The little annoyances of Christmas

balletshoes

sh1305 wrote: »

My parents usually got them a present from all of us. It just seems wrong to me that we got presents for them and their children; but only my parents got something.

Regarding wrapping presnts - for a few years when we were kids, my parents never bothered. We were given a gift bag which had our presents in.

you are all adults though - i would just assume that from now on you're not getting a pressie from them, and move on.

kittendothroar

I wrapped my presents last Sunday, with the help of several glasses of wine! I had sat on the floor and couldn't feel my legs after!!

My bugbear came true today - We went to big t this morning and ohmigod it was awful! Do people leave all the shopping til now? Trolleys piled high with everything, and crazy busy. People wandering blindly around - some idiot giant man stood on my foot! The car park alone was enough to nearly turn around and decide to have water on my cereal til January!

We bought presents ages back, crackers and dried goods etc and just got the fresh stuff last Thursday when was relatively calm..

onlyroz

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

A lot of people stop buying for 'kids' once they turn 18, or in some cases even younger.

Did you and your siblings buy for this relative? After all, if you're in your 20's, you're old enough to buy presents on your own accord.

Well yes - e.g. we don't buy presents for our nieces now they're "adults" - they'd never dream of buying us one after all, and they never thanked us for the presents they received as children.

onlyroz

sh1305 wrote: »

My parents usually got them a present from all of us. It just seems wrong to me that we got presents for them and their children; but only my parents got something.

There's quite a big difference between your mum writing "from all of us" on a present tag, and you actually digging in your pocket and choosing a present for them yourself.

I know you don't give to receive, but if you're finding that the presents are drying up you might want to consider the reasons why. For example, did you always thank them for the presents you received? Did they know that the presents they got were from all of you (and that you had put some personal thought into what they were given)?

Georgiegirl256

sh1305 wrote: »

My parents usually got them a present from all of us. It just seems wrong to me that we got presents for them and their children; but only my parents got something.

Regarding wrapping presnts - for a few years when we were kids, my parents never bothered. We were given a gift bag which had our presents in.

This situation reminds me of my nieces. My husband has 2 brothers (one of them the father of said nieces), and each year they got presents off us, the other brother and his wife, their grandma, their own parents obviously, and of course that's the way it was, as they were young kids and you buy for them when they are little to when they are teens, but this went on into their twenties when they were both earning good money (more than what I earned actually!), with no gifts in return. Their parents just stuck their name on the gift tag.

Now my hubby and I aren't bothered about a gift, but it's the MIL I feel sorry for, they've never bought her a gift directly off them, not one solitary gift for their gran who buys something for everyone, even her step grandchildren who she never really sees.

A few years ago, buying gifts for everyone stopped, and we started to do a secret Santa so we just had to buy a gift for one person, BUT, for some reason the 'kids' weren't included in this, even though they are now in their twenties, they still got a gift off everyone....until this year that is! I don't think they wanted to be included in the Secret Santa, they're just not getting a gift off anyone, and they're not buying anyone in return, they're adults now, and it's time they started acting like one.

The MIL put some money in an envelope for them, but got that !!!!ed off at being taking for granted (not the gift situation, more to do with the fact that the grand kids live about 5 mins away yet hardly ever visit), so she took it out and got them a Dove gift set from Boots....good for her I say!

GobbledyGook

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

I agree, people's shopping habits are their business. I think it's more to do with people's rudeness, and as you say, people are possessed.

People go mad like it's the last loaf of bread and manners go out of the window. Manners cost nothing, but people seem to totally forget them this time of year. :mad:

I read an article about people scraping over fruit and veg in tesco....I mean how desperate do you have to be?!

I always remember an old friend who worked in Asda telling me about a fight he witnessed. They'd ran out of a certain size of turkey. One woman spotted another with one in her trolley and whilst she got something out a freezer grabbed it and stuck it in her own trolley. The first woman turned back and caught her and they ended up in a shouting match and the store manager had to be called to get the first woman her turkey back :rotfl:

Georgiegirl256

onlyroz wrote: »

Well yes - e.g. we don't buy presents for our nieces now they're "adults" - they'd never dream of buying us one after all, and they never thanked us for the presents they received as children.

This sounds like my Mam's family, she had 3 brothers and bought all their kids (9 in total) presents until they were 18, with little or no thanks. When I came along, I didn't get anything in return (I'm quite a lot younger than my cousins), I didn't realise at the time as I got plenty of other presents off my 'aunties and uncles' (parents friends), but now as an adult, it makes me angry that my Mam did that and they didn't appreciate it.

I was always brought up to write thank you letters and to thank people, wether I liked the gift or not!

Georgiegirl256

GobbledyGook wrote: »

I always remember an old friend who worked in Asda telling me about a fight he witnessed. They'd ran out of a certain size of turkey. One woman spotted another with one in her trolley and whilst she got something out a freezer grabbed it and stuck it in her own trolley. The first woman turned back and caught her and they ended up in a shouting match and the store manager had to be called to get the first woman her turkey back :rotfl:

:rotfl: That's hilarious! Turkey wars!

January20

Brighton_belle wrote: »

My bug bear is receiving cards from people I haven't seen for ages with just their signature in it - what is the point in that?
It doesn't make me feel 'thought of'. It makes me feel they've spent 20 seconds out of a tedious hour or two going through a box of cards and probably finding it a tedious task. I' rather not receive one at all.

It's my bugbear too! It irritates me so much!

I wonder though if people send Christmas cards to show they are thinking of somebody as the OP says, or whether they do it because it's tradition, it's the done thing etc. I believe because of the latter.

I have to admit that I am not a fan of Christmas cards. I think about the money spent and the resources used (paper/ card/ envelope) and therefore wasted as most Christmas cards will end up in the bin in the New Year (I know they can be recycled but, really, how may people do?)

balletshoes

January20 wrote: »

It's my bugbear too! It irritates me so much!

I wonder though if people send Christmas cards to show they are thinking of somebody as the OP says, or whether they do it because it's tradition, it's the done thing etc. I believe because of the latter.

I have to admit that I am not a fan of Christmas cards. I think about the money spent and the resources used (paper/ card/ envelope) and therefore wasted as most Christmas cards will end up in the bin in the New Year (I know they can be recycled but, really, how may people do?)

thats exactly why i do it - because its expected, from those people that i send cards to (its not many, believe me). If it wasn't expected, I wouldn't do it, and I make no bones about it .