At what age do you stop giving gifts

Mercenary

stressed_mum wrote:

and my 42 year old sister in law on the phone in tears on christmas day saying we had ruined her christmas as we gave to her partners children and not her !!!

Sounds like you have a SIL like mine :rolleyes: .

She likes to be a drama queen over anything like that too, but never to the face of the one(s) who have crossed her - she likes to cry on the phone to everyone else instead.
After we announced that we were only going to buy for the kids (birthdays and Christmas) she gave a command performance to the rest of my in-laws and ever since then she gave really....I mean REALLY....crap gifts to my kids until each reached 18 (one still to go). One gift was a packet of Thankyou notelets! :rotfl: . We had to laugh.
Still, I know what to do until her little darling reaches 18 .

poppycracker

My dad's brother hasn't got any kids and when my brother and I were young, he used to try and spoil us at Christmas, but since I've got together with my fella, he only sends us a card and maybe a fiver. And why not? I don't expect anything and neither should your SIL, OP. I think she's being very rude.

amanda40 wrote:

I think your other halfs family are being extremely selfish - what about suggesting a lucky dip for the ADULTS ie over 21, where you just all pick a name out the hat and spend £10.

I was just about to suggest that! We did a Secret Santa at a place I worked at a few years ago, everyone's name went into a hat and we all drew one and bought a present for under £5 for that person.

bottom line is, if you can't afford it, you can't afford it.

Hels_Bells_3

We're 30, 26, 22 and 20 and i can't remember the last time we received individual gifts from my aunt and uncle!

There are 4 of us (3 grandkids) and 5 of them so what the adults have done for the last 10 years or so is buy a present for the family - it means we all get together at least once of the christmas period - last year they bought us tickets to a local Panto which was fantastic - we all spent the day together having fun and enjoying each others company which is, afterall, what christmas should be about!

dippy-dora_2

Hi, when I was young I only ever got a present from one aunty (the others never bothered) and that stopped when I was about 16 which was fine. My mum stopped buying for her daughter when she was 16 too, so I think this is pretty normal.

I have quite a few neices and nephews and used to spend on all of them, but when I realised I never got so much as a thank you (ever) or a Xmas card (most years )I stopped buying for all but one (my favourite ) as they were just ungrateful and probably my presents got overlooked compared to what they got off other people anyway.

If funds are tight then you have to just make your plan on who to buy for and stick to it. You shouldn't even have to discuss it with the relatives either, as they should be grateful they even get a card, which to me means more than a present anyway.
The only people I buy for are my parents, boyfriend, 1 neice and my pets.. and i think thats enough to buy for.

achtunglady

I'd say stop giving presents when they no longer believe in father xmas

Smashing

I stopped getting presents when I was 16. From then on it was a family xmas card.

cuddlymarm

Hi:santa2:

We gave presents to the nephews and neices until they have children and then the children get presents and they get something like a tin of biscuits or sweets.:rudolf: :rudolf:

We never really discussed it. It just sort of happened.:xmastree: :xmassign: :xmastree: