Ria Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I'm curious...is the economic mess going to personally affect your family this year? Are you going to say something to your kids about why things might be scaled back? My kids (6 of them) are each getting their stockings (candy and little things inside) and $50. They can request a gift with the $50, pool their money for a larger gift to share, have us deposit the money in their bank accounts...whatever. But that's it. My kids are older (11 - 19). As far as gifts for other family members, I'm going to give some canned goods (jam, hot pepper jelly, cranberry sauce). I'll still need to get something more for my parents, but don't know what yet. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We weren't planning to do anything different because our traditional Christmas spending is pretty mild, but we may be making it smaller. I would rather have more money socked away. It's a scary time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Not for the holidays (because we've never done big holidays), but our kids to know that things are bad. How can they not? It about killed me when my 10yo mentioned getting a job to help the family (and then I was PROUD of him for putting his family first.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Not much - but I think the holiday bonus will be a no-go so there goes the vacation account ;) (that is where the holiday bonus went for the most part.) I use my Amazon visa for everything I can (and pay in full each month) so earn the $25 coupons for free stuff....since my teens mostly want dvds/cds/books anyway most of Christmas comes from Amazon anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We've always wanted to scale back so this gives us the perfect excuse. We've already talked about helping another family insted of binging on gifts. The girls all got excited about that and thought it would be fun to make homemade gifts for eachother. I've already begun work on a wall-hanging for 9yo dd. My mil wrote something for her the day she was born so I began embroidering her name and birthdate last week. All finished with that part. Moving on the the writing this week. I'm very excited to do something like this rather than buy stupid toys that end up broken more quickly than I can breathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Well, my dh is a gvt. employee (civil engineer) and his job is pretty secure and I'm a part time teacher, so my job is also secure for now. But, my in-laws are retired and living off investments and I know they will not be able to afford their normal gift giving. My bil is a pastor and they are in the process of adopting deaf twins from the Philippines and will have NO extra money for gifts. So, I'm thinking that we should just have a no-gift Christmas this year and put any extra $ we have towards the twins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekanamom Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I had already made the decision to have a smaller Christmas than previous years. (We never have gone really overboard.) But yes- it affects what we will give to extended family. Friends and family are getting batches of home-made soap and "gifts in a jar". My new nephew will get a crocheted baby blanket. :D Amazingly, my BIL just sent us a birthday gift wish list... and it must have been kind of a joke on his part, because he listed $600 items (along with some more reasonably priced things)... and not only can we NOT afford that, but we are going to have to stop exchanging birthday gifts with grown-ups altogether. I sure hope the home-made soap for Christmas goes over well!! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Probably not. Last year was big because we got the Wii. But they knew that was a splurge and were very surprised. Bud and I have quit giving much to the kids at Christmas because his mother (only living grandparent) and his brother (childless, never married 40-something, successful businessman/fire chief of town) go absolutely nuts for them at Christmas. Honestly, our kids would probably not notice if we did nothing but fill the stockings. Bud and I don't give eachother gifts for the sake of it. We try to avoid that trap. We will give a gift for no reason -say in the middle of June - because one of us came across somethign particularly meaningful. It means much more that way. So for Christmas we generally get some candy (for me) and gourmet mustard (for Bud) and some favorite home improvement magazines and fill our stockings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmgconner Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Not much change here, and if anything, it's an easier year. Last year we had almost nothing to spend. We had just found Dave Ramsey, was paying cash for Christmas for the first time ever, and it was TIGHT! This year, we did something radical. We saved for Christmas all year long. :lol: Our budget is over 3x what is was last year. However, we don't plan on spending all that money, either. We will probably go over last year's budget, because DH and I are going to buy a joint gift for one another. Last year, we didn't exchange. The big gift for my DD will be a bookcase I'm turning into a dollhouse (thanks Mom to Aly for the idea). The little one will still be under a year, so he'll get a fabric beach ball I made and diapers. We're still not sure what to get DS#2. DS#1 will be the difficult one - everything he wants is big $ - iPod, video games, etc. For extended family, I'm making a birdhouse, quilt, table runners - oh, and cookies. I make lots and lots of cookies at Christmas time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Not at all. I know what I want to give so I am watching for the best prices on what Iwant to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Not significantly. The kids usually get a stocking, one "major" gift, pajamas, a book, and whatever my parents give them. I'll still manage to fill their stockings, make some special PJs, get a couple of books, and they'll get one larger gift. Perhaps not an extravagant gift monetarily, but they're young enough that I think we can find something that will be meaningful without spending a great deal. Other than the kids, there's only my family to buy for and none of those people are children any more... I think we will spend less overall, perhaps, than in a more bountiful year, but I don't think it will change the "look" at Christmas much. We'll be more effected by my parents' changes in diet! No more endless quantities of butter and sugar everywhere this year... :) That's probably for the best. (Though I do luuuuuuuuv me some butter and sugar with a little more sugar and butter and maybe some cream thrown in...