• bullblogg said on Nov 17, 2006....

  we have a huge family-so if you give a pressie-thats nice,-if you dont-thats nice too...our ma and da just want the seven of us around the table for a meal....we play cards or family games after!!!!
  since my two boys were born we all go up christmas morning and stay till st.stephens day..
  pressies never play a big part- the best gift of all is family and spending time with them..as we are all aware, no one knows whats around the corner....god bless
  

• BlogObsessed said on Nov 17, 2006....

  Once we all had children and gift giving became a bit overwhelming, my sibllings and I decided we four would draw names out of a hat - in other words, we each by for one of us instead of 3.  It was suggested that we give it up entirely, but then we realized, since we do not see much of each other during the year, by at least giving one gift we were staying connected and not totally drifting apart.  Buying the one gift requires finding out what the other is into currently - in its own way it does help us stay connected.

• secretlife said on Nov 17, 2006....

  Once the kids started to come, we stopped giving gifts to the siblings, and just buy for the kids and the parents.  My husband and I stopped exchanging form about 10 years, but the last 3 or 4, the kids really want to see this, so he's making an effort to figure something out...most times he will call one of my sisters for 'ideas'.

  I buy small gifts for 1/2 dz neighbors.  They do things for me during the year and I like the idea of thinking of them.  I also bake and give cookies as gifts to my sisters and sisters in law as well as several close girlfriends.

• MissMimi said on Nov 17, 2006....

  We used to draw names too (There are seven of us) but after a while even that fell by the wayside.  I do get gifts for nieces and nephews on both sides of the family.
   
  I'd much rather make gifts than buy them.  I did make some last year, but this year, I haven't been conscientious about doing it.

• Zayda said on Nov 17, 2006....

  We draw names with my family as well as on with my husband's family, but everyone buys for the little kids under 16 (if they want to).
  
  My parents ask that we don't give them gifts. Instead, what I do for my parents is bake for them and then donate to a charity in their name.
  
  My husband and I limit the gifts to each other to one meaningful item not over X amount and one goofy item that can be no more than $10.00.
  

• lioneljay said on Nov 18, 2006....

  My family is like Mimi's - large and fecund. We used to buy gifts for all the siblings and nieces and nephews but about ten years ago we stopped by mutual agreement. Within our family we all buy something for everyone else.
  
  Frankly, though, for me Christmas is much more about sharing meals, music, and memories with the family.
  

• hopingtoberich said on Nov 18, 2006....

  I think that it is great when family can just get together and be socialble to one another.  It is too often in today's times that peoples family are all too far apart and for no other reason than simple squables.  I personally think that people should put aside their personal differences and truly come together to enjoy the season for what it has been set aside for and this is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

• dailyachesandpains said on Nov 18, 2006....

  My Aunts and Uncles buy for kids under 13 and the 100 and something of us over 13  draw names to buy for one.  Godparents and Godchildren swapped gifts for a while, but with the Aunt's getting older, siblings and I stopped swapping with them and some of my cousins have stopped as well. 
  
  Last year I asked my eldest sister if we could stop swapping and just buy for the kids and she totally lost it on me.  Due to her hissy fit, we still buy for each other.  My Dad tells us what he wants, my Mother always tells us not to buy her anything (but we do).
  
  Anyone know about the pickle ornament tradition?  I saw a pickle ornament in one of my catalogs and it said 'Keep the tradition going.'  What tradition?  I never heard of this.
  
  Daily
  

• Bronx said on Nov 18, 2006....

  We're very big on cards in my family. It's expected  from everyone on birthdays, Xmas and other holidays.
  
  Gifts are given all year round, as one wishes or as appropriate.
  
  For Xmas, togetherness is a requirement. Everyone comes home from wherever and we all eat, shop, entertain, and live together for those memorable annual two-week breaks till the New Year passes on.
  

• missb said on Nov 18, 2006....

  Over here, gift giving on christmas is actually not such a big deal, atleast not in my family. If you wanna give, that's nice. But if you don't, that's ok too. No one has done that for ages in my family.
   
  Of course, when my brothers and I were kids, our parents always gave us presents "from santa" with notes full of wisdom every year. I actually thought they were :)
   
  I remember we used to put some grass in our shoes (dunno where that came from, if I'm not mistaken in the west they use sock thing no?) and put it under our beds the night before christmas so that santa will come and give us presents.
   
