What are you planning to give as gifts to family and friends? I know some of us may different views and circumstances, but just curious.

The more important question is, what are you giving ME, @Okie?

I'm ok at gift giving. If you'd like, PM me your address or address you feel comfortable me sending something to. I'll ship you a gift!

I appreciate it. Of course, I am kidding with you!

To answer your question, I have not done any Christmas shopping. I've sent out 104 packages the past 3 weeks. I am really kind of over Christmas. I go through the motions for my mom, but once she is gone, it will be just another day. I am getting mom a calendar that she likes. A friend of mine gifted her one a few years ago, and she likes it, so I get a new one every year for her. I got her an autograph of LA Knight for her birthday a couple of months ago and had a soap actress do a Cameo for her. I may do something similar. She really does not need "things." She just got two new roofs.

I'll either get my sister/BIL and brother/SIL gift cards, or I'll find something in my store to give them.

I do not buy for my nieces and nephews. There are far too many of them, and they are all spoiled and get everything they want. Plus, they won't likely come over here since Mom cannot buy for them like she used to do.

So far, all my gifts have been to my mother. I've purchased:

socks
draws (that's underwear to you yankees)
10lbs of animal crackers
iPad and accessories
living room furniture
coffee pods
Maurice's gift certificate
subscription to TV Guide
subscription to PureFlix
an electrician
bidet

I'm giving my six nieces and nephews cash so they can spend it however they choose. I may do it as a scavenger hunt and make them work for it.

I'm a proponet of mastercard gift cards. You can spend it like cash anywhere. Store specific gift cards make you spend it at the store. I dont drink coffee so a Starbucks gift card has no value to me. Yes they have cider and hot chocolate which is why everyone goes there.

Gotta figure out a $20 or less gift exchange for work by Friday.

My sister, less than affectionately nicknamed Satan, decided when my kids turned 18 that suddenly we don't need to spend money giving gifts to adults. So.. for nearly 30 years now, we haven't given gifts to each other, only to the minor children. That rule mighta changed after her kids started turning 18.. But I wouldn't know.

I have a son that was born on Christmas Day, he will be 43 soon. So I still give at least one gift on Christmas Day no matter what. I got some puzzles and hot wheels for my brand new shiny 3 year old grandson. My older two grandsons haven't talked to me since before Covid, I talk to my former daughter in law a couple times a year and ask how the boys are. I think both of the boys are still living at home with my former DIL. But we really don't have a relationship, so there aren't any gifts exchanged. We do text each other for holidays and such.

And I also have very different beliefs about Christmas and the way we celebrate it. So I mostly play "nice Grandma Cappy" for the little people and tell the rest of them to pound sand.

Cash to all the grandkids and their partners. Include a little thing with the cash. This year it's Hot Pocs - Reusable hand warmers, from a Canadian company. I wish I had bought myself a pair and tried them out before buying them all. I hope they work.

Books, Lego for great grandkids.

Due to postal strike it will all be late. I'm just rolling with it.

I love to give gifts and I often pair the small item that was purchased for reimbursement during a shop along with a small gift card. I was able to purchase 5 "hats" (remember the toboggan thread a while back?) at a mall sports store for $3 each (retail $29.99 each). I am gifting those with a little gift card tucked inside to several family members. I purchased Wicked themed product from the bath and body type shop a few weeks ago for my mother inlaw. I also love plants and found some very cute tiny owl succulant planters and I started propogating back in October from a few of my plants. These make great gifts for coworkers. I have been mystery shopping since 2005 and get excited to start my gift closet in January.

Thanks for sharing! Glad to hear that gift giving obligations can stop in certain cases. I am still pondering about some non-cash/gift card gifts for some, but may settle on something practical.

We go all out in my house, just for my two kids and husband. Oh and the pets who probably get the most. Our entire living room gets filled up with gifts. My kids who are 23 and 19 usually get one big gift each and then they get some wants and needs. Once October hits, everything becomes a potential gift. Oh.. you need bras.. gift. In fact, I bought my daughter about 6 new bras and each one is wrapped the put in a box, We also do many gag gifts. Like I said, we just have a fun day opening, making a mess, and staying in pjs all day.

As for the rest of the family, I stopped gift giving with them a while ago because they don't really put the thought I do into it. I tried doing white elephant or some kind of fun game with them but they are soooooo boring. They really suck the fun out of it.

I will do secret santa at work and adopt a family. I also have a few close friends that I exchange with. Just did a job for LIDS and it was perfect because I was able to get someone a gift there.

