Gift giving - when is it enough?
I'm wondering, is it really necessary to buy gifts for the adult friends and family members? Every year it seems people get so stressed over the holidays and buying gifts. Would it make it easier to just buy for the kids in your lives and get together with friends and family and enjoy time together?
We stopped doing gifts with my husbands brother and his wife. Basically every year was the same...we would buy him a $20 card to Best Buy and a $20 card to Target for her, and they would do the same for us. We may as well just go to Target and Best Buy and pick out our own stuff if we want it. We now only buy for the kids, and it is so easy. Not that picking up 2 gift cards for them was hard, but if we are just swapping $40 back and forth, it really wasn't necessary.
If your family and friends decide to not buy for each other, would you agree? I always have such a hard time trying to decide what to buy my parents and my in-laws, and I'm sure they feel the same about what to get us. So why do we bother? We are just spending $ on something that they may or may not like. I always feel this way every year, but then I feel like "well, they are my/his parents, we have to do something."
What are your thoughts? No adult gift giving, just a little something for the kids and have a nice little gathering. Would it make Christmas less stressful? What about just a "secret santa"...something little and fun...maybe $10 or something?
Another thought
Do you stress about not only how much to spend, but how much thought to put into the gift? What if they spend more or less than you, is it uncomfortable? And what if the actually go out and buy you a nice gift, and you only gave them a gift card??? I don't know maybe I'm just in a bad mood today..haha!
Jessica
~ Mommy to Luke and Shawn
JessicasCandles@gmail.com
gift giving
I hate gift giving it's stressful It's hard to get adults something they like and all the kids in the family already have more than they need or care to want. I think it's over rated. I like the family get tog ethers but I think we should just get together share an X-Mas dinner and thats it.
AGREED
WITH MY FAMILY THAT IS WHAT MY BROTHER AND I TALKED ABOUT. JUST GETTING FOR THE KIDS (WHICH IS ONLY MINE AND HIS LITTLE GIRL SO FAR). WE ALSO TOLD MY MOM TO JUST GET FOR THE KIDS BECAUSE AS ADULTS NORMALLY IF THERE IS SOMETHING WE WANT WE GET IT SO THERE REALLY ISNT MUCH WE NEED. PLUS SHE DOES STOCKING STILL FOR ALL OF US AND WE TOLD HER NOT TO DO THAT. THEN I FOUND OUT MY MOM WAS STILL GETTING PRESENTS FOR US……OF COURSE WE WERE GOING TO GET HER SOMETHING FROM MY SON AND STUFF. THEN MY MOM TOLD ME THAT MY BROTHER SAID HE WAS JUST GOING TO GET A GIFT CARD FOR LIKE HACIENDA OR SOMETHING FOR ME AND MY HUBBY. SO I DON’T KNOW. MY HUBBY’S FAMILY: EVERYONE GETS FOR EVERYONE. WHICH I THINK IS SO MUCH. I AM GOING TO HAVE MY HUBBY SUGGEST TO DRAW NAMES OR SOMETHING. IT WOULD MAKE IT A WHOLE LOT EASIER. I DON’T MIND GETTING FOR THE KIDS BUT ADULTS ARE SO HARD TO PICK SOMETHING OUT FOR. WE ARE BASICALLY GETTING GIFT CARDS FOR THE ADULTS OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS. I THINK ITS MORE ABOUT THE KIDS THEN THE ADULTS. HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT.
gift giving
We use to buy for alot of family. I love to do it as it was meaningful for us. Thought was put into it for the gift. NOw we have backed down to godchildren as every child has godparents and then we also buy for the godparent. If my husband and I have a bountiful year we do extend gifts to others in the family too, a card to thier favorite restraunt or the movies, something to say we care. The unexpected gift is the best I think. I love to give. So for the most part the Chirstmas dinner is a good time to share good food, conversation and time with each other. The year is tight this year though and it will be hard to foot the bill for the kids. It will probabally be the smallest year they have but for my kids and they will tell you that the meaning of Christmas is spending quality family time together and celebrating Jesus and not the gifts that they get.
And they too love to give the gifts more than getting the gifts.