My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Christmas

Are we the only ones who don't buy each other presents?

43 replies

Lurkymclurker · 24/12/2013 15:57

Dp and I have decided not to buy presents again this year, we aren't hard up or rolling in it but we have £15 to spend on behalf of Dd (2) and that's it - we get presets from relatives and might get each other treats through the year.

We are both Christmas people an love the giving of gifts but just don't do it as a couple.

Are we odd as everyone I know is leading me to believe???

Oh and if you are interested dd has bought oh the cornetto trilogy on blue ray with ultra violet :)

OP posts:
Report
canthaveit · 26/12/2013 23:49

We do. I think it is important for the grown Ups to have presents to open, so the day isn't totally about the children

Report
RRudolphR · 26/12/2013 23:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lurkymclurker · 26/12/2013 23:32

Well dp ignored the budget and bought me a gorgeous locket and I ran out as a last minute thing and bought him Christmas Eve pjs and beer so romance isn't dead lol, we had gifts from adult friends and then later in the day family so dd saw us both give and receive and we had a really lovely day

OP posts:
Report
Bunbaker · 26/12/2013 09:49

"I wouldn't care about value of present just that he has thought about it."

I agree. One of the best surprises I got was a really good book that cost £1 in a charity shop. OH knew I would enjoy reading it but kept apologising that it was from a charity shop. I couldn't have cared less where it was from. It was in good condition and a great read.

Report
kerala · 26/12/2013 09:26

My awful truth is that dh has better taste than me in clothes. And we had picked out the bike months ago but decided against buying it as you couldn't fit child seat on it. But dd2 now so enormous that's not an issue. I wouldn't care about value of present just that he has thought about it. But every couple has different dynamics

Report
Bunbaker · 26/12/2013 08:45

""

Now, I wouldn't have wanted a surprise bike as that is something I would have wanted to choose for myself - like clothes really. But I do like a surprise and got some lovely books and chocolates form OH that I wasn't expecting. I also got some photo editing software, but he asked me first if I wanted it, so that one wasn't a surprise.

Report
kerala · 26/12/2013 08:15

How unromantic! This is sad. Surely thinking about and getting thoughtful gifts is partly what Christmas is about. Highlight of day for me was dds excitement at their presents, second was dhs face when he opened his. Why would you not want to bring happiness to people you love? You've got the rest of the year to be practical and sensible

Report
alemci · 25/12/2013 18:29

buy for dh but tend to buy my own present and dh pays for them as he is so disorganised.

Report
Bunbaker · 25/12/2013 18:07

"I find present giving between adults rather odd."

Really. Why? If I didn't get any presents from adults I would get one Christmas present. I would also only have to buy for one person. I think that sounds rather sad and grabby, but I like to give my loved ones presents. And right now only one of them is a child.

Report
stillenacht · 25/12/2013 17:49

We don'teitherSmile

Report
Rufustherednosedreindeer · 25/12/2013 17:44

Nope! don't do presents at the moment. The children are nearly 15,12 and 10 and the day is full of them

We may go back to presents when we feel we have the time to appreciate them, plus if I want something I will buy it anyway

Report
CointreauVersial · 24/12/2013 22:47

We do sometimes, but often we will buy something together that we both want or need.

A couple of years ago it was a new bed. The year before it was a camera.

This year we are actually exchanging presents, mainly because DH kept hinting about something he wanted, and I spotted a lovely coat on Zara, and pestered him to buy it for me!

Report
utterly · 24/12/2013 22:26

I thought my parents were odd for not doing big presents - but now I kind of get it. If we need things we buy them, so Christmas is for small extras.

Report
Neitheronethingortheother · 24/12/2013 22:17

We do a get each other quite a bit. I have gotten dh a hoody, cardigan, T-shirt, shirt, aftershave, book, CD and 2013 stamp yearbook.

Report
Davros · 24/12/2013 22:11

We do buy eachother presents and enjoy doing so. I think it's important for DD to see us exchanging gifts and thinking about what to get, not token crap. Doesn't have to be expensive although it is sometimes. My mum and dad always did and I think DH's parents did, even though they're Jewish. Also, we had some years with DS only who is severely autistic and, unless we got eachother something, it would have been a bit miserable. I suppose we just enjoy a bit of indulgence too!

Report
PrimalLass · 24/12/2013 22:08

We don't. We book a weekend away instead.

Report
olibeansmummy · 24/12/2013 22:04

We do because ds is an only child and I thing it wouldn't be a good thing for it to be allll about ds on Christmas Day.

Report
LumpySpacePrincessOhMyGlob · 24/12/2013 21:43

Dh brings me cups of tea in the morning, better than any expensive gift. Xmas Grin

Report
LongWayRound · 24/12/2013 21:35

According to this site there are 5 "love languages": words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, receiving gifts and physical touch. Apparently words of affirmation and quality time are the ones I value, with "receiving gifts" at the very end of the scale. Which is just as well, because DH and I almost never give each other gifts. He gets me a bunch of flowers on my birthday (this year he did it without being reminded Grin), I bring him useful things like shoes and shirts when I travel to UK because the quality is better than what is available locally. Otherwise we'd rather spend money on travel or a meal out than on presents.

Report
WorrySighWorrySigh · 24/12/2013 18:41

We are another couple who dont give each other presents. It started before we were living together but getting ready to set up home. We bought each other near identical presents. That was around 25 years ago and we are still together!

DCs buy us presents and we do give suggestions for that.

It does seem silly to buy each other presents when the money will be coming out of the joint account.

Report
sparklysilversequins · 24/12/2013 18:31

Serious question moondog why do you find giving another adult a gift "odd"?

Report
mumeeee · 24/12/2013 18:29

I love buying DH Christmas presents and he loves getting me presents, We even do stockings for each other.

Report

Newsletters you might like

Discover Exclusive Savings!

Sign up to our Money Saver newsletter now and receive exclusive deals and hot tips on where to find the biggest online bargains, tailored just for Mumsnetters.

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Parent-Approved Gems Await!

Subscribe to our weekly Swears By newsletter and receive handpicked recommendations for parents, by parents, every Sunday.

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Skogkat · 24/12/2013 17:05

We do a token gift, with a max spend of £3. Charity shops are useful for that though, so it ends up allowing us to give quite a few gifts.

Report
ashamedoverthinker · 24/12/2013 17:01

no we splurge when we want/need to it wud be just for the sake of it. but my dh has went n bought a token gift. i dont know why.

Report
JewelFairies · 24/12/2013 16:59

We either have a cap of 20 pounds, so it's more a token present like a book, or this year we've bought a present for us (fancy coffee machine we wouldn't normally have bought because our current one does the job fine).
No presents from dh would mean no present for me at all!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.