Give me ideas. So many people to buy for!

[TheWorstWeek]

Growing up there was only ever my parents and my five siblings. Now we are grown and have our own families the amount of people I have to buy Christmas presents for is getting crazy. Like, we are talking 30+.

Obviously, my own children have a separate budget but I try to keep all nieces and nephews to about £10-15 each. There is 8 of them now so even that adds up quickly and there's still 20ish adults to buy for!

We've got a couple of big purchases to make in this last quarter of the year so I'm looking for some ideas of what to get the grownups in our life without costing us an arm and a leg. Any frugal and thoughtful ideas?

Can you propose a secret Santa for the adults?

20 adults buying gifts for each other is madness.

@MidnightPatrol I've proposed that idea before and it wasn't liked very much. Plus, it doesn't work across both sides of the family as my side is very large in comparison to DH's. In an ideal world, yes, a Secret Santa would be the solution but it doesn't work for us.

Gosh, that’s loads!
To whittle down the 20 adults, could you buy a gift for each couple? And then you’re only doing around 10? Maybe a nice hamper or tickets for an experience.
What is the budget usually like, is it normally a token gift for each adult?

Often it's a token gift but something that the person wants or needs. So like I've been known to buy makeup, books, clothing etc. We never spend all that much, in previous years it's been as much as £20 per person (including kids) but I've been trying to cut it down a bit, hence the kids having a budget of about £10-15 now. I also find the mental effort of coming up with individual, unique gifts for everyone really exhausting. My brain is already trying to deal with a thousand things at once, Christmas presents might just make it give up altogether!

God, this sounds awful 😄.

Book token and a bar of chocolate for everyone.

They might be grateful if you suggested a secret Santa - could potentially be a bit late this year but I bet everyone would prefer a gift that was say £100 that 10 £10 gifts.

Could you maybe make the adults something (the same thing)

I always make home made fudge in the slow cooker, bag it up nicely or in jars - it's always a hit with everyone. I do different flavours for each person / a few people - can make quite a few batches in a day

Honestly I'd just say I don't have the time, money or energy to participate and please don't buy us anything.

If you're all buying for the other 30 adults don't you all end up with a huge pile of presents? If anyone actually does want all that extra stuffed jn their lives, then why don't they just buy it themselves and leave everyone else in peace?

In our family, we just buy for the kids. If I was you, I'd suggest that. I imagine a lot of people would feel secretly relieved

What an absolute pain. Make this the year where you talk seriously about either a Secret Santa or stopping presents for adults next time. You have to mean it and it might take a couple of years.

In your case I'd give (paperback) books to as many as you possibly can, they are the best value gift imo.

Books I have given that have gone down a storm with a range of people are usually ones I've loved reading and given with joy. So 1000% recommend Le Freak by Nile Rodgers, The Traitor and the Spy by Ben Macintyre, The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer, Me by Elton John, All the Light We Cannot See (can't remember the author).

Other things I'm giving this year; local honey with a wooden honey dipper, Lego mini figures of the Beatles off eBay, a homemade crumble (for a man who loves crumble above everything else), a self watering indoor plant pot (Google them).

I'm.alwats happy with a bottle of champagne or cava, personally.

We're literally skint!
Everyone is getting hugs and/or opinions this year! Like it or not!😂😂😂

Wow that is a lot of people!

I’m going to plug “the lazy genius principle” (it’s from a podcast): “decide once.”

So instead of making 20 different decisions, “decide once.”

For example: All adults get a cookbook.
All children aged 2-6 get a Magnatiles set.
All teens get weird American lollies.
And so on. Decide once, repeat until the end of time.

You may find that working within the constraints makes you more creative (a cocktail “cook”book for your drunk uncle!). From the recipients point of view, they’re getting a lovely gift - does it matter that their sister’s brother in law got the same thing?

I've suggested Secret Santa/buying for only the kids but for various reasons different people don't want to do that. And no, we don't all end up with huge piles because obviously we only get one present from each family for each of us. Which obviously is plenty but it's not as though we have 30 presents each.

The "decide once" is good idea. Books would work for those that read (although plenty don't) but I'd need to work out what people have already read!

Trust me, I know it's a pain in the arse - I'm the one living it!

Where you have adults and children in the same family, could you do a cinema voucher for a cinema local to them, and a goodie bag to take with them with popcorn, box of celebrations/similar and drinks? Or a ten pin bowling voucher/restaurant voucher.

For adults who drink, I would simply whatever suits your budget and their tastes and do the same every year. We had an elderly relative who bought our family a big box of chocolates every year and my Mum came to rely on it, one less thing to buy.

I've done cocktail kits for adults before: small bottle of supermarket brand spirit with whatever else you need to make chosen cocktail with a print out of the recipe.

Family game, although that depends on knowing what they've already got.

