To ask if anyone actually like 'token gifts'

[Bearbehind]

Inspired by a thread in the Christmas section about family limiting adult gifts to £10.

If you had a choice between receiving say 5 gifts at £10 or 1 at £50 which would you prefer?

I literally can't think of 5 things that cost £10 that I'd buy for myself let alone for other people.

People are always going on about waste, especially at Christmas and I just can't my head around why you'd do this.

I'd rather have nothing that 5 bits of tat I'll probably never use.

Does anyone actually like 'token gifts'?

I love getting books or really nice food items as presents. I would prefer something like that than an expensive item I will never use.

I would actually prefer to go back to small and thoughtful presents to be honest.

It depends entirely on how well the person knows me. 5× £10 of chocolates, small gins or a couple of books or vouchers for e-books is lovely. Buying me smelly candles, shower stuff or bottles of wine as a token is rubbish for me. So if it was a choice between wine and shower gels or one nice gift for £50 then I'd prefer the nice gift. It's all context though.

I like token gifts. I get very few presents anyways so they're all appreciated.

My sister and I do a few cheaper gifts instead of one big one. I made my own 'night in' hamper

Primark PJs
Primark dressing gown
Fluffy socks
A few DVDs we loved as kids (CEX can be cheap)
Bubble bath
Candles
A few different bags of Kettle crisps
Cocktail mixers

It was tailored to what she actually likes - crisps instead of chocs, cocktails instead of wine then she loved it.

I'm a fan of
-books
-candles
-socks
-chocolate
-wine
-coffee mugs (travel or home)
-bath sets (depending on the scent)
-a £10 donation to a charity I support

I like all those things, too, but I'm a fussy fucker. My lovely MIL always buys me a book and a box of chocolates for Christmas. The book is invariably either something I've already read or or something I'd never dream of reading, and the chocolates are usually Milk Tray, which I can't stand. I'm picky about wine too (it's very rare for me to enjoy a Pinot Grigio or a Merlot), so that's dodgy, and I only like socks with a high wool or cotton content. And some candle scents make my nose stream or give me migraine!

I'd rather have a book token for half the value and get myself something I actually want, or a charity donation made in my name (but only to a charity I approve of, of course! )

I know what you mean. My ex had distant family members who I met once or twice at family gatherings and every year would send me a Christmas present of the type you'd buy in the BHS gift department - cheap make up set, that kind of olive oil in a shaped bottle with chilis and herbs in that you are never sure if you are supposed to cook with or just display in the kitchen....just generic cheap gifts.

I hated the wastefulness and thoughtlessness of it. They were clearly just buying me something because they felt obliged to and then we'd have to reciprocate by sending a box of biscuits of something. I would really rather have received nothing at all!

MIL buys the best token gifts. White Company hand wash or candle, Anthropologie mug, gorgeous cheese knife & Chanel nail polish are just a few. No complaints from me.

No candles or body lotion please

I'd only want the expensive gift if it was genuinely what I wanted. Otherwise I'd prefer smaller gifts. It was suggested last Christmas that we have a secret Santa for the adults with a £10 limit. However, one said that he'd prefer to get his brothers something each and we've no idea how this is going to pan out. It could be awkward so we must discuss it further.

I like token gifts such as shower gel, bubble bath, wine etc - what's not to like!!

I wouldn't like any of those. I use soap not shower gel and am picky about what I use, I never have a bath (well, once a year to use the bath bomb my sister buys me every year....) And I live on my own and don't drink alone so have plenty of wine and spirits which sit untouched but if I want a bottle of wine, I'll buy one.

I can't think of a single gift I'd like, of any value!

why bother?

Because mumsnet is full of bitchy threads complaining about homemade gifts/no gifts/being left out of gifts?

that kind of olive oil in a shaped bottle with chilis and herbs in that you are never sure if you are supposed to cook with or just display in the kitchen
My mum loves those, and has bought some for herself!

I think token gifts can be great if you know the person. Otherwise they're very hit and miss!

I'd love a token gift of a £10.00 winning scratchcard!

I agree that it's knowing the person you're buying for.

But I think for me the "token" gifts would be better tbh.

