Christmas presents..

ninathenanaI always check with my children what the GC would like GD1 has decided on mainly clothes this years so thats what she'll get ,I even got photos of her ppreferencec from my daughter,I usually buy their shoes and boots and coats for winter anyway so I know she'll wear what I buy.My GS is 15 and he'll get some clothes and some money and the two wee girls willl get toys ...also from a list from their mums .I love Christmas always start early and used to make 10 christmas cakes to go to family as well as their gifts now my daughter has taken over that job .I'm happy to buy for people and my family are happy to receive so as long as I'm not expecting anyone else to finance it its none of their business .

paddyann 25 I'm not sure if I'm jealous of that many family and friends or relieved.
I only have H, S, D and partner. I will add to GC savings account in the hope one day I can give it to them. I did used to buy them 4-5 presents each when we were still able to see them.

I'm guilty of having bought our children far too many presents each when they were young. They would have a main present and lots of "bits". My mum was as bad. We used to save some for after lunch the pile was that big.

But that doesn't deal with the problem when the excess of presents is caused by the number of people giving them rather than the number given by one individual.

We have always sought direction from our DS and DDiL over present buying and the usual pattern in our family is 2 presents, 1 of them something quite simple, like a book BUT DGC were born when their parents were in their very late 30s/40s and the majority of people in their social group are childless and as the only children in the group DGC are getting presents from about 10 people other than immediate family.

My ex husbands family (MIL, and 2 SIL) would buy us things that I would actually dread opening! (I still shudder at the thought of the brown sherry glasses, and the awful tiger and lion pictures that she bought from a door to door salesman, and the least said about the pineapple shaped multi dish thing for serving curry accompaniments the better, the fact that each piece was separately wrapped only added to the sense of impending disappointment, but at least gave us time to compose our faces)

And of course I would be tasked with buying presents for them. Oh joy.

I took the bull by the horns one year, and said that we should not buy each other presents, we should only buy for the children, as in under 12.

I was looked at as if I was the Grinch, or Jacob Marley! But it worked.

OMG, I have just remembered, apart from the sherry glasses and the awful pictures, there were the jumpers........

Lovely idea. My DGs get so much that you can't see the floor for paper. The younger one goes. - rip open, look,comment, then next. Sad really after all the thought that has been put in to buying the presents.
Think I might talk to all in the family about one present, but does it mean one present from FC, plus one from GPS, plus one from aunts etc?

An excellent idea, we already do secret santa for all the grown ups in our family, it's a big weight of everyone minds to be honest. Choosing and affording numerous presents had become a chore/difficult for some family members so we had a discussion and everyone agreed it was the right thing for our family.
For the smaller ones we buy them some gifts and also a cheque to go into savings.

phoenix I so agree! seriously though, I do think it's a good idea not to shower children with presents and I think the idea is that they don't get more than one present from each present. paddyann dare I suggest the giving is more in your interest than the receivers'? (ducks!!)

I love giving presents ,dont care if I never get any but I spend a lot of time finding the perfect gifts for 25 family and friends ..so no this is not for me .I'll continue to "spoil" the people I love for as long as I can .I only have OH's to buy .everything will be wrapped and ready to go by November .

Do they mean one gift from one person or one gift in total.

My mother would buy the boys loads of presents (on top of what we/Father Christmas brought), just for the pleasure of watching them open them!

It was me that then had to find space to put it all.