I am setting a limit of ten pounds/secondhand/ha ndmade christmas presents

I want to buy my DD and Sil a nice present as I can afford it but they have very expensive nursery fees to pay so I wish they would just buy me something small but whatever it was it would be well received. I am very easy to buy for as I love chocolate! I don't want to think they would be stretched financially because of buying things for me.

Our family has opted out of the madness that is Christmas present buying ethel I donate the money I would have spent on cards to Shelter and just buy for the GC . Nothing big but lots of small interesting things collected over the months , even some bought in charity shops . For birthdays I now say to whoevers birthday it is that they buy something online and I will pay for it ( up to a maximum amount) It was all a frenzied nightmare of buying in the past , I used to spend money I could not afford and also used to get some really naff things bought for me !! Just tell them you are opting out and bringing some sanity back into Christmas .

We got fed up with buying for everyone -4 adult children / partners/ siblings etc it was getting ridiculous, one year we had about 200+ presents under our tree as everyone was buying for everyone else. We now do secret Santa for the grown ups we use this website
www.drawnames.co.uk/
You put everyone's email on it, you can post a wish list and set a budget limit. You can put exclusions on it - so people don't get their OH or whatever. So just one decent present to buy and fun stuff for the children. It's sooo much better.

EthelT I think you are being very sensible.

As KatyK says "it gets ridiculous.
We only buy presents for our children and GCs. My DD and SIL are finding things a bit tight with two lots of day nursery charges at present and I do help her a bit more with odd things but everyone else in the family can within reason buy what they need. None of us are particularly extravagant anyway.

Our birthdays are in November/December so for Christmas my husband and I have a budget of up to £20 each for presents. It's great fun going round shops and yet every gift is chosen with thought and care. My husband loves classical music and I found him a Luciano Pavarotti limited edition CD in the charity shop for £1.00 and that will be his main present!

You've all given me great ideas. Thank you. I realise I have an ungreatful greedy family. Like many others though.

Elder DGS has become a 'man' at the age of 12. He wants socks, underpants and money!

With DH, 2 DD and 2 SILs we just buy one pressie (secret santa) for one person and whatever we want for the grandchildren. It's always fun and no stress. Some years we have a theme (last year was hand made or second hand), this year we decided £40 and that's it. We always agree on an amount so it doesn't get too silly.

Last year I was home for Christmas so made the 4 teenage gc and one boyfriend a stocking each, decorated it and put their name on. I then fill it with all sorts of stuff from charity shops and whereever. I also put a small gift voucher in it. The youngest gc I take out on a shopping trip and lumch after Christmas as she has a birthday in January. This year, as I am away given my son (who has all the gc) some money to take them ten pin bowling.

I don't have as many people to buy for as many of you only DM who I'm going to visit before Christmas (she lives 300 miles away) & we will go shopping when I visit, as she's 87 she will decide what she likes/wants.

DD is pregnant (due May) so it's going to be money for new clothes & small gift. DD's OH is a Liverpool FC Fan & I've been buying pin badges throughout the year to split between Birthday & Christmas + small gift.

DGS - game for PS3, Books (Nanny always buys books) which he loves, jigsaw (map with all UK Football Teams) + stocking.

Small gifts for a few friends. Sorry for those of you who are struggling with buying gifts, I used to have to shop for all MiL's gifts on a limited budget - challenging but good fun

when the DC were students we had this £5 limit per present per person. Now DGs have arrived it is a complete OTT fest. Very hard.
Also DD expects us to spend a fortune on her sprogs when, although comfortable, we aren't that well off.
I wish we could start again ethelt

I only have 2 kids with spouses but 7 grand kids. The g/k on one side get masses of toys from dil extended family ( and their house is like a toy shop already ) , g/k on other side are older and both sets live about 300 miles away. Last year decided on a plan, wee £5 gifts for everybody ( this year thru amazon as postage getting extortionate ) and lump sum to both families for a splurgey day out of their choice. Seems to work, well certainly got no complaints last year :-)

We choose things from (seven) grandchildren's Amazon wish list, but set a limit for ourselves across Christmas and birthdays. Try to find items at best prices/use discount codes etc.
Two nieces ( both over 18) get small gifts. Agreed ages ago not to exchange Christmas pressies with our adult siblings. Children and their partners are told not to get us anything ( can bring a bottle of wine/box of chocolates if they want),and we usually get them restaurant vouchers ( using Tesco x4 boost ). Keeps it all within a set budget.
Obviously many of us have experienced the cost and/or hassle of Christmas shopping making it a stressful, rather than joyful time, but folk have shared lots of ways to keep it under control

The anticipation of everything, even Christmas is the best bit, the reality is an anti climax and after the day we all sit around wondering why we spent the equivalent of a nice holiday on crap.