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBre Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 (edited) For the last two years we've devoloped a budget (what a novel idea!) that has worked out great for our family of 5 and immediate relatives. Each person gets only $25 to spend on each other person, and no more than $25 for family gifts for the grandparents and aunts and uncles (our dc have no cousins yet). This really causes a lot of thought to be put into the gift selections! It also makes the Christmas spending very easy to predict. I came from a family with more money than time and was always lavished as a child with more gifts than I could open in one sitting. Dh came from the oposite background and, now having the ability to lavish the kids, has inadvertently stressed quantity over quality in giving to our dc at Christmas. Fortunately, we've both come to realize the immense benefits of modest gift giving. Our budget is pretty small (relatively speaking), so I doubt that the current economic crisis will affect it this year. Although dh's fire department is counting on passing a levy to maintain it's current operating budget, so we may be singing a different tune come November! We've talked this year of pooling our budget for a Nintendo Wii, (I've only recently discovered this and it's really fun for the whole family! We are NOT a gaming family so this would be a big surprise.) and possibly adopting a family with the rest of the budget which is something we've never done before. A friend told me of her friends' experience with adopting a family and it wasn't good. Does anyone else have any experience adopting a family for Christmas? Edited October 10, 2008 by BabyBre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I think we will spend less overall, perhaps, than in a more bountiful year, but I don't think it will change the "look" at Christmas much. This describes us too. We don't have to buy many extended family gifts, and with a little careful planning, even those will be minimal (I'm going to do calendars with the kids' pictures in them if I can get my act together.) We usually get B&N gift cards with our credit card rewards points for the kids we buy for, and for our kids, Santa fills the stockings and DH and I give them a few small gifts. They get toys from other family members, which makes the overall holiday feel luxurious. We've never gone huge at Christmas anyway. So like abbey said, I'll be planning more carefully in order to cut back some, but in general, I don't think any change will be very noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Yes, the kids (and other relatives) will be getting less gifts this year, and yes, we'll tell the kids why. Although, it's not like they don't know already that we have a tight budget and we don't have a lot for extras. I hope they aren't too disappointed this Christmas; I know they will still get nice things from their other relatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 THE current economic mess does not change anything for us, but OUR current economic mess does ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Our pattern around here is that my husband wants to spend as much money as we can possibly afford while I try to keep things reasonable. By the time we're done with the tug-of-war, we end up with a holiday that might seem extravagant to some folks here but is less so than that of many people we know. (And we pretty much always come in under the national average.) I suspect that will hold true for this year, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Not really. I start Xmas shopping this month so I can spread it all out though. The kids will still get their dream toys and DH is still going to get a good surprise this year. Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 and less to our family and friends who have so many fewer true "needs." I think my kids will have to get over it, and I hope they will actually get some pleasure from it. I'm really worried that in times of econmic troubles, people give less to the homeless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 and less to our family and friends who have so many fewer true "needs." I think my kids will have to get over it, and I hope they will actually get some pleasure from it. I'm really worried that in times of econmic troubles, people give less to the homeless. This is great perspective. One we will be discussing around the dinner table tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I've pared my Christmas budget significantly. I cut the budget for the kids by 2/3, and I haven't figured out what to get my mother, stepmother, 1 sister, and 1 half-sister. None of these women are married, and only my stepmother has a child (adult half-sister), so I hate to leave them out at Christmas. There is no budget for DH and I -- maybe a tank of heating oil? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill- OK Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 and less to our family and friends who have so many fewer true "needs." I think my kids will have to get over it, and I hope they will actually get some pleasure from it. I'm really worried that in times of econmic troubles, people give less to the homeless. ...that folks would give less in economically troubled times, but that makes sense, now that you say it. We usually have some other-centered giving going at Christmas (other times, too, but I try to have a bigger focus at Christmas), and we may talk about upping that this year, since you've piqued my consciousness about that. But no...our holiday gift-giving budget is small, anyway, lol, and therefore not much affected by gas prices, belt-tightening, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Our pattern around here is that my husband wants to spend as much money as we can possibly afford while I try to keep things reasonable. We are like that, too, in reverse. I am always extravagant with the kids at Christmas because I don't spend much on their birthdays or buy them anything during the year (except for food, clothes, shoes and school stuff). