i think buying presents for adults at christmas is ridiculous

[WayneKai]

i just don't bother really apart from mil. why do people insist on buying each other over packaged tat at this time of year?

bah humbug

Totally agree with OP

have also stopped doing adult presents here.

I did buy for a few local friends but they never bothered, so I decided to stop - still give granny something as she really cares about it, though I wish she wouldn't get me stuff - I hate most of it and it goes straight to the charity shop.

Might send sister and sister-in-law somehting as we aren;t really speaking and it's the only thing they seem still to want to do...but will be stopping that too once relations are restored.

I hate all the rubbish in the shops, especially as it all ends up in the sale anyway...what a waste of time. NObody wants those banal gift sets anyway do they?

Iprioritise kids sure, but DH and Ilike to givethings to each other on Christmas, as do our famillies it adds to the day and we don't give over packaged tat either- wetalk about the sort of things we would like.most of us aren'twell off so don't get to spend much on ourselves (and if we saved the money from buying would prob.blow on extra bits for the kids that they don't need)..... the better offfamily memebrs tend to get homemade gifts that they choose.

But we don't buy for extended family- parents, siblings and their spouse/ kids only, plus one Grandparent.No aunties,cousins,oldlady we knew as a child etc etc etc- our family would be too big, we'd double the national debt

I would love to stop this and my family have all but done it. DH family have a BIG thing about it though and regularly complain that my suggestions of reducing the 'expected amount' to spend is wrong, etc, etc. It costs us a fortune which we just don't have. I am thinking of throwing my teddies out of the pram for next year and just banning the blinking things for adults......bah humbug...

If I had a DH Peachy I definitely would exchange gifts with him, but when it's family like ours and nobody ever likes anything the others get them, it's not worth the pain!!!

My dad normally gives me a voucher for some shop in about september, and is then very embarrassed when I ask him if it is the result of his having taken back the item I bought him last Xmas...it usually is.

I disagree. I like bying my parents and siblings, and my grandparents, a gift. I see nothign wrong with that and for me it is part of Christmas.

And you know what? I quite like recieving presents too. Maybe I am shallow

However if finances were more tight then I would prioritise children and not get presents for adults.

For example, this year BIL and SIl have requested only exchanging children's gifts with them as they have a number of expenses around Dec, so that is what we are doing.

Anyway- surely I amnot the only person who actually enjoys choosing gifts for my aprents /and especially DH? I prefer that to receiving usually.

I love choosing and hate receiving, actually...but seeing as despite my best efforts they still don't like anything I get them, it feels like time to give up and i am utterly relieved not to have to open things in front of them...it makes me feel like a child again, not good.

we buy for the kids and buy a £5 token gift for the adults (our Parents get more spent) its quite interesting trying to find something for a fiver ... I normally buy stuff in the January sales and put it away for Xmas

My aprents usually ask for avouvher,which I am fine with; they arereally quite badly off so it's useful to them,but they'd never agree not to get us anything or for the kids- they really do enjoy it and have usually almost finished uit after the January sales so its not a huge drain either. I ahev tried to refuse gifts of things from them at times and it is pointless, the kids just end up with extra tat or whatever.

It'sone gift per person (no none of this crap 'here is fifty pieces of breakable palstic' stuff), no more than you can aford ever,and if you don'tlike go and change it for something you do instead whyever not?

Peachy you have it sussed. I am

mind you my mother mentioned she nearly got me some ceramic guinea pigs the other day, but resisted due to enforcement of new rule...I was a bit sad about that actually

she gets a bit carried away.

Ah you see my family is a bit too straight

If I gave anyone a guinea pig they'dask wtf I was thinking of PMSL

As indeed I would them

Crap gifts do tend to come from my sister(a video of car crahes entitled 'The best Christmas present EVER' was a classic....) but are easily recycled to BIL

PEACH! you have made me laugh properly out loud at your car crash video

how about the year she bought my skids inflatable spiders reduced to 99p becuase they all had holes in?

Proper great her gifts are, make us alrf they do

could not disagree more - children get so much tat that although I get something for them to unwrap in terms of £ spent I prioritise the adults in a family (don't mean my immediate family as am the only adult technically) and get booze or a hamper or something that is for the family as a whole

I absolutely love buying and wrapping and receiving and unwrapping presents, have never understood the 'Christmas is for children' idea, where does that come from?

at spiders

pfffft

Mitchy it comes from families like mine I think!

I like to recieve presents. I have no children of my own and I buy for all the various nieces, nephews, cousins, children of close friends so a present is nice to get in return.

I'm like Flight. Used to enjoy choosing presents but since I met dh and have been introduced to the joys of buying for pil, I loathe it.

we have done this, not for all the adults but we won't be buying for two adults in the family this year, which has cut the cost down. two doesn't seem a lot but it makes a difference. MIL said it was a good idea which made me happy (better than coming across as tight!). I just don't want any more tat from people, have enough as it is.

we are only buying for siblings who don't have kids, and PIL and my own parents. and ofcourse the children.