Anybody else totally dreading Christmas present buying?

chevalier

toffeepennys wrote: »

this year however has been a joke, they drive pasdt our house twice a day and all year have posted all cards for relevent birthdays etc and i know you dont give to receive but their gifts really take the pi**.

any ideas people on what we can get them, last year i bought them a family ticket to see a great boxing day ice hockey match which where quite expensive asd well as thoughtful individual presents (bought because they do nothing together as a family), and found out in february by accident they didnt even bother to go

Wow that would make me so mad. But I also think that these type of people are the perfect ones to get a 'worthy' present for. Eg from World Vision, Oxfam catalogue. So get MIL a goat for a family in Africa, and FIL bee keeping stuff in Aisa or whatever. You will have still spent the money BUT they won't have an actual present. They can hardly object 'because it is for a good cause etc!!' For sure it is what I would do:D
chev

chevalier

Oh and I have most of my presents already, just the blokes to buy for!

Oh and oops sorry hadn't noticed that it had already been suggested. But really if these people er hack you off (!) that much, would you REALLY care if you got slagged off for buying a charity present? At least this way they would be able to have the gaul not to use your present (the hockey), because someone else would be using it!
chev

climbgirl

I've trimmed the list of people I buy for right to the bare minimum - my boyfriend, my parents and a few friends. That's it. I stopped presents with my brothers and sister years ago - we were getting each other nice stuff but all of us agreed that we could all do without spending the money and that we didn't need the things we ended up with.

I opt out of all secret santas now too. I ended up in 5 one year - £25 and I got a bunch of tat that was just junk. I don't want it, I'd never give it to someone and it just ends up in a landfill - which isn't a great thought. I'd rather save my money.

I've been lucky enough not to have to deal with ingrateful in-laws or anything like that. But frankly, that's just plain rude! I wouldn't bother with people like that, hang the politics and awkward family get-togethers! Get them all charity gifts if cutting them off the list isn't an option. They don't appreciate it when you spend loads on them, so spend less and give them something to actually whinge about this year! That way they can still be ungrateful, you haven't wasted your money and someone, somewhere will actually benefit!

chevalier

Here here Climb girl!

supersavershal

We dont have a lot to spend this year.I spoke to my brothers and sister about keeping the gifts to £10 for grown ups.I was apprehensive but they were delighted they had been worried about the cost of xmas too.The only one who complained was my 21 year old brother who agreed with him only spending £10 but didnt like the idea of not getting half of Top Mans stock for his xmas present! I told everyone to buy me a pair of cheap pjs, a book or some smellies.

Conrad

chevalier wrote: »

would you REALLY care if you got slagged off for buying a charity present?

People are you aware it is considered very highly to buy charity gifts?

Such a gift has a real purpose in that a good cause is assisted and furthermore this type of recycling cuts down on carbo emmissions, the rape of Earths dwindling resources and so is a sustainable activity.

Most gifts if you think about it are just a collection of atoms and mean nothing. They all end up down the tip in the end.

In fact I dislike recieving them or even cards as I would rather the money went to starving orphans in Zimbawe or Bulgaria.

milkydrink

Even if you are worried about how much of your hard earned money its all going to cost.........

Its the sheer tramping of the pavements & trying to figure out what they would like. Then getting it home & wrapped & to them!!!!

sweetpeas_2

i cant believe how ungrateful they were toffeepennies, i know ice hockey family tickets are quite expensive and i would have been chuffed with something like that from my family, so they are obviously just ungrateful. :mad:

i know what you mean though about people spending peanuts on u when theyre quite well off. my MIL insists on buying all 4 of us a load of complete CR*P from poundland, which ulimately goes to Oxfam in january, and every year since me and oh been together weve spent around £20 on each of the 4 of them.
this year suddenly thought-right theyre making a mug of my good nature :rolleyes: so they have each got a £5 limit. MIL has got some half price dove stuff from boots totalling about £3, FIL has nothing yet, but hes so ungrateful i regret spending anything on it. and sis in law is getting a hot choc hamper (1.25 so far, just need marshmallows) and some slippers £2, so be £4 total. bro in law is getting smellies set from boots in 3 for 2 for a fiver aswell.
dont see why i should work all year to buy them stuff they DO NOT appreciate and dont say thanks for to get a load of tosh back from pound shop totalling about £10 between us.

done ranting now. ho ho ho....

beemuzed

I'm dreading the shopping bit. I never can think what to get and end up spending more on stuff I'm not sure about. I do try to think of good ideas, but fine the men in particular dreadful to buy for.

katy1987

hey there. i have been a 'lurker' on these forums for some time so thought i'd better join up properly i am keen on the hamper idea! i am thinking about making one for my dad and his girlfriend, as they haved just moved to Turkey (oh the festive coincidence!) of all things british. can anyone suggest any things that might be missed, and aren't too perishable? so far i have Cadbury's chocolate, marmite, PG Tips, and some chart books (as i don't suppose they sell many english books over there.)

any help would be much appreciated! cheers.