What!! Now I need Christmas ideas for my son to give gifts

[eenymeenymineymo]

I breathed a huge sigh of relief at the end of last week thinking all my gifts are done, just to wrap & post (for those away family) & I've just had a text message from (adult) son saying what can he get me & DH, & do we have any ideas for his brothers.

I totally get that his partner shouldnt need to buy for his family (just wish I'd thought of that idea 35 years ago, newly married & DH asked me to buy all his family gifts on his behalf) - but my idea bank has been emptied & am stumped now for 2020.

Need inexpensive ideas - maybe a craft beer box for each of his brothers, but I dont need anything, trying hard to cut down on "stuff". DH doesnt play sports, is a TV addict, & cannot eat chocolate as he gets gout.

What would other MN's say if you got this question so close to Christmas?? Thanks

When we don't need anything a meal voucher or alcohol are our usual suggestions :)

Eugh, I get this all the time from my family. It's not my bloody job to come up with gift ideas for my wider family, I've has to spend hours thinking and searching for presents, why can't you? (I am happy to make suggestions for what to buy my children though). I even hate being asked what I want. If you don't know me well enough to come up with your own idea, then please don't bother with a gift!

Assuming his brothers are also adults he can ask them for ideas, same for his dad. Possessing a vagina doesn't mean you have to carry the mental load for the whole family! It is unfair and sexist.

It could be worse - my friend had finished getting her dds’ Christmas presents, and had hidden them in the garage, and then her mum and aunt came round and rummaged through them, taking the things they would give the girls!

They did give her the money, but she still had to think of new things for her dds and go shopping again. And she had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure the first presents were things the girls would really like - but her mum and aunt got all the thanks with none of the effort!

Surely he can think for himself? What has his partner got to do with it? I'd tell him that his brothers would probably want anything he would. You want a gift voucher for a spa day, and your husband would love to spend time with his son so maybe he can organise an outing just the two of them as a gift.

Just because you lumbered yourself with wife-work all those years ago, doesn't mean that you should now be lumbered with mum-work. Tell him to get thinking or to phone his brothers and ask - or just drop the whole charade of buying presents for people who genuinely don't want anything.

Food hampers or tools/plants for the garden.

Dont buy us anything. keep your money and have a meal out

Easy peasy

‘Not sure love, why don’t you ask them?’

For myself - a book, slippers, socks or chocolate.
For DP - a t-shirt, earphones, socks or chocolate.

Haha, I laughed at some of these. Thank you, I needed some wise words to not get caught in that spiral again. Gave him some vague ideas, reminded him it's the thought that counts ... & moved on. 🙂

Hopefully he'll surprise us all. Cheers.
Ps - last of my stuff is being wrapped today & still a week to go (I'm usually still getting the "last" gifts on Xmas Eve

I've wrapped and sent my gifts that need sending off today.
Got some more to wrap over the week... Question. If your using a gift bag do you bother wrapping the present inside the bag?