Gift Giving

[Tigger]

What with Christmas coming I was curious about people's gift giving habits. Not just christmas but other times too, birthdays maybe, whatever other occaisions merit it.

People seem to buy presents for so many odd people around them, my family and I though have never had that habit. We've always just bought presents for immediate family: siblings, parents, grandparents etc. and just about no one else, even cousins are too distant to get a gift. I've never in my life given a Christmas present to friends, nor received one from friends.

What are your habits - do you give gifts to every remote family member? to friends and friends of friends? people you work with? Do you spend a lot or just a token amount? Ever gone into debt for it?

 

[Sid]

The only gifts I buy, are birthday presents for people I visit for their birthday.
More than a decade ago we stopped in our family with St Nicolas and Christmas presents. That saves a lot of stress. And Christmas is still the most wonderful time of the year
When I go and visit someone for the first time or for the first time in a long period, I'll give flowers. a bottle of whine or some Belgium bonbons.
And then there are the special occasions like birth, wedding and graduations

 

[Seawitch]

I though we had done away with gift giving I jokingly in the summer said I need to get rid of stuff well you guessed it We are having garage sale Christmas you give away something in your house that you do not need anymore. The only gift we are buying is for the 1 baby in the family. IF we buy an item during the year we put the box under the tree ie I had to replace my computer monitor this year so that is my gift. We fill a stocking for my husband , son and daughter and that is it!

 

[Shiloh Lyric]

I exchange with my immediate family, which will include my daughter's boyfriend this year. Usually I get something small for my sister and her SO. My nephew was born on Christmas, but he also now has a little one, so the baby will get the Xmas gift, but my nephew will get a birthday gift.

We do a Secret Santa at work, and I'll probably participate.

For years and years, when our kids were younger, we used to exchange gifts with my best friend's family. It was a tradition to go there on Xmas Eve and have snacks, games and gift exchange. Her kids are all older than mine, so as they started developing relationships and having kids of their own, it got to be too much for me, to be honest. She now has 9 grandkids, while I still have none, so it was just too lopsided and we had to acknowledge that. Her and I sometimes, during flusher years, get each other a small gift. But that's random, nowadays.

I give a plant or cookies to my neighbor. She's always been really sweet to my kids, and will always bring over a treat for them during holidays.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

We've never been big on gift-giving outside of the immediate family, and have all but stopped gift-giving entirely as finances dictate. Even for the kids, who are both now adult-age. We do still send a small gift to our niece and nephew, though, because they are still young kids who don't understand things like financial constraints.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

Books, calendars, chocolates, wine, fancy coffee ... tend to be my go-to for xmas/family gifts, and that's mostly it for the year. Friends/birthdays is usually card/dinner stuff.

 

[Free]

Gift cards to a favored store or restaurant always get a thumbs-up from friends and family. Personally, I like them because they're easy to buy, don't take time or cause stress picking out the right one, and nobody returns them.

 

[Tigger]

Well I am kind of glad that Im not the only one who doesnt subscribe to the whole buy something for everyone you ever met thing. I was starting to feel like the local version of Ebenezer Scrooge.