What would happen to the economy if no one shopped for Christmas? 
If you want a pretty fun donation-type gift consider kiva.org… Your donation is really a “loan” to people who need it to start businesses. You choose who you want to give the money to. You can consider it a real loan which will be repaid and then re-invest in someone else. It may go to buy goats, sewing materials, a motorcycle, you choose.
We exchange gifts in our immediate family. We don’t do extended family. H usually gets me tix to something. Kids like gift cards. Doesn’t look like much under the tree!
A lot of people do the good samaritan christmas boxes each year. It might be fun to have the family shop for things to go in the boxes and then have them ready to go the following year (as long as someone can store them).
In our family it would be too late to change this year. People have already shopped and my sister probably has here wrapped. At this point we could only change for next year.
My parents mostly have everything they need and want, except - They like to eat out and go to the movies, but won’t go if they have to pay full price for it, or if it’s not a cheap buffet. So, every year, I send them movie theater gift cards and/or a gift card to a favorite restaurant (that’s NOT a buffet, ). I also send them a floral centerpiece for the dining table on Christmas Eve because my Mom loves them and she would never buy one for herself.
Last Christmas, after years of she and my Dad sending us cash and/or tchotzkes we don’t want or need, they sent us a gorgeous (and delicious) fruit basket from Edible Arrangements. It was perfect and we told them so. She just asked me about Xmas last month and I repeated that the fruit basket was perfect (although, of course, she doesn’t have to send anything at all, but my mother would never go for that.)
I’ve sent nieces and nephews iTunes gift cards in the past, although I don’t know that iTunes is as popular anymore…
Young people also seem to really like Starbuck’s gift cards.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I’m mostly uncomfortable with gifts for me, I just see how much stuff I have. Last year, I ordered my own presents for my mil to give us. That’s what I’d like to stop, I think we just don’t know how.
I think I might stop giving my nieces and nephews gifts this year. Everyone is either out of college or graduating this year and I’m not going to see any of them. Except for one still in high school, I’ll give him a gift. But it seems silly to give gifts to kids who are going out of the country for the holidays. I mean, I think they are doing better than me lol!
No one that I know of has shopped yet this year. We are not early plan ahead types.
One year, we each made each other a gift. My dad “won”. He composed a Christmas Carol for each of us, using a traditional tune and original lyrics and sang them all for us around the tree.
I was less creative and made photo albums. Others knitted. One person made earrings. Someone invented a recipe.
It was remarkably fun
When we are being consumers, as i expect we will be again this year, we are very specific if there is something we hanker for – a particular robe, etc. No, it’s not quite so fun as a surprise, but there are no exchanges or guilty trips to the consignment store.
We tried the gifts to charity, which is an idea I love, but it didn’t seem to fulfill everyone 's desire to do something highly personal for each other. Sadly…
My sisters and I stopped the multiple family kid shopping years ago. It was the year my family was able to travel to the area and we all had presents for each child and the pile was more than 4feet tall. Ridiculous! My middle DD keeps the gift giving going in the immediate family, asking what each person wants and assigning the buyer. LOL! I usually want a nice purse (over it) or nothing, but this year I want a collector photo book. DH wants a soda stream, which I expect to hate.
You will pry my soda stream from my cold dead hands. It is one of the original penguin models, and one of my best purchases ever.
Maybe if you both suggest it is time to stop buying gifts for family, and this one last year buy appallingly bad or inappropriate gifts that will provide the momentum you need.
I thought I was done, other than my son and g/f. I was in the Gap last weekend with a g/f, and I drew 50% off gift card. I bought my son PJs (super comfy red top, then plaid bottoms). My g/f suggested I get the same for the male nurse in my office, and that led to 2 other PJ sets for the women. The office manager got a new parrot, so,she is getting lots of,parrot toys. Everything was more than $20, but the joy of liking what I bought was worth it. Those gifts wrapped and sitting in the office lunch room.
Now my male friend wants to exchange gifts. He’s off to London, so will have easy time finding something for me for $25. OMG. Just had an idea!! We went to the art show together, and loved the work of a potter. Each bowl looked like a fruit. He bought the $75 watermelon bowl for himself, and I got a smaller one to bring to hostess for T-day. I could order something from the potter. Thanks all, for letting me vent and solve my problem.
Every year I get mine AAA discount movie ticket packs, as stocking stuffers. Last year, in addition to the secret santa thing, I made each couple a few elaborate meals and froze them using my gift to self, a seal-a-meal. Haha, but they loved that. And some great steaks.