  Then christmas morning, my mom woke me up gently saying that the present from santa has arrived. I opened my eyes and there it was a nice little gift wrapped up beautifully. I was so excited. I opened it and it was a watch that i'd been wanting and a little note (this one seems to be the only one i can remember till now), translated loosely;
   
  "Humble your heart as humble as the pearls in the bottom of the ocean, but hang high your dreams as high as stars in the sky." --> bad bad translation. It was some kind of indonesian proverb. Hope you get it :)
   
  Just felt like sharing :)
   
  Cheers!

• MissMimi said on Nov 18, 2006....

  MrWag, what is a yankee swap?
   
  It sounds like a lot of families do the swap thing.   We'll be home here for Christmas since my husband has the pleasure of being the one on call in his department over the holidays. If we see extended family, they'll have to come to us.  That really helps cut down on the gift giving.  I can't seem to get in the spirit of the season.  It'd be pretty much okay with me if we didn't even put up a tree.

• gingersoul said on Nov 18, 2006....

  My Italian family (we were five) could pile up underneath the tree like a family of  20. I got spoiled and i love give presents as well.

  When i moved here my ex's family was a lot bigger with lots of kids. We gave presents to the kids first (included cousins, second cousins, adopted kids, nephews, nices)  and to my ex' s mother and father. They hosted the Xmas gatheriing at their house each year. And they introduced to their very funny way to give togrown ups some fun too.

  Each of us had to buy a present for not more than $20, if you were a couple you have to buy two gifts. After all the chaos from the gift giving to the little ones it was our time to feel like children again. We used to prepare some coffee and gather around in circle. We drawn numbers on piece of papers in base of how many we were then each of us would pick them, The one picking the highest number was the first to select his gift from the pile in the middle of the circle.The one soon after could pick a gift from the pile or steal the gift that the previous one had selected. In this case the one who got "robbed' had the right to pick another gift from the pile. And so on, You could be stolen or steal. The luckiest was the person with number 1 because coudl choose any gift fromanybody without fear of being robbed. My sister-in-law and I had famous "gift wars" because we ended up with the lowest numbers and we liked the same stuff. Oh, you had to show the gift to everybody once you have chosen. So fun!

  In my little American family, my ex and I have always exchanged present, even until our last Xmas together. My rule is (if i have the money) to give one big gift and two or three little ones. Plus, we loved to stuff our socks with little things as well. I like to make fake boxes to present my gifts. Once i tricked him with a big box, filled with bricks so he would have felt it was heavy if  lifted. Inside? Only one envelope with inside the gift certificate for a 3 hours of speed driving with a pilot of a Nascar car in Dallas.

   I love make up these  fake presents...but now my daughter knows it .....she has been fooled as well...:-) . This Xmas i will buy presents only to her and few friends. 

• copsunited said on Nov 18, 2006....

  Jack Benny said that he loved to bestow and lavish great and expensive gifts on his favorite person in the whole world because he was certain his gifts would not be exchanged. He gave them all to himself.

• secretlife said on Nov 18, 2006....

  Ginger we play that game at work........we call it secret santa...same rules as your in-laws...its alot of fun!

• gingersoul said on Nov 18, 2006....

  Secret...yes, that's the name...Secret Santa..i couldn't remember it earlier...it is fun! :-)

  I missed it last year, the first Xmas i spent alone. I missed that chaos and the laughs.....its all gone forever....    

  This year is going to be even more lonely because my daughter will be with her father.........  :-(

• Alyss said on Nov 19, 2006....

  I have tried and tried to get our extended families to agree to only buy for the children (all of whom are under 16) but with no success despite the fact that we are all on severely limited incomes. I have tried unsuccessfully in the past to also give gifts that were made but sadly that has been unappreciated.
  
  I have tried to do the charity thing but no-one else agreed and then complained when I did it alone.
  
  I find the whole 'must give a gift' aspect of Christmas so disappointing.
  

• dailyachesandpains said on Nov 19, 2006....

  Ginger,

  You can take my place at my Aunt's house in Mass.  I don't go because there's WAY too many people (hundreds and all family), the drive sucks a bit too!

  Daily

   

Comment on "All I Want for Christmas"

Currently tagged	christmas family gifts celebrating fun gift giving think Jesus Christ traditions togetherness (Click to add tags below)
Tag this post	(Separate tags using commas, for example: New York, dating, vegetarian)
Your comment