How much do you spend on your friends at Christmas ?

[nasssg]

This is always my worry if I'm spending too little/much.
Friend 1.a dressing gown,slippers,chocolates and just a costume jewellery watch £50 ish

Friend 2.pjs,slippers,bath bomb,chocolates,festive socks £40 ish

What's your limit ?

0 we dont exchange gifts with friends

I have never in my life exchanged xmas presents with friends. Don't know anyone who does.

Zero.

Nothing

I only buy kids Christmas gifts , my own kids and nieces and nephews.

No adults.

Nothing. When we had children we agreed we would only buy birthday presents for children, not Christmas as there were enough people to buy for without adding in extras. I only do Christmas presents for family.

I only do with my two closest friends but they are like family.
With my other friends we normally just meet up and have a meal or few drinks before Christmas

My two closest friends usually around the £15 mark. Just a token something really.

It’s hard enough thinking what to buy family never mind friends! If I was obliged I’d probably just get a nice bottle and of wine

Probably around the £45 mark. But I don’t have as many people to buy for as she does so I don’t expect that to be reciprocated.

Same as you OP, about £40-50 for my two closest friends. A couple of other friends around the £20 mark. Everyone else we just try and get together for a meal and/or Xmas drinks

I do 2 Kris Kindles with 2 groups of friends, €10 limit for each. Dinners out with both groups, plus another 2 groups.

We don’t do presents for our kids either.

We just buy for our friends children who are also our God children.

This year £60, £25, £42 and £7.99

We don’t. We’re super close like family too and we still don’t.

Last year is was £0, £10, £5, £0

My best friends are like sisters to me and we don't buy for each other at Christmas.

Actually there is one friend I buy for as she buys for me but my limit is £10!

I had a conversation with my friends about this a few years ago and we all said just buy for bdays not Christmas. Christmas is so expensive anyway especially now we all have kids I couldn't afford friends as well.

Nothing! We buy each other little birthday gifts (of the wine/flowers/chocolates sort) but not Christmas presents. My friends tend to have quite specific likes and tastes, making it very hard to buy random cheap things they will actually like and use. We just buy for children at Christmas.

£20-40 on best mates then we secret Santa the rest for £15

Is it a Mumsnet thing where people don't buy gifts for adults? Parents, siblings, best friends, partners? You don't buy for ANY of them?

Is it a Mumsnet thing where people don't buy gifts for adults?
Yes it is. I've never come across it in real life. There are some joyless souls on here. Also, see the threads on birthdays. Adults should not celebrate birthdays and are ridiculous to think anyone should want to celebrate with them or god forbid, buy them a present

I've bought 2 friends vegan lipsticks for £10 each - they both are single and buy things for my DC/spend train fare visiting in non coronavirus times so it's nice to get them something too.

I buy for adults but not friends. I buy for dh, my parents, my grandparents and great grandmother. Dh sorts his brothers, aunts and parents put himself.

I only give to one friend who hasn’t got her own family. I aim to spend about £25 max.

There's a a fairly large group of us so we just do £15 secret Santa. In normal times we would all go out for dinner and swap them then, obviously not able to do that this year.

I send a few gifts to one friend who has no close living family. Usually a book or two I think she’ll like, something snuggly like a throw or jumper or fluffy socks because she feels the cold, and/or some chocolate or alcohol I know she’ll enjoy. I don’t have a fixed budget, but I guess £50 is about typical. I’d only stop or cut back if she directly suggested it.

Otherwise, gift giving amongst my friends has tailed off over the years. We exchanged small gifts at university and some of us continued for a few years afterwards, but now we just aim to meet up if we can for drinks/brunch/coffee.

Personally I love choosing gifts and would be happy to have more people to buy for, but I think that for many it’s just another source of stress tbh, so I mainly just give to my parents, partner, and join in a secret Santa with my colleagues.