Books, chocolates, wine-I even like the mini/Christmas things of things like jams/pickles/cheese that I like iyswim.

But one bigger gift-idk, what are we talking-jewellery, perfume, item of clothing-that's stuff I've enough of tbh.

I don’t get bought a lot of presents these days. Since my mum died, 12 yrs ago, I’ve realised that she must have been the main present buyer/organiser for the family. My dad hasn’t bought me a present since she died. My OH was a bit unreliable in terms of present buying at the start of our relationship, but is more consistent these days since he learned how important it is to me. I really appreciate the thought behind someone getting me a gift, even more so because I just don’t get many anymore. I don’t care what the gift is, or how much it cost.

This thread is making me chuckle - it's such a minefield!

There's so many direct contradictions 😂

Some love drink, some hate it

Some want books, others want to choose their own

Some only want very specific items like certain brand and scents of candles.

Some items are well over £10 / token value.

Another issue is that it might be ok for 1 year but not every year. You either become the person who always buys X or you are going to get in wrong in a few years.

Im ok with token gifts from younger family members. My cousins are just getting to the age of buying their own gifts and im happy to receive chocs, biscuits, socks etc..

But from the older people who generally spend a little more we normally ask for vouchers.. b+q last year.. ended up with £280 to spend and got a lot of d.i.y done from £10 here, £20 there over both families. We want to make the house nice, not fill it with tat.

For my birthday people generally buy me craft stuff.. whether its some £3 needles or a £50 craft lamp depending on the buyer.

This thread shows clearly what is the problem - everyone has different thoughts on what they would like, what is tat, what is a thoughtful gift and what is a waste of money.

I shall try this year to just be grateful that anyone has thought of me at all!

MIL buys the best token gifts. White Company hand wash or candle, Anthropologie mug, gorgeous cheese knife & Chanel nail polish are just a few. No complaints from me.

None of which would come in the £10 gift bracket.
A Chanel nail polish at £22 (or White Company handwash) is a luxury version of something you would buy for yourself but feels too extravagant, which I actually think is a great category of gifts.

YANBU. I'd rather no gift than token stuff.
Every year I get token smellies. Every year they get given away because they are smells I don't like. A quick glance in my bathroom would tell someone immediately what scents I like because all my stuff is those scents. It's not that I am ungrateful, I just can't bring myself to shower at 6am using product that I really dislike the smell of.

Chocolate is similar. I like very dark, good quality and not too sweet chocolate. Every year I get token boxes of chocs eg milk tray and they get given away too.

Tbh I'd just rather people didn't spend the money. I'm not a materialistic person at all and I'd be perfectly happy to say no gifts but other family members don't agree.

Prosecco, posh chocolates, cheese & pickle, body scrubs from The Body Shop.

I love receiving all of the above! I think as long as you know the person fairly well token gifts work. We are running quite dry on wine etc at the moment after a busy summer so I can’t wait to receive all the bottles at Christmas to replenish the stock

I’m never normally excited to receive shower/bath gift sets, but actually I get so many at Christmas from all of DPs random aunties and cousins that I basically never have to buy it. Which is handy.

Oh and don't get me started on scarves and candles.
When we moved house I counted 45 scarves all given as token gifts, not a single one bought by me. And the stupidest thing is that I almost never wear a scarf (only if it is well below freezing).
And I found candles in so many cupboards and drawers, again all token gifts. Smelly ones that I didn't like the smell of, and normal ones that I don't burn because I have two small kids and a very clumsy OH and one of them would knock it over and set the house on fire.

*This thread shows clearly what is the problem - everyone has different thoughts on what they would like, what is tat, what is a thoughtful gift and what is a waste of money.

I shall try this year to just be grateful that anyone has thought of me at all!*

^^ This

Plus I think we are all ungrateful these days turning our nose up at any category of present. "I'd prefer.... " is just a bit bitchy, especially "I'd prefer nothing to getting X" - not good manners at all.

I also dislike the word "tat". Now I'm pretty sure I'm not one for filling my house with anyone's definition of tat, but the word itself is so snobby and "my taste is better and more important than your taste " that it gives me the rage!

I don't care either way - as long as there are prezzies to open, I'm happy

I hate token gifts. one of the reasons we gave up xmas all together