Now's The Time To Tell People: No Gifts Please!

[K8-EEE]

In conjunction with the other thread about buying BLUE for Christmas, several people commented that they can't afford Christmas in the GWB "economic boom" economy anyhow.

Definitely ALL we have less expendible income every year with rising prices and flat wages.

What I propose for people who would like to transition out of gift-giving is to tell your friends and family NOW that you would prefer to exchange letters, photos, phone calls, have a pot luck, donate to charity or do something else besides gift giving.

You might be surprised at how relieved other people are too to get out of that cycle!

I'd like to hone my Xmas list just down to the kids and draw names for the immediate family. You can bet any gifts I do buy will be BLUE!

[SteppingRazor]

1. To hell with it all -- or at least, to Tel Aviv!

I've got a Jewish girlfriend, and I'm marrying her. Christmas can kiss my ass! :evilgrin:

[BOSSHOG]

2. My wife's family is rather large

and all the adults exchange names for both Christmas and Birthdays. When my mother-in-law asks me what I want for Christmas I tell her a home cooked meal and a hug. She laughs it off and goes out and spends an inordinate amount of money for her children and their families. My wife and I don't need anything and all we want is continued good health. You have a great idea.

[K8-EEE]

19. Time Spent With People You Don't Get A Chance To See

...is my favorite part of the holidays. It's a drag when the materialistic aspect sort of impedes on that.

Last year my favorite girlfriends and I went out for dinner and it was so much fun, we put the date on the calendar the week before Christmas with a new presents rule. We spent maybe $20 each at a nice bistro with a view of the city lights. It was so much more fun and festive than dropping by some little something. I find at our age (most of us are taking care of kids and/or parents too) you really have to put it on the calendar and just do it, holiday get togethers are the best.

[applegrove]

3. I love shopping for gifts at Christmas. I love it. I love to think of

others and try and find just the right thing. I don't get a chance to do this daily. Christmas is for giving. Don't stop christmas!!


We can all pledge to "make" half our gifts!

[msongs]

4. christmas has nothing to do with buying stuff made in china.

I thought it was some kind of religious holiday?

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[eyesroll]

6. I thought Christmas is for Jesus.

Didn't know not buying things would "stop" Christmas.

:shrug:

[applegrove]

15. Things to you are well thought out items I give with love. Part of the way

I express myself. Though I will for sure do more baking this holiday. I am a human with weakness and not perfection. I like to shop for little things ore the holidays - while thinking of others. I just do. My bad. But I do.

[K8-EEE]

17. I started scaling down last year and was MUCH less stressed

I really don't want a lot of stuff. I love the "certificate" type things, like, breakfast in bed from the kids (with a menu and redemption reservation number, LOL)

I don't like shopping and I'm really very uncluttered. My husband and I are researching new bikes for us as a new bike path opened by us and our old ones are falling apart. But I don't like a lot of "stuff."

[applegrove]

21. I like to nest. I like to nest others. I like to think about what would

make someone a little happy. Just me. I don't get to do that in other ways as much as I have always wanted to. I'm a doer.

[applegrove]

23. Like they say - I know it is not important -but shopping for others at

Christmas is important for me.

[calico1]

5. Christmas will definitely be low key this year.

I have always enjoyed just the getting together, having dinner, etc. more than gifts anyway. The gift part can be stressful. You see so many stressed out people around the Holidays.

[Touchdown]

7. Hey! I like gifts, and I want a new camera.

Nikon is Japanese, so it's not red....is it?;)

Actually, my family would never buy the one I want so it's just as well. Besides, being a Bachelor, home cooked meals are the greatest gifts around anyhow.

[CrispyQ]

14. One year for the holidays I baked a dozen pies & gave those out .

The next year, people were asking if I was going to do pies again -- they all wanted one! I make rockin' good pie!


Hope you get your camera, somehow! I just got my first digital & am having a blast with it.

