How do you do Christmas presents in your family?

saterkey

We have always bought for our own respective families, I give mum and dad card and biscuits and chocs and cook them a meal, brother same. my favourite aunt gets small pressy as she always likes to get me something, everyone else gets cards. Partner buys for his dad, brother and sil and cousin. We have started to agree to get ourselves something small to open and then buy something we need for the house and we always spend around 100ukp on both of our kids, they generally create amazon list of books and things that they like and I top up with other bits of clothes, make up etc.
I got a bit jaded when the kids were young and the mounds of plastic presents we got, one grandparents set got a bit upset because they couldn't compete with the other set I felt awful but couldn't do anything, but make sure the two didn't meet up at present giving, we just had to find room for it all, we tried asking for it to be calmed but with no use, we even got the same present three times on different years! now they are older and get money from grandparents which is lovely and they appreciate it.

jellyhead

saterkey wrote: »

We have always bought for our own respective families, I give mum and dad card and biscuits and chocs and cook them a meal, brother same. my favourite aunt gets small pressy as she always likes to get me something, everyone else gets cards. Partner buys for his dad, brother and sil and cousin. We have started to agree to get ourselves something small to open and then buy something we need for the house and we always spend around 100ukp on both of our kids, they generally create amazon list of books and things that they like and I top up with other bits of clothes, make up etc.
I got a bit jaded when the kids were young and the mounds of plastic presents we got, one grandparents set got a bit upset because they couldn't compete with the other set I felt awful but couldn't do anything, but make sure the two didn't meet up at present giving, we just had to find room for it all, we tried asking for it to be calmed but with no use, we even got the same present three times on different years! now they are older and get money from grandparents which is lovely and they appreciate it.

I found that one way of calming down the present giving from grandparents who shower you with a mountain of plastic tat is to say that one bag of presents can come home with them but the rest can stay at Granny's house to play with next time they visit :rotfl:

My mum said they had no room, so I asked her how she expected me to fit it into my house which has fewer rooms than hers, no under-stairs cupboard and 3 more people to house than she has.

The following year she restricted her buying for them to whatever could fit into the school bag she always buys them. Only edible items were allowed outside of the bag. I think she quite enjoyed the challenge :T

My inlaws don't live locally, so we left some of the bags at their house as it wouldn't all fit into the boot. They weren't keen either, oddly enough

melanzana

Many years ago, my siblings and I agreed that we would no longer buy presents for each other. Everyone is delighted! Saves so much hassle, not to mind money!

We are close, so in a way it's no big deal. We all see each other over Christmas, and we have meals together.

We all buy for Mum.

We only buy for nephews and nieces under 18.

I don't buy for friends either, by mutually relieved consent! We meet up and have a meal instead early December or in the dog days of January. Lovely.

OH and I don't buy for each other, But have a break together in the Canaries in January instead. Far better use of money IMO.

Thats it.

ibizafan_2

My parents (in their 80's) suggested a few years ago that we all stopped buying presents for each other as it was so stressful and nobody ever knew what they wanted. I still give them a nice foody present such as expensive biscuits that they would never treat themselves to, and my mum has come to rely on a calendar from me, but that is my choice to do. I now only buy for my two grown up sons who are still single, and my OH, (we decided right from the beginning that it would only be a token gift and that we'd use the money for a nice holiday) To be honest, none of us are bothered about receiving expensive gifts. It's all about being together for us, as my family don't live in this area.

marywooyeah

I put my foot down a few years ago when I was spending loads on DH's massive family when we never recieved thanks or any acknowledgement that they had even recieved them. Now we buy loads for our little one, a present my my mum, dad and stepmum, my aunt and uncle and one present for his mum.

Saves loads of money, time and stress as well as sending out a message to his ungrateful relatives! Looking forward to next year when our second child will arrive and we can spoil him or her too!

MrsAtobe

cod3 wrote: »

We (siblings and parents) only buy for the children now. We stopped buying for adults several years ago and it has removed a lot of stress and expense.

And that's fine, as long as you still buy for the adults who don't have children. This has caused major ructions in our family when those with kids decided to only buy for the children in the family, and forgot to tell those without, who continued to spend £50 plus on presents for all and received naff all in return. I know you don't give to receive, but when some family members got only a card, despite spending time and care in picking thoughtful gifts for all the other members of the family, I can understand why they got the hump.

The OH's family have the best idea, once you hit 19, you get a max of a tenner spent on you at Christmas, one of the best presents I've given was a desk fan to a menopausal woman....