Last year it was suggested we draw names. No way could I do that! I couldn't just give one gift to one person! And the kids didn't want to leave us out of the gift exchange.
So, what do you do? And if you do only give to one person, how do you feel about it?
In addition to Christmas, we have two birthdays.
I really have mixed feelings about changing the way we do gifts, but I also realize that we should do it differently. If we had a larger family, it might be easier to change.
So, tell me what YOU do?!
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7 comment(s):
I like this idea for kids: Something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. We try to keep it at 2 gifts for everyone, kids and adults. And take turns going around the room opening one gift each time. Then we can see what everyone gets.
We have a small family too and we are still buying for everyone one. (6) In the past we tend to go overboard, but each year we say we will cut down.... we kind of have. This year only two gifts per person.
Well, Lori - I think I have your idea already in place! We also go around the room - I don't like it when it's a "free-for-all" and you miss seeing what everyone got.
The last 3-4 years we draw names. We started with 4 families and now all majority of kids are married if not kids of their own. So just gets so expensive. Adults draw names with a $30-$40 cap and usually my aunts uncles and gma and gpa will get a little somethin for the kids. That's is up to them tho! It's hard down here doin the whole buying thing for everyone, so its nice when we have to mail gifts. I imagine we do the same, but before we drew names, We also would take turns, always starting with the youngest until everyone opened all their gifts! It's sad, hard to get the expanding family together these days. :'(
I agree! I could never "not buy for everyone"! ...our parents, kids, and grandkiddos. The extended families do the $15 grab bag gift and the stealing begins!
My Balvanz side: we kids give gifts to my parents, usually go together and get them each something big. Us siblings decided last year not to give to eachother anymore and wanted to give to a family instead. My brothers/spouses buy for our kids, which I can't wait to have neices & nephews to buy for on that side, too!
The Luikens, we adult kids draw names but Ry's parents buy for everyone and everyone buys for them. Then the little kids draw a cousin's name ($30) and we get each kid we didn't draw a littler gift. ($10) Both work, it's just hard to break tradition! We also go around the room. =)
Both of our families are small. My parents buy for the kids and spouses, and grandkids. We buy for them...the last few years we've given them a gift card basket with about $250 worth of various gift cards. We don't buy for siblings. My brothers buy for our kids, we buy for my brother's kids. I have one brother with no kids so we get him a big gift from the nieces and nephews since he buys for our kids.
KEITH's parents give us a check and tell us to do all of their shopping! They seem to think that even though they are retired WE have more time then THEM! (They are even a little put out when I give them the gifts so they can wrap them!)I'm always a little bitter because we get the same amount as Keith's brother's family even though we have more kids that that we have to buy for. We keep things even with their kids and Keith and I just go without. We just buy for the one niece and one nephew, and the other way around.
We go around the room and picky Keith has to pick up every piece of scrap paper before we can open the next gift.
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