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesloonybin Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We plan to change the TYPES of things we buy. Hopefully spend a little less overall too. We would like to buy more meaningful gifts. Also maybe more educational. We get into the trap of things on sale and end up with junk. This year we will spend money to buy dh and I a freezer as our Christmas gift. Usually we don't buy for each other but if we need a big item we will use that as our "gift". Tires for the car, lawnmower, etc. We will spend less on extended family since we live so far away. I plan on sending some homemade things but that is it. We decided to do less gifts for the kids and instead we are using the money to take a little trip to Williamsburg. One thing I am trying to avoid is the "equal gifts". We buy stuff and then we question ourselves..did one dd get more presents...did one dd's presents cost more...it is hard because the older one wants things that are expensive but we also worried about her having one present and younger dd having 5 presents that cost less. This year we are are making some changes. We will see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We are being affected by issues not caused by the economy but are in the same boat. Christmas, birthdays (we all have winter birthdays), and general life are all being affected. My kids know what's going on and are adjusting well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCoppock Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We started last year cutting down on Christmas presents. The grown-ups on my side of the family exchange names. There are nine of us so you can imagine the cost of gift giving if we didn't exchange names. DH is an only child so we just have his parents to shop for. Being that my DS is the only child on either side he gets more presents than one child could ever use. This year I hope to be able to purchase him one large present and maybe a few smaller things. We are down to one paycheck so we will keep things tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 The kids at home are getting a Wii, and that's it. College son gets a airplane ticket to his good friend's wedding right before Christmas. We have three grandparents to get something for, and one Aunt. The nieces and nephews get reindeer kisses that we make and send. All other grown ups don't exchange presents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I'm giving the family a baby to play with. ;) That'll have to do. (Nah, they'll get a little something, but we don't do crazy big Christmases anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in Tx Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 You know, I've decided to quit worrying my dd right now about economic times. We've had so many rough times in the past that I'm beginning to feel like all I've done is drag her through the muck. She's a kid. She can't do anything about it. She knows that we buy whatever we can afford, and I'm trying to teach her to be happy with whatever she has. Honestly, she doesn't fully realize the difference between a $20 gift and a $100 gift if they both equally please her. So I try to find things that please her and occupies her imagination/time. She doesn't need to know that of everything I had to choose from, I gave her something that cost less than other options. She's just glad to have something she values. Most of the gifts that she has valued the most have been simple gifts, anyway... so I've decided to shelter her a little from the current crisis unless it really starts to impact us severely. There is no reason to burden her with worry. As her parent, I feel it's my job to carry that burden for her and only tell her what she really needs to know. She doesn't need to know about every possible scenario out there... only what is real in our lives. If that means cutting back a little, I honestly feel I can do that without her even noticing. If we have trouble putting food on the table, or if we have to quit music lessons or something like that, then I will sit her down and to be perfectly honest, I'll probably put a positive spin on it. I don't care if people think I'm sheltering her from reality. She's got the rest of her adulthood to deal with reality... I want to teach her to look for the silver lining and to remain positive and not let times like this consume her with fear and worry. I don't think all kids handle this sort of thing emotionally as well as we think they do. JMO, but that's how I'm handling it here. I'm going to try to keep things "feeling" as normal as possible for as long as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I'm curious...is the economic mess going to personally affect your family this year? Are you going to say something to your kids about why things might be scaled back? Christmas is always tight around here -- I think Sweetie and I have been re-gifting each other the same pair of gloves for a long time -- they sure look familiar. :lol: We usually do get ourselves some "family gift" like the GameCube a few years ago, that Sweetie still plays with. :lol: We are doing something a bit different this year, though. Our "family gift" will be some things for "Toys for Tots" and to give our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to the local food pantry. I've always spent too much on those meals, and it doesn't make sense for just the three of us. I'll still make nice dinners for my guys, but not the elaborate "standard fare." If the past few weeks are any indication, there are going to be a lot of hungry people around here come November and December, so I'm very pleased that my guys are onboard with this idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 we never travel for holidays but chose to go to my dad's for turkey day this year...so I had to shift some money to that trip. We did family portraits last week and I am going to frame them(some custom) for family. my dad needs nothing. my mom wants nothing. my inlaws won't like anything I give them regardless...so yes, we are not doing gifts this year for individuals but giving really nice framed photos of us to them. the niece/nephew will get $15 each. my own kids are staying the same $$ amount. dh and I are $50 each. nothing for our birthdays the next week. so small budget. I am not sure when we will get gifts to family this year so if the framing