abentley Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 I have finally prepared all the gift baskets, neighbor gifts, friends, and gotten 90% delivered. All the kids are delivered, and others shipped. Now i am stratigizing for next year....how to domit better and wondering how others lists change from year to year. Do you continue to give gifts to people if: Your paths never cross anymore? You never recieve a gift from them? ( like my own mother, not just friends) Do your purchases get bigger or more expensive every year? Do you scale down to just cards some years? I hate the thought of sending gift cards, but i need to redo our plan for next year! Ay suggestions are welcome! Yes, i do have quite a few of the " ungratefulls" on our list, and i honestly donot know what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgmckny Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Most of my friends and I don't exchange gifts unless part of a secret santa/dirty santa exchange.... Family it varies from year to year, this year sucked for all of us so not much if anything...My kids want stockings and money or gift cards these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkrbel Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 It varies but generally we only mail gifts to immediate family, last year we made a photo book for my dad's side of the family and sent a few copies to the extended family in Portugal and Brazil as Christmas gifts with the Christmas cards. I don't mind not receiving, for me it's more about how well it's appreciated (or even acknowledged). I gave a gift (left on their seat before work) to a coworker 1 year (not expecting anything back) and had to ask IF it was received a week later because they didn't so much as acknowledge/email/thank me for it and I thought maybe it had gotten stolen before they arrived, needless to say I didn't bother the next year. Purchases vary year to year depending on what I know is needed, but also dependent on recipient. I have gone out of my way to purchase things off gift lists before (spending slightly more than I normally would have in the hopes of getting a better response) only to get some stupid remark about the gift.....so the next year I spent less than I normally would have and didn't bother to try and fit gift to person. I dislike gift cards because they seem so impersonal/thoughtless, but at the same time I love using them and can see how it would allow a "complicated to buy for" person to pick out their own thing. I guess it just goes back to my thought process, it's the thought that counts AND I am a better bargain shopper than most folks I know so I can get more for my $. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biomajor Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 My children are older, so not really shopping much for them. I'm just getting them a few things and then giving them money. I'm only giving gifts to my friends at work and a my Secret Santa person and my family. I'm not buying for my husband's family. They never say thank you or let me know if they even got it when I would mail it. Not worth my time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speeddiva Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 (edited) I dislike gift cards because they seem so impersonal/thoughtless, but at the same time I love using them and can see how it would allow a "complicated to buy for" person to pick out their own thing. I guess it just goes back to my thought process, it's the thought that counts AND I am a better bargain shopper than most folks I know so I can get more for my $.I don't like getting gift cards for or from people who are really close (best friend/close family), I just think it is lazy & like Tink, I think if you care for someone you will put some thought in it. If you really know me, I'm not that hard to buy for. unless the receiver specifically asks for a GC, I go for the gift. I can see how it would be easier to buy GCs for teens though. My MIL gives us GCs every year just because it's easy & I hate it. She never fails to get me one to some store I never shop at because one of her daughters asked for one from that store & so she buys us all one. On the other hand, I do like them for mailing & for the friends I don't see a lot. One of my friends that I only see a few times a year loves McD's sweet tea & gets one daily so I sent her a $10 GC with a note that said have a few gallons of tea on me, in reverse, she sends me iTunes cards because she knows I love music & books. Edited December 24, 2012 by speeddiva Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof3luvs1 Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 every year I seem to add more kids because more of my family has babies and more teachers since my kids are all school aged now and in extra activities. Years ago the family and friends decided we would just buy for the kids since there are so many now, so I buy mainly for them except for our parents and my friends without kids. My list always seems to get longer each year but I shop smart all year so I don't mind it since I love Christmas so much. I do always plan ahead though so its smart for you to be thinking about next year already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmck Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I am thinking about next year's list too. I am getting more grandbabies but probably not a bigger Christmas budget. Not sure what I will do yet. The amount of gifts got a little overwhelming to me this year, and I think some of the kids were overwhelmed too!! I know I will cut down on the stockings. (I say that every year) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abentley Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 Well now that a couple of days have passed....i am totally doing a holiday make over next year. I really tried to see what " brought me the most joy" this year. Sad to say it wasn't purchasing or giving gifts to certain people, yet others sent me over the moon! I think my list should start to reflect it. I have joked about the "ungratefuls" and i cannot figure out why i bother. No more "equal" moneys being spent on family members, just because you are a member. Nope! It is going to be based on favoritism i guess from here on out! If we don't see you or hear from you 364 days a year UNTIL you expect a gift.....to dang bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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