[Touchdown]

16. I'm going to have to buy it myself.

The one I want us $1800. I can't in good conscience ask for that as a gift. I was just joking.:hi:

[sepia_steel]

8. *sigh*

:(

I had to quit my job because of morning sickness. My husband makes good money but we're gonna have to borrow $100 to get by this week and then we will stillbe COMPLETELY broke for the next two. I didn't think we'd ever be in this position again. Rent and utilities here are ridiculous. We might have to move away to afford to give our child a good life. We NEVER thought we'd see the day, he makes a great salary!

All it took was a month to change me from a person who could help others to someone who needs help. I'm sad and worried.

:(

[K8-EEE]

18. How Many Of Us Are One Event Away From Needing Help

All of us who aren't billionaires. I hope things look up for you sepia.

One idea from a friend who just got out of dire straights (husband died unexpectedly and hers had been the second income) she went through her house, attic and garage and put EVERYTHING she's not using on ebay. She was really surprised at how much it brought in, not sure exactly but I know it paid her mortgage for at least one month!

[sepia_steel]

22. Thanks for the advice, but

I can't stand clutter (semi phobia - i blame mom). I don't even have a fully furnished house yet so I have nothing I can part with. :(

[lilymidnite]

9. We opted out of gift-giving last year

It was incredibly freeing. We had a wonderful family dinner, instead. I gave a donation to Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance after the holidays.

We plan to do the same again this year (I'm already at work on the letter that goes to friends and family). We are planning brunches with the family and friends. We haven't decided what progressive organization gets our donation, but that is the plan.

E.

[rucky]

10. Hey! My wife just opened a kids boutique.

we would be in need of some of that charity if everybody followed your lead.

Buy Blue, pleeeeease!

[K8-EEE]

20. Absolutely I Mean, People Who Can't Afford It Don't CHARGE IT...

I mean for people who are strapped, those with the cash who like to shop: BUY BLUE!!

You just get into a mindset that, oh I need to buy all these gifts, if it's a hardship you really don't need to. Nothing the credit card companies like better than to have us overspend this season and pay all year.

[RB TexLa]

11. pretty much stopped in 2001

Christmas of 2001 I thought as I'm sure many did that the full blown celebration of Christmas was not appropriate at the time. I still celebrated the religious aspect of it, I went to mass and celebrated what I believe through my faith, but not the rest. I may be in the minority but I still do not think it and other big celebrations are appropriate.

[Virginian]

12. I try to make as many gifts as I can. -- some ideas...

Making gifts does become a problem when the raw materials are more expensive than buying the item ready made. I could spend a lot of time making a fancy embroidered Christmas hand towel or I could go down to K-Mart and pick one up for half the cost of my raw materials.

My extended family basically gives token gifts or hand made gifts -- I try to make an ornament for my cousins each year. A creative gift gets a lot of oooos and ahhhhs.

Food gifts are good too. Give someone a box of cookies or candy or nuts. One year I got a bag of nuts in the shell and the bowl and nutcracker to go with them.

Who doesn't like pecans? A cousin had a pecan tree in her back yard. In her leaner years, she would shell the pecans and give a baggie tied with ribbon to each cousin's household.

I made a database of all relatives' names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, wedding dates and children's full names and birthdays. For Christmas, I bought 3x5 cards and plastic boxes to create cardfiles for the extended family with all this info assembled. It makes a great bridal shower gift, too.

[CrispyQ]

13. For adults in our family,

we each bring one $10 gift. Ok, most spend more like $20. Then we pile them in the middle of the room & pick numbers. The first person chooses the gift they want & unwraps it. The 2nd person can take the 1st persons gift or pick another unwrapped gift, & on & on. More important than the gift, it's great fun!

Hubby & I do not exchange gifts, birthday or xmas. If we have any extra cash, we buy something for the house - sometimes something as cool as a new kitchen faucet - lol!