Gigi has the right idea... start those gift jobs early and stock up. Love that.

I make it simple for myself and a pleasure for the receiver. I just give cash inside a Christmas card. Easy-peasy for me, and they are able to use it anyway they want.

Well, for the past 40+ years or so, I and 3 other siblings have been exchanging gifts with each other via packages in the mail. Well, we are all in our 70s now, and we have finally admitted to each other that at OUR ages, we really don't need a single thing anymore! So, we finally all agreed that what we all enjoy most are....GOODIES!! (haha!) So we agreed to send each other a couple of goodies, so that's what we have started this year.

As for the younger generation, for nieces and nephews, we've sent gifts till they turn 18+. For grandkids, the same, and we have several under 18, so we send them gifts. For adult children, we give gift cards.

guysmom gave me an idea.. I'm gonna hit up my 80+ year old mother for some of that stuff that's legal in CO but not here. Maybe do some baking..

I'm more unconventional I guess. A Maverick.

Unless you're a child, I don't do gifting. Spousal gifting also stopped after a few yrs of marriage. You want or need something? You know the household budget. Get it within the budget. I suppose spousal "gifts" are now travel, a new vehicle (yes, I surprised my spouse with a sports car and a big, red bow on it, it was near xmas), home improvements, etc.

I'm just happy all of it's done....I hate rushing around at the last minute.
I preserved some flowers from our mother's funeral service and shipped them off to a jewelry maker who uses resin to encase them into beads - for my sister - and a key chain - for my brother.
All the kids in the family get creative or learning toys, only because that's how I roll (ugh old term I know lol).

Speaking of legal lol.....it's such a relief to me to finally live in a state where mostly everything is legal...legal, available, acceptable....viva la vida., live and let live.

Both my children had lists. My son mostly wanted various football stuff. My daughter wanted various skincare and hair products, and a few other random things, like a soft blanket. I do tend to also get them practical stuff that they may need - so my son got some new shoes with my mystery shop on Monday.

My nephews are 14 and go to a private school, so they don't really need clothes due to wearing uniforms. We don't have a large family and I figure that every kid needs an aunt or uncle who hands over some cash - so that's what I do. They are doing wrestling this year, so I'm getting them some adjustable dumbbells off fb Marketplace. They are very pricy when new, and I'm normalizing used gifts a little for those. My sister is a single mom so I usually get her something practical, like a grocery or gas gift card, and something she might not buy for herself, like a perfume.

My parents don't need "stuff", I usually get them a thing to do like a gift card for a local restaurant or a play/musical.

My kids were also invited to 3 b-day parties + my daughter is a December birthday, so I frequently use various deals and rewards programs, things from mystery shops, and there's a closeout store that's a bit over an hour away from me but worth the trip that I went to last week and grabbed some stuff.

I also give a handful of people in our lives (kids' bus driver, teacher, USPS, garbage man) a Christmas tip of $20 with some candy.

@Morledzep wrote:

guysmom gave me an idea.. I'm gonna hit up my 80+ year old mother for some of that stuff that's legal in CO but not here. Maybe do some baking..

I would love to do some "baking" myself! But I'll probably wait until the new year, once I've earned it.

I never, ever give gifts for either birthdays or holidays. Period.

I give gifts when the perfect gift is stumbled upon no matter what the date. Purchasing gifts according to the calendar, in my opinion, never yields authentic expressions of sentiment. I also never give readily available "stuff," subscriptions, or services. I also do not give cash (except to charities). My typical gifts would be obscure or out-of-print books, unique vintage items, limited production art (particularly that found when traveling overseas). For those of limited means, I may give an experience (such as theatre tickets). I never give gift cards.

Much of my giving is to charities. In selecting where to give, I exclude all organizations which solicit my donation and any which is either governmental or religiously affiliated. I prefer efficient, micro organizations which address poverty, as well as those which address social and educational inequality, and programs which foster conflict mitigation and solidarity in divided societies. I give charitable gifts anonymously using special checks printed without either my name or address on them and with my wholly illegible signature and sent without return addresses.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2024 10:24PM by Rousseau.

@Rousseau - That is real giving from the heart.

Cash.