I don't buy for adults at all. I buy good second hand stuff for the kids where possible. Give people the gift of a stress free future by making Christmas affordable and to be anticipated with hope rather than a huge worry.

We don't need stuff! By and large we already have too much stuff.

Spence money on some tickets for a film / show /santa visit and make some decent memories, which won't be in the bin by New Years eve.

We are being hi jacked and manipulated by commercial interests.

Tis the season to be jolly, the light starts returning, the earth begins to warm a little, spring is on the way, for some a saviour is born......who needs bloody presents???

As we will be so many this year, we are doing SS. I have to buy for 2 granddaughters and 1 daughter. £30 limit. Job done ??
Some years ago we had a £5 limit, but no SS, and everything had to be bought from a charity shop. Caused great hilarity and was fun to do.

I do know what you mean Marelli.
GC get gifts but not the adults.

Secret Santa for adults in our family young ones small gift and money I feel released by this plan and apart from wrapping 4 gifts and posting cards and one parcel I'm done.

The adults in my extended family have what my mother calls a "non-aggression treaty". We don't buy each other presents. Saves a lot of angst. And money. And waste.

My lot are quite happy just to donate to the local Foodbank rather than buy OH and me presents. It's sort of released them from trying to find something for us! I checked with them that I would be giving to the Foodbank rather than giving them presents, and they were quite happy with that, too.
I will have to buy a couple of bits for pals, who will I know, have already bought me something though, and of course, my wee great-grandson will have a couple of toys and some new clothes.
I feel kind of 'released', if you know what I mean!

My DS is only getting the ticket I bought him to go and see The Red Hot Chili Peppers next month, but that was enough really now that he has his student loans. Oh, and some Donald Trump toilet paper!

I think he's buying me something but mainly I buy myself things. I know what I like and I have had some disastrous presents over the years off family. One year my mother bought us all singing Shrek characters, great big things they were, why, I have no idea. Another year she bought the cheap version of the Slanket, but it was all scrunchy and awful. I'd have rather had a pair of bed socks! I don't see family now so I don't have that problem but my gifts are to the delivery men (bags of thank you chocolate Santas) and presents to my cleaner and anyone else who has helped me out this year, the pharmacy delivery man, lovely chap and maybe the postlady who struggles to bring my deliveries in all weathers.

ethelI would go down the making your own crackers and putting a promise in each one so that when they are pulled the recipient gets a night babysitting or a shopping trip or whatever they might like, their car cleaned, foot massage, take the dog for a walk/holiday time etc in it. Make enough crackers for all the adults and then it costs hardly anything (available online) and makes people happy when they receive their promise and lots of fun on the day. Just a suggestion. Then stick to buying for the grandchildren.

Similar to Katek, my youngest daughter also suggested Secret Santa gifts between her, her sister, me and their grandma. I just couldn't go along with it. If I had drawn my mum I wouldn't have been able to get my own children anything although I was still to buy their husbands as they weren't included in the scheme. I just couldn't go along with it. Over the years I have cut my list down and now only really buy for immediate family. I also set a budget for each person and try to stick to it. For my daughter's I spend about £50 each but if they only spent £10 on me that would be fine as long as they had put some thought into it. I have just bought my friend a lovely glass vase in a gift box for £4 from morrisons. I will get her some nice flowers to go with it

Agreed! No, not unreasonable.

Best Christmas we had was when we agreed to spend £5 per person on something as kitsch, ugly or useless as possible. It was great fun to do and the present opening morning was almost unbearably funny.

If you knit you could knit them all a woolly hat or scarf or socks, start in January (if you are as slow as me) and you could have something for everyone by December.

Otherwise a voucher for £10 (SIL can get a designer whatever from Amazon!) and everyone can please themselves.

Apart from the DGC - if you are feeling kind you can buy more for the children.
Mine are having something useful each which I know they need (plus a little surprise each).
The DGD may have something knitted too if I can get off GN!

We have a £5/homemade/charity shop limit for adults + one More expensive gift for one person - lots are drawn earlier in the year.Grandchildren get things they need/want bought from ebay/Aldi/charity shops - so far it is working but everyone needs to buy into it. DD and self are off to Hobbycraft for stocking fillers (pipe cleaners etc) for the children. Also a very old family rule brought in by my mother when ITV started (!) nothing seen by the children being advertised on TV will end up being a present. (This also has the effect of children rushing out of the room when the adverts on on the TV!)