmas in hospital having it extracted!

Personally if I spot something I'd like I just say to DH, 'if anyone asks you what I want for Christmas can you say 'that'? And then he gets it for me himself

I get DS and my step kids to make lists and then tell their grandparents we have them and would they like us to suggest a few things from them. I'm not embarrassed doing it for my step kids behalf though do feel odd doing it for DS but they are so generous to them all (and would otherwise get it SO wrong) that it's as much about stopping them wasting their money as the kids getting what they want.

KiKi

I always have a list - but I would never ever send it to people unless asked! I have things on there this year ranging from £2 to £40. On the expensive gifts (of which I've listed 1!) I always add in brackets "(if a few of you were happy to team up for a present I'd love this)", ie, I don't expect one person to pay for it.

My family ask for my list every year, so I send them that, and they pick things from it, but I don't expect it all. If a friend asked what I wanted, I'd tell them one or two things, but I wouldn't hand them a list!

It also depends who's buying and for whom. My dad loves surprises, and I know what to get him, so I never ask. My sister likes specific items, and so I ask her to tell me what she wants.

KiKi

borokat

I write out a list every year and send it to my parents, brother and sister, and they all do the same. It just gives people an idea of what to buy, and I find having a list really useful when I'm selecting presents for others. I don't expect to recieve everything on the list. It is also my birthday a week before Christmas so it helps as they are buying me two presents close together. We can also say 'I'm getting so and so X item' so no one else buys it. I don't see anything wrong with it. But I would find it a bit strange if I got an unsolicited list from someone who wasn't close family!

Any

I know my best mate has a list at home and I ask her sister what is on it and I say what not to get as I already got it.

I try to listen to hints from people (ooh, I like this smell), but there isn't that many people I spend enough time with before Christmas out on the town to pick up these hints.

For example my sister & my MIL - both very well off, both with sensitive skin to top it up and both with busy lives - I never get out with my sister because of her children (well, I do, but rarely) and my MIL just doesn't let on about "stuff". My husband loves books - but we have sooo much that it would take me week before I found out whether he read a book or not.

It is seriously difficult to get them something they will actually USE/WANT and I hate nothing more then money wasting!! And I don't like getting something seriously useless either (who does)... when I could do with something else. Again, money wasting. Like my stepmother, she bought me this awfull above the belly button wide jumper the other year.. I am 27, not 17!! And I hate anything showing off my belly (appart from bikini). It went straight to the charity shop. I am sure some 13 yr old will be happy to wear it. If she likes retro.

Of course I still acted very gratefully - it is the hight of rudeness to dismiss a present in front of someone IMO! I am sure she meant well.

I love lists and I vote for them. I do not distribute them, I don't know anyone who does, but I like to ask and be given some options...

karamunroe

My friend does a list system with her family and I do somewhat agree that it's better for everyone to get something they like. It does however take the fun out of shopping for people and thinking... 'oh, I hope they like it', which although worrying at times, is still pretty fun at Christmas time!!

Fang_3

Lists are commonplace in my family. There's nothing as bad as ending up with a gift that you don't want and having the spend the day pretending to love it all the while secretly hoping that the packaging hasn't been damaged so you can return it ASAP.

The only problem I have with lists is that if I want or need something and write it down, then I'll just buy it for myself because it's easier, faster and I don't have to spend three hours hacking into the pristine wrapping to get at it.

Lunar_Eclipse

I dislike lists in general. They make me feel a bit angry, because I consider them the height of vulgarity and yet am jealous of people who happily break this social rule.

Besides my wedding list (which I regret doing to this day), I happily wrote to Santa as a child on Christmas Eve. It wasn't in the form of a list, as I have seen on the sides of friend's fridges. My children do the same and are encouraged to keep any requests, within the general letter, to a minimum. We think mentioning three things is a good number. They have both asked for a Terry's chocolate orange. DD1 has also included some hot chocolate sachets on hers.

If a close family member asks for help with one of my children for Christmas, I tell them I'll think about it and come back to them. I might later suggest one or two items that said child would like (possibly after looking on Amazon or similar for inspiration.)

minerva_windsong

My sisters and I (aged 35, 31 and 23) have mental wish lists, which are kept private but if we are asked what we'd like we'll pick a couple of items from them, in a sense that 'these are things we would like to get but which we certainly don't expect to get'. However there is no obligation to buy from the lists and on Christmas Day it's normally about 50/50 surprises and 'list' items. We do the same for birthdays as well, again with the attitude of 'I'd be very happy if I got one of these items but equally happy if you surprised me'.

We'd certainly never dream of sending them out to family members without being asked, and not to friends either. Generally we also try to keep costs low, most of the items on there are in the £10-20 range (mine is mostly books and DVDs).

Sisters and I also cross reference with each other what we are getting other sister, brothers-in-law, nephews and parents, none of whom really do lists - that's more an 'ask what you'd like' (or in my dad's case take a wild guess, as he refuses to offer suggestions and tells us not to waste our money).

euronorris

I do create a list, for Birthdays and Christmas (my B'day is early Nov), as I got sick of being asked so often what I would like. Of course, when you're put on the spot like that, it's hard to think of what you'd like. ANd then there's worrying about people's budget. The list I produce usually varies in price, so people can choose whichever suits their budget.

I don't just send it out willy nilly though. One copy goes to my Mum and she passes it on to anyone else who asks for ideas, and the other copy goes to my OH and he usually passes it on to his Mum if she asks for ideas.

I wish more people would give me lists though. Some people are just so difficult to buy for! And I really like to do my best to get a gift I know they'll love and use. That and OH has a habit of just buying the things he wants, so whenever I ask what he'd like 'I dunno. I don't need anything darling.' Arghhh! I didn't ask what you needed! I asked what you WANT! lol