Is it time to ban Christmas presents? Blog and poll discussion

Oh people need to get a grip, next it will be ban easter eggs at easter, and dont do this and that, Banning xmas presents and such, I bet Martin isn't short of a bob or two and I bet he buys xmas presents for his wife and such, oh dont tell me, no instead hes going to say get me nothing, and when she does actually get him something, he will decline, yeah right... It always happens, even when you tell people not to bother they still do, The thing is not to ban christmas but to educate people in the family of what is acceptable and not, like this year I have told my parents a nice dressing down and slippers would be nice and maybe a dvd or something, but not to spend lots of cash on everyone, my sister is the same, she has told them she wants nothing but to buy the little ones something like a board game etc.... Ban Christmas, bar humbug...there should be more pressing matters to discuss than something so trvial than xmas.

I completely agree with the main article. The adults that I know have not been giving each other presents for ages now. Instead we use the money to go out for meals together.

The children get presents. They don't get anything extra for Christmas. Just what they were to going to get anyway except I have kept them back for a month or two and wrapped it up for Christmas. I found some great Ben10 reading scheme books from BookPeople offer & a few good educational toys from the 2nd hand shop. He will be getting them.

Christmas has been come a great money making exercise for the shops which continue to advertise more ways of getting everyone to purchase more and more for each other. Shops are continuing to expand this gift giving market to all the other celebrations like Easter, Valentine, Mother/Fathers day etc. Its NOT about going down to the shops and giving more unwanted stuff to our love ones. Its about getting together, enjoying each other's company and learning a bit about what the event/celebrations is about! 2/3 of presents are unwanted so don't waste your money and your time buying more stuff.

I used to feel that every time I went on holiday I had to buy everyone I knew a present. I used to get stressed out trying to think of what to get everyone and spend 1/2 my holiday buying stuff. Then one day I thought NO why am I doing this? So I stopped. I now enjoy my holiday much more now. I write everyone a postcard and then visit everyone/call and spend time talking about my trip.

I love giving presents but I don't feel that I have to spend lots. Don't they say that giving is for the giver rather than the receiver? I work hard all year and I love giving my loved ones gifts....so long as they appreciate it that is.

My parents always had a fair way of dealing with the "presents for children / grandchildren" issue - my brother's children got presents, and I got presents because I didn't have children, i.e. they would spend roughly the same on both their children's "families" but the actual allocation would differ. So this year, I am expecting to receive very little in my own name but instead the majority of gifts will be for our baby son, their grandson.

That being said .........

candice56 wrote: »

This year I have been surprised at the peer pressure on me to buy for my (now) 5 and half month old son, 5 MONTHS!!! I said from the start I wouldnt gt him anything because he doesn't know any better <snip>

I personally would agree with you - how on earth will Andrew (four months by Christmas) understand and appreciate the idea of gifts? But it's an argument I won't win in this house and so I look on it as "advance buying" of toys that we'd naturally get as the year progressed anyway, rather than extra toys.