We do just kids one side of the family, £5-£10 max on adults the other side. For the £5-£10 max side I’m getting everyone a pair of bamboo socks from bare kind. https://barekind.co.uk/collections/bestsellers

I would ask what people want. Theres always some boring kitchen thing I need replacing ( flan dish, colander etc) that I get a nicer version of if it's a gift.Someone might actually want a calendar etc

If they don't reply then something consumable ( but posher than normal stuff ) or books.

Can you go for fun presents? E.g all men got a pair of Xmas socks and a can of beer or just a pack of Xmas socks ( no beer) , all women get a bar of chocolate and a nail polish or a bath bomb or each couple get a bottle of wine ? Someone mentioned local honey, some places got local beer, gin, liquor etc so I would do something like this, consumable.
Also Next got nice multi alphabet mugs, £8 each, alphabet coasters, reusable monogram bags.

And if someone complains, give them a tap next Christmas. Tidy.

Sounds ridiculous, just do presents for the kids

You do what you want and don't let anyone bully you or make you feel bad.

£5 per person maximum - useful/edible presents or plants only.

Stick to your guns.

Ringtons do a lovely gift box of biscuits and tea , it’s our fail safe gift for adults

What about a nice Amaryllis for the adults between £5 and £10: depending where you buy them, they are lovely after Christmas flower and then die so not a lot of clutter.

Definitely, there's only so much stuff adults need.
It sounds like obligation rather than an enjoyable process. I can't imagine getting gifts from 10 other adults, most of which would be unwanted

Oh I actually love present buying- here are some ideas

£20 ish budget- adults:

This Emma Bridgewater biscuit tin (£11 but 10% discount for new sign up) or they have a tray for £6 in same design, plus a few nice packets of local bakery (or M and S) biscuits.
Biscuit tin

Bath and Body works foaming hand soap £10 plus some new hand towels in their colour scheme.

A car wash kit- bucket, new sponges, some car wash liquid, chamois cloth, scent hanger.

A gardeners kit- trug or large pot, new gloves, kneeling pad, some bulbs or seeds. Maybe a voucher for a local garden centre and less bits.

Hotel Chocolat H Box £17
Choc

A recipe/cook book with some spices- slightly over £20 but on offer just now at £23.50
Spice kit could even add in a dish or accessories to make this a £30-35 joint couple present or for a teen/student

Kids £20 ish budget-

0-3 bath toys- simpler the better like funnels or wee boats etc. Plus a sponge or flannel or two. Plus a book- Spot the Dog, Dear Zoo etc.

For ages 3-6 magnetic tiles of some sort as even if they have a set you can add on more.

6-8 a galt marble run, or Labyrinth board game, with a book as well- classic like Dick king Smith (sheep pig or any really!)

8-10 Fimo modelling clay set. Different themes available… if not crafty, Bop-it game… plus a book- I think mine enjoyed Animals of Farthing wood around that age, or Stig of the Dump!

10-12 A good set of cards and a book of magic card tricks…or a chess board and beginners chess book.

12 plus is tricky as so much choice and variety- with kids having such specific interests…Cash always goes down well- you can get puzzle boxes you could hide cash in? Or go for a voucher with a token gift if cash/voucher feels mean… like a sports bottle with a sports direct voucher, body spray with a next voucher, reusable cup with a Starbucks voucher etc based on their interests.

Happy shopping!!!

@fourelementary most of those adult presents are presents for the sake of it and the sort of stuff that most people have too much of already.

We already end up with the tins the Christmas biscuits came in to deal with and you'd actually buy another tin as well? This is the sort of stuff you look at in despair after Christmas because you don't need or have space for it, you can't give it to a charity shop and it's too nice to just recycle not that you'd need to if people didn't insist on forcing the results of their love of shopping on you.

A car wash kit, really? That's like a washing up bowl, a bottle of Fairy and a pack of those yellow and green scrubbers. Not a present.

Are you one of those people who want to give gifts because it gives you an excuse to go shopping?

Be aware that not everyone is like this and for many, like the OP its a chore that they'd rather have no part in and for some, it traps them into spending money they can't afford on stuff they don't need or want.

I have to buy for tons (22) of family - I'd do secret santa too in an ideal world.

I've slashed my budget this year for the ten closest and spent £15 max per person. I'm aiming for half of that on the other twelve. All adults now, but we carry on as we have a huge family Christmas party and it would be really awkward if I didn't take part.

I hate the thought of something that is a complete waste of money so I buy things like a travel mug (some Contigo are only £10-12 on Amazon) or something consumable - posh hand cream (Brand Alley are better for decent brands than T K Maxx ime) etc..

The rest will get something really small, with a bit of thought for who they are. So something gardening related if that's an interest. The NT gift shop has plenty of stuff under £10, I've bought a couple of gifts from there.

I agree that it is a complete pita OP. Few of us need more 'stuff' in our lives.