Comments on: The low-gift Christmas

By: bluntmoney

bluntmoney — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:42:53 +0000

Hesses, no, no real guidelines for the gifts we do give. Well, at least not official ones. My own internal guideline is just to find “something I think they’d like”. I usually give my husband a list, sometimes my son will give one but usually he can’t think of anything. My husband could make a list, but I already know what he wants so no need ;)

By: Joy (from Just Plain Joy)

Joy (from Just Plain Joy) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:32:00 +0000

I found you from your link on Frugal Dad…We are committing to handmade and recycled gifts this year…I’ve had tons of fun shopping at thrift stores and eBay…Thanks for sharing your experiences!

By: Hesses Madhouse

Hesses Madhouse — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:04:42 +0000

Thanks for this great idea. I would love to do something like this this year. A few years back, we bowed out of the family gift exchange with my family. I was all for us exchanging family Christmas letters or things that helped us stay connected to all the extended family that lived far away, but when we received generic gifts that arrived after January 1st and were broken once they arrived, I decided that we weren’t meeting the goal of what I envision Christmas to be. A family member also recommended that we exchange gifts from the dollar store. I just felt that I don’t need a “thing” to feel loved. I just need to feel connected. Not all of my family agrees with this.

So, one question for you. Do you have certain guidelines that you use for the gifts you do give? Is there a set dollar amount, or a certain way of deciding what you’re going to give? Do you create lists for each other?

Thanks again for sharing!

By: BakerDancer

BakerDancer — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:44:43 +0000

I guarantee you that if you stop giving someone gifts they will eventually stop giving you gifts too!

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:27:47 +0000

It seems like my extended family will be moving towards this next year. Micha and I already don’t really give each other gifts. It’s too much stress and we’re neither of us very excited by them. During the year, we sometimes suggest to the other person that we get them a certain item we thought they might like, but that’s based on when we see the gift.

Next year, everyone in my extended family except the new baby will be out of college, so my aunt has suggested that we look for a different approach to gifts, maybe none at all or maybe some small token (we’re already doing a name-by-name exchange).

By: Philip

Philip — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:02:17 +0000

Our Christmas shopping had almost gotten out of hand and was too stressful trying to find worthwhile gifts to give without busting a budget. A few years ago we started drawing names, and it is a true relief. We still buy gifts for those under 18 because they enjoy them more and are more fun to shop for. Christmas is for family, not just consumerism!

By: JanetD

JanetD — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:11:41 +0000

Recently, we used most of our money to buy gifts for a local women’s shelter, and limited our family exchange to gifts of only $10. It worked quite well, and we enjoyed taking the younger kids to the shelter to deliver the supplies to them. That was a very meaningful Christmas that we plan to repeat.