What I dislike about the holidays is the commercialism. And how the rest of the real message of the holidays gets lost.
Glad we could help! @bookworm
As we were weaning the family off of exchanging gifts, we tried one of those gift games. It’s one of those games where you draw a number and when it’s your turn, you can grab a gift from the pile or steal a gift from someone.
It was a LOT of fun the first few years, and then, even that wore off, because family members were grabbing their own gifts to keep. So not the point, people!
Now, we just ask everyone to bring over some food and drink to the Christmas Eve festivities.
For immediate family, we do very minor stocking stuffers to open on Xmas morning and that’s all.
We are not gift people, so I think it’s a bit easier for us to unplug from the madness. IOW, it’s a huge relief.
In 2008. my niece lost her almost 3 year old daughter. My mom invited her over for lunch a few weeks later, and included the mom of someone I had grown up with.
Mrs. K presented my niece with a check for $1000. It seems that they, too, had gotten tired of the gift giving thing. So each Christmas, they find someone who needs financial help, and each of the 4 kids plus Mrs. K chip in $200 each. They give that combined $1000 not to a big organization, but for someone for whom it will be life changing. In my niece’s case, it helped cover her daughter’s funeral expenses.
For a long time, my family only bought gifts for the children. Now the kids are grown so we don’t exchange gifts at all. I give my kids cash so they can buy what they want/need. The only problem is that there are no gifts under the tree so it looks pretty pitiful. So I quit putting up my Christmas tree to solve that problem. I live alone and found I never bothered to turn the lights on the tree on except for Christmas day when everyone was here. I feel a little guilty about it, but not enough to climb up into the attic to get the decorations down.
Last year, I bought small “prizes” and made the family play bingo to win them. I wrapped each one so no one knew what they were choosing when they won the bingo game. If they won more than once, they could trade with someone else, but each person was only allowed to OPEN one gift. I had fun. Not sure about the rest of them so I don’t know if I will do it again this year or not. Our family is small so I only have to buy eight prizes.
Many years ago when the grandchildren were in the 2-6 year old range, my mother was tired of wrapping gifts so invented the grab bag. Kids lined up, including the adult kids, and pulled a gift from the bag. Everything was in there from cans of shaving cream to stuffed animals to girls size 6x panties. There was great hilarity as my nephew pulled the My Little Ponies undies, and there was a lot of trading (and refusing to trade). They had long outgrown it but my nephew revived it two years ago. Somehow the gifts had transformed into little bottles of liquor!
My kids will be out of the country this year, so will get…nothing. Must be present to win!
I agree that I am tired of getting gifts for myself. So when people ask me what I say the things I really want:
- A day when I don’t have to make a single decision. Not what to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Not even what time to go to bed. Someone tell me “Go to bed now.”
- Someone to clean out my kitchen cupboards for me.
- A simple phone call from all the people who love me on the day.
Last year for Christmas I got all three. Best Christmas of my life.
I think once my children are out of the house, I might make color coordinated fake gifts to decorate under the tree and reuse them. I like the decor, I just don’t like holiday shopping.
I returned to my earlier habit of making preserves this year. Everyone is getting a basket/package of homemade pickles. preserves, chutneys, and jams. Rhubarb Ginger Jam, Brandied Apricot Jam, Wild Blueberry Jam, Vidalia Onion Pickles, Corn Relish, Peach Pineapple Preserve, Hot Pepper Jelly, Peaches with vanilla Bean and Cognac, Apple Pear Chutney, Dilly Beans, etc.
I will also give some handmade chocolates/caramels/toffee.
They will be happy
I love the whole Christmas present thing. I love the shopping, the wrapping, the shopping for the perfect gift, all of it.
And call me crazy, but I’m also a Black Friday shopper. I’ll get up at around 3 am, and hit Kohls, Old Navy, and then the mall at about 6 am when they open. I’ll shop till around noon, then come home and start putting out the Christmas decorations-- until I pass out. The rest will get done on Saturday.
I’m probably half done with my shopping now, but I love that time on Black Friday! There’s no one in the stores at that hour-- I’ve never been worse than, say, 3rd in line as I shop. (Then again, I’m not going to the places with a $6 TV!) The stores are empty, the shelves are being restocked, the Christmas Carols are playing… so much fun!
We draw names at work and each of us is asked to make a “wish list” of gift ideas. Mine is always so practical: socks, flashlight, can opener, etc, but I, like those who have posted above, have all I need plus some. Reminds me, I need to put potholders on my wish list tomorrow.