PJ's and slippers/socks for all except for Party Pooper DH.
NHL Hockey tickets for DH and DDs.
Play tickets for my DDs, Mom and Me.
DD#3 had a custom made Granddaughter's bracelet made for her from all of my DDs.
Chocolates, socks, health bars, Burt's Bee's
Furry baby love: Everlasting LOVE, Neckerchief and New Year's collar bow, Santa photo shoot.
Friends and Neighbors: Depending on who you are, Poinsettia, Perugina or Ferrero Rocher or Lindt chocolates (Yay Costco!), hand crafted Christmas ornaments.
Service Personnel: $20 for Letter Carrier and Perugina Chocolates, $20 each for Sanitation (there are 3 of them and I don't know who is who but whatever).
My Brother's family and my Uncle's on the West Coast: Harry and David Pears, Mrs. Field's Cookie and Brownie box.

And more. Loving it. 'Tis the Season in every aspect.

Now I need a nap!

All different sorts of answers. I did enjoy learning more about some of your family dynamics!

@Okie, what have you decided on?

I ended up getting my girlfriend a nice passport case and an assortment of travel items to restock. She travels internationally for work and wouldn't spend that much on herself. We usually buy our own stuff and ask each other if we need anything from a place that we have access to discounts and deals from.

Among most of my siblings, we stopped exchanging gifts, including nieces and nephews. Two of my siblings actively help our elderly mom take care of our dad. We send them money and order stuff for them online.

I only got gifts for my sister and brother-in-law who live nearby. I'm planning on giving my sister some of my old electronics that she needs. My brother-in-law, I got a nice pair of shoes. He's been nice and got me back into golfing and taking me to some other places as a guest. I got my niece art supplies. Earlier, I got her a bike.

I gave away some old gift cards to some old co-workers, friends, and neighbors that I saw recently, but we don't really exchange gifts.

I'm giving my oldest brother that lives close to me a new electric blanket, he told me his had died. At 85 years old there isn't much he needs anymore. My other brother and his wife I send them cash. My stepson and his wife I send them $20 each. My three grandchildren and their wives/husband I send them each $20 each. My four great grandchildren,2 boys & 2 girls each 3 & 5 Years old. I send them a couple of learning type toys from a list that their parents send me. They all live in different states. My nieces and nephews I just send a Christmas card to. Same with the great nieces and nephews and their families.

@Rousseau wrote:

Much of my giving is to charities.

Might I suggest The Human Fund? I just gave my annual December 23rd donation! This year, I chose to do it in honor of you and everybody else on this forum. If it is one thing this forum has taught me it is that you are all human and deserve a little help.

If you aren't familiar with their work, The Human Fund does great everyday things, like working to master the art of the double dip. Each year they develop revolutionary techniques to maximize dipping pleasure while minimizing social awkwardness. Each dollar raised helps them confront the existential dread of "the talk." With the help of a team of therapists, they work to pioneer new methods for navigating those awkward conversations with loved ones; such as, telling your favorite uncle that his puffy shirt is ugly. Or, explaining to your parents why there is a condom wrapper in their bed. The Human Fund is also working to develop a universal "out" for social engagements. Now more than ever, they are on the verge of creating the perfect excuse to gracefully decline any unwanted social invitations. Help others release pent-up frustration in a controlled, non-destructive environment, though their "Serenity Now!" scream therapy sessions. Even just a few dollars can help their "Close Talker" intervention program by assisting in rehabilitating individuals who invade personal space. In 2025, they will launch a new program to help humans negotiate fair and equitable access to the world's finest soups.

I've been giving to The Human Fund since 1997 as a part of my personal celebration of Festivus. I hope you will also consider this wonderful opportunity. The Human Fund: Money For People.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2024 07:29AM by ServiceAward.

ah! a fellow Seinfeld fan! Tres bien!

I like to donate to the United Way earmarked for the Big Brothers/Sisters program.

The next generation is our future and having been a Big Brother, I know what impact having a stable role model in a child's life can be. And the parent that got involved with the program shows they also care and want better for their child.

The parent has to actually admit there is something missing from their child's life that they can't provide. Now that takes a strong person!

Not having watched one episode of Seinfeld, if I didn't recently watch clips of the Festivus episode, I would have been even more confused!

@ServiceAward wrote:

@Rousseau wrote:

Much of my giving is to charities.

Might I suggest The Human Fund? I just gave my annual December 23rd donation!

@ServiceAward wrote:

I've been giving to The Human Fund since 1997 as a part of my personal celebration of Festivus. I hope you will also consider this wonderful opportunity. The Human Fund: Money For People.

You... -gives you a mock stinkeye while making pinchy fingers-