How many people did you buy for this year?

[Piccolino2]

I'm asking because I think I buy for a ridiculous number which contributes to massive stress for me before Christmas. I want to cut down but before I look at this I want to get a idea of how many people others buy for and what a reasonable number is.

I will be making a cull list later and may ask for help on how to do this as the number just creeps up every year. I love giving gifts so at the end of the year just promise myself I'll be more organised next year but no matter how organised I am it's a military operation and I am sick of it!

So, how many people do you have on your gift list?

DD
DS
DP
Mum
Dad
SIL
2 cousins (children)
4 teachers
Chocolates for neighbour
Godchild
Godchild's sibling

My two sons
Hubby tends to buy whatever he wants, wraps it and puts it under the tree
We send flowers to our parents
As my brother and I live in different countries, we buy presents on their behalf for our own kids. I don’t get anything from him and he doesn’t get me anything. We Skype on Christmas Day
Secret Santa for work. Max value $25
That’s it

Too many. It has crept up recently and we need to cut back.
DH
2 x DD’s
Dad
Dads wife
Dads wife DC’s (x2)
Mum
Aunts x 2
Grandma
Cousin
Cousins daughter
MIL
FIL
SIL
BIL
6 x Friend’s DC

So 23 people. It’s tough as the only reason we buy for aunts/cousin etc is because they buy for my DC and it feels harsh to say we’re not going to get them anything (and they enjoy buying for our DC (only children in the family) so won’t stop.

On list every year:
Three DC
DH
Parents
PILs
Niece (but not siblings - cards only)
7 godchildren / DC of very close friends

On the list this year because they hosted us for Xmas day:
Cousin and his wife and their DC
Cousin's wife's parents

We have:

Ds
3 x dds
Dm
2 x dsis and their partners
DBro
4 x dniece
3 x dnephew
MIL
FIL
GMIL
SIL and her partner
BIL and his partner

So 24 people in total, we don’t buy for me or Dh, we just go shopping in the sales after Christmas and buy what we want.

DH
2x DC
4x DS / BIL
2x Dparents
2x M/FIL
4X S/BIL
9X DNieces/Nephews
(Myself!)
Still deciding if I should buy for a friend I'll see after the new year.
=25 ish

All these (bar most of the nieces/nephews) reciprocate so we've ended up with masses of stuff! If all yours many reciprocate then I would definitely cut down, can't be dealing with that much stuff in my life!
Equally if it's stressing you out buying for so many then just cut down. Don't buy teacher gifts/ask to do a secret Santa style system with family?

5
Dh
Dd and ds
2 great nephews

Dh buys for his dd and grandchild.

One. (DD aged 8).

3xDC
4xgodchildren
Mum
Best friend
Aunt

I have a large family & we stopped buying for siblings and nieces & nephews a few years ago as it was getting ridiculous (8 siblings, 20 nieces & nephews and 5 great nieces & nephews)

Dd14
Dd9
Ds5
Dh
Dmil
Grandad
Dad
Stepmum
Mum
Step dad
Nana
Her partner
7xnieces and nephews
My brother and his partner
Sil x2
Teachers x 3
Neighbour

2 DC
DH
Mum
Dad
2 siblings
3 nieces/ nephew
3 friends
1 random family member by marriage
2 to 4 teachers but sometimes there’s a whole class thing
I also have two family members and two friends with birthdays within days of Christmas so buy those too.

DH does his mum, his sister, his nephews, and my sisters’ partners.

21 in total but quite a few of those are token gifts.

My family aren’t close enough to do a secret Santa type thing... my parents are divorced, certain members of my mums side don’t get on etc so just wouldn’t work. We don’t have any family gatherings at Christmas, just individual visits (we get on with all of them!). DH’s family are abroad so we post stuff over there.
I’m 9 months pregnant this year so I have to say a lot of people got restaurant/experience vouchers!

Son
Mum
Stepdad
4 sisters
Nan
Secret Santa
Son's dad (ex)

I'm lucky that my sisters are all still young (mostly school age) so don't have kids of their own for me to be buying for yet, but also due to ages I don't expect anything in return.

I only get ex a little something on behalf of DS(4), this Christmas I gave him a framed photo of DS.

In my extended family it was agreed when all cousins started having children, that we don't buy Christmas or birthday presents for each other anymore (aunts, cousins, their kids etc.) because otherwise there'd just be far too many to be buying for and it gets much too expensive.

Son
Daughter
DH
MIL
One aunt
One godchild
One niece
One nephew

Ds
3 x nieces/nephews (only ones under 21)
mum (other parents/grandparents now passed)
Work secret santa (£10)

My 4 siblings and their partners agreed years ago to not buy for each other. Same on dh's side, 2 siblings and partners dont buy for each other.

Three children and DH
Parents and PIL
Niece and nephew
Token/homemade gifts (eg bottle of wine & biscuits) for 6 adult relatives
Token gifts (eg a book & selection box) for 5 child relatives
Hamper for godparents

Also two work secret santas (me & DH) and 11 books for childminded children.

Same OP, I'm cutting it way back next Christmas. I found it all very stressful and I'd much prefer the money still in my bank account now. I did

My 3 kids (santa)
Dh
Mum
Dad
Parents in law
My 3 siblings
Dh's sister and her kids
5 teachers
One aunt
Dh's uncle and wife
My friend and her kids
My niece and nephew

Next year I'm not buying for:
Teachers, aunts & uncles or friend and friend's kids.

24!

DD
DS
DH
MIL
PIL
DM
DF
NIECE X3
NEPHEW X3
SIL
BIL
COUSIN X3
Teachers x6 (box of chocs each)

DH, 2DCs
DM, DF
DSis, BIL, 3DC
DNx5
FIL
5 x friends DCs
Secret Santa
Teachers

Mum - scarf I knew she wanted.
Dad - DVD I knew he wanted.
Niece and nephew (joint and was a card with IOU a day out cinema and bowling -DB and SIL begged no more stuff- so not tricky)
Work secret santa
Friend group secret santa

Agreement within the family not to buy for extended (eg aunts/uncles/cousins). Even GP don't want for anything so I always promise a meal out when I visit and DP and I just buy a new board game each year rather than gifts for each other. Physical gifts cost me around £70 all in.

Very minimal and its perfect, but then lucky everyone is on the same wavelength.

My parents x 2
His parents x2
DP

5

• 6 token gifts