Buying Presents for Holiday Season

[cabacaba]

Cabacba - Favorite daughter - don't tell me you play favorites....

We have 4 all grown. And yes I play favorites,,, this daughter was the only one who helped me care for my wife when she was sick and so was I.. The others went to University and came out nuttier than fruit cakes... One tried to abort her kid. We stopped it and the little girl grew up to be a sweet heart (fav grand child). We are helping her through med school...

So don't waste your money and resources on losers, no matter who they are.... Help the ones you can count on....

[NapalmZygote]

Years ago the annual dialogue would invariably go like this:

NapalmZygote: "Mom, what do you want for Christmas this year?"
Mom: "Your undying love and respect <LOL>"

Finally one year I got a small metal picture frame in the shape of a heart and neatly printed "My Undying Love And Respect", signed and dated it, and put it in the frame.  My Mom died almost five years ago but that picture frame is still on display at my Dad's house, so I think it was a good gift.

I'm a mom and grandma, and this type of gift would mean more to me than absolutely anything someone could buy.  I guarantee you that your mom (and dad) felt the same way.  Good on ya--fabulous gift!

Thank you, and byelka too.

[Phildo]

Might have thought with this crowd, the Christmas List and "100 Items That Disappear First" List might have just merged into the Ideal Christmas List. 

Hendrek --  The Chinese C.R.A.P. phrase is great. 

Matt should have a LATOC Trademark on that one. 

[divelly]

We bake for everyone what one of my 20 something nieces calls "heroin cookies" because they are addictive.
They are CIA pecan diamonds.
To relatives who we feel should get something more,we give to Smile whatever(can't remember the whole name)(the one which repairs cleft palates for $45)
or Seva!!! Don't like Heifer because they're christians.Seva has as a board member Wavy Gravy-more my style!

Happy Solstice

[kathleen]

Quick, somebody tell a heartwarming story like napalm zygote's...... I'm feeling kinda nauseated from some other comments. This should be a thread with only kindness, not vitriol.
I love the ideas being shared.

[kathyprepper]

Our sustainability group is hosting its third annual Potlatch this year. You can bring things you no longer need and take what you like. No money changes hands. You would be amazed at what people give away. I manage to do a lot of "shopping" this way. My kids do not expect new stuff. My littlest is getting a new head on her sister's old American Girl doll and the sister is going to wash, press and put together outfits for it from her stash of doll clothes. My oldest foster child is looking forward to independent living and she is getting a nesting box filled with things for her first apartment. I found a set of dishes in a mark down bin and I am cross stitching some dishtowels. She is a knitter and will get yarn too. I always give a book to my adult kids. Sharon Astyk's new one is quite good (Independence Days). My husband is getting a sign for our arbor. We named our little homestead Barefoot Farm and I found a local crafter who hand carves signs. We give our honey to teachers and such. We generally exchange some work and childcare. We also don not wrap gifts anymore. i found a huge box of pillowcases at a tag sale and gifts go in the those or just get set out. We have really started to concentrate on the rituals. The surprise to me is how little the kids cared. They love that we always get a new puzzle and spend Christmas afternoon putting it together and they look forward to a new game. Last year it was Clue.  We must have played that game 200 time this year.

[seanx]

I don't have a job, so I am buying far less than I would have anyway. I actually bought a few things. My nephews don't really understand all that. So I bought them some toys and books. Bought my mom a few things. A friend who makes handmade pens gave me a discount, so i got one for my sister. Need something for my dad and little sister. and I am done. A few hundred bucks total. Far less than I would have spent in previous years

[Baldwin]

My gifts tend to be consumables like wine or whiskey (for grandad), or chocolate.  Occasionally, I give gifts I feel are elegant or useful, such as a decanter made by the now bankrupt Edinburgh Crystal, or a fountain pen by parker.  I pride myself on buying European goods (living in Europe most of the year), because I know that by buying a British made Parker pen, Lindt Chocolate (Switzerland), or Walker's shortbread (Scotland), I am supporting the wages of first world workers instead of encouraging slave wages in the Far East and buying foods (IE chocolate or shortbread) from countries with high food safety and purity standards.  [The EU does not permit 90% of the shit we in the US let cows be fed and injected with, for example.]

[Bruce]

 My biggest Christmas expense is for my three grandboys and my daughter and her husband. This year the kids get warm clothing and the daughter and son in law get FOOD. Canned food, something that can be stored...............................Bruce

[autumn]

My oversized extended family gave up exchanging presents years ago, we only still exchange gifts within our small family units.  But we have a newer tradition of a holiday  family gathering with a potluck meal and Yankee Swap. 

For a Yankee Swap everyone brings one wrapped present, price limit of $5 - it can be homemade, regifted, consumable, practical or silly crap.  After we have enjoyed the potluck meal someone counts how many people are there and places slips of paper with numbers in a hat, we usually have 20-30 people.  Everyone draws a number from the hat and the lowest number starts first and chooses a present to open.  It gets interesting because as people open their present they can choose to keep it or trade it for someone else's present.  Some gifts get traded around a lot - it is always fun to see what is popular!  Since some people bring more than one present the people who got the lowest numbers often get to go a second time, that keeps them from losing interest early in the exchange.  Silly inexpensive gifts are best so people do not get too upset when someone takes their treasure - it is a good exercise in not getting too attached to stuff! 

In a Yankee Swap it is important to go slowly and open only one gift at a time, this was always the way my family exchanged our Christmas presents, but after I got married and had to spend Christmas with the in-laws I learned about the crazy fast way other people opened presents.  I finally got them to slow down a bit - so I could rescue more paper!  It has always disturbed me to see all that paper being ripped and thrown away!

The Yankee Swap may be called other names in other areas - has anyone else heard of it or tried it?

[kmaine2]

Our local grange has a potluck/ yankee swap every December. My guys went to it a couple of years ago and my son came back with a treasured plant hanger made of little shells. SPECIAL

Sounded like a lot of fun.

[Chesyre]

i keep reading the title as buying peasents for the holdiay season, maybe thats in a future christmas season 

[captain1]

Hi Autumn - around these parts it is called a Chinese auction.  You are right - they can  be a lot of fun!

[Jackson]

Give presence not presents... http://www.adventconspiracy.org/ 

[rocketgirl]

Cabacba - Favorite daughter - don't tell me you play favorites....

We have 4 all grown. And yes I play favorites,,, this daughter was the only one who helped me care for my wife when she was sick and so was I.. The others went to University and came out nuttier than fruit cakes... One tried to abort her kid. We stopped it and the little girl grew up to be a sweet heart (fav grand child). We are helping her through med school...

So don't waste your money and resources on losers, no matter who they are.... Help the ones you can count on....

I do appreciate blunt, for sure, but an adult who turns out "nuttier then fruit cakes" and coming from the Dad is a bit of the apple not far from the tree.  Just sayin.  Some of the "nuts" do turn out in the end to be the seed for greater change.  It's not over yet and "favorites" are known beyond words and is always a source of hurt for generations to come.  What a priviledged position to play favorites, you must be very smart to sum everyone up so well.  Merry Christmas!