doesn't break the budget I will ship, otherwise it will be next year before they get the items... I can't see wasting money on frivilous gifts. if they have a specific want then it's one thing but to buy just to have a gift is dumb. I don't want my family to waste money on me. I would rather be together and enjoy a quiet day together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 As it stands right now, we wont be giving gifts this year, except a few small things to our youngest ones. Such as a barbie I got on sale and have tucked away, maybe some match box type cars etc. If we do still get a tax refund in Feb we will do something for our older kids. We have discussed it with them and they are fine and want the littles to have a nice Christmas. I hate the thought of it, but it is what it is and there is nothing I can do about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lux Et Veritas Academy Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Although our status hasn't changed to much on the home front (the portfolio is another story) I am taking this opportunity to scale back to 1 large gift and a couple of small things for each child. We have wanted to do that for years anyways. Now the kids are starting to understand that we really need to with the papers spelling it out everyday for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Ds14 just got his Christmas present. He is really hard to buy for, because he is very specific in his limited wants. He is happy to wait well past a holiday for something to come along that he really feels is worthy. This year he graduated from Jr. High and we wanted to give him something for that, and his 14th birthday. He still hadn't picked out anything for either of those. In the spring I bought myself a new Dell XPS laptop and he really, really liked it. So, I splurged and bought him one too as a combination gift. It is an upgraded model so it wasn't cheap but I figure it is a school supply that he will use daily for the next 4 years of highschool and then probably take it to college with him too. He definitely felt the present was 'worthy'! I will still get him a small gift and his stocking (under $50) but that is it for him at Christmas. DD9 is more of a toy lover. She will still get her regular assortment off toys, but I already bought 1/2 of her Christmas this summer when it was on sale 50% off. I figure that stores will be having more sales this year, so I will pick up a little more and still only spend 1/2 of my budget. DD2 is getting a play kitchen for her birthday in October and I am not certain what she will get for Christmas yet. She is starting OT , so I wouldn't be surprised if one of her gifts is a therapy device :0) . We sold our small swing set last year and dd9 really wants one of the large wood ones from Costco. She may decide to forego Christmas and put the money towards that. We told her that the ones at Costco were a little more money than we planned on spending on a swing set and she came up with the idea of adding Christmas and her birthday money to the pot to make it more realistic. We may do this with both her and the baby. (We will then save the already bought presents for another use or donate them). Because the baby has vestibular issues, the swing set climbing gym would be a very, very good therapy tool for her. It will also be nice if the economy stays down that the younger kids will have something to do at home. So in theory we could spend more that usual, but on items that are more than just a toy or a video game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5sweeties Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 It won't affect us much, only just making sure that we stick to the plan! We exchange family letters with dh's family, and that's all. He has 6 brother's and sisters and we have 24 nieces and nephews on that side of the family. The family letters and photos we send each other every year, get slid into a "Family Christmas Letter" binder that my mil gave us all several years ago. It is a yearly journal of sorts. Very simple, very economical, and much loved by the kids and all of us. So neat to see how everyone has changed and grown over the past years. The letters are neat too, in that the document the major things in each family's life, for each year. I think many letters this year will be much more humble that in years past, and much more filled with thanks for the blessings that we've had to look diligently for. It has been a rough year for the entire group. We do send my mil and fil a small, usually homemade family gift. This year it will be a cute wooden wall hanging. My parents get something more, as they are much, much more extravagent in their giving. However, we still don't spend much. Just something small and meaningful for each one of them. I have one brother, who is married with 4 children of his own. He is/was a building contractor, and he will be lucky to provide small gifts for his own children this year. We will send them a small family gift, and expect nothing in return. I just hope they can make it, and wish we could help. For my own 5 children, several years back we decided that Christmas had ceased to be about Christ, and had become ridiculous with the gifts and stress. So, we found a great idea and adopted it. Christ recieved 3 gifts, and so do each of the children. Each gift represents one of his 3 gifts. I've found a place on-line that tells the meanings behind each of the gifts. Anyway, they usually wind up with one nice toy, or fun gift. One gift of clothing. One "special" gift. The special thing is usually something they've not requested, but something that lets them know how special they are to their parents. We fill stockings with candy, undies, socks, and things like lip gloss and toothbrushes. Dh and I usually get eachother something either very small, or very meaningful, or very useful, but not spend a lot. We still do stockings for eachother. Santa loves the "big kids" in our house too. In years past, it was hard to stick to such simpleness, as we didn't financially need to, but the "economic issues" struck our family earlier than most, due to the nature of dh's job, and our location. This will be the third year that we have been thankful for tradition of simple Christmases. There is no need to explain, to anyone, including the children. It is just the way it has been for a long time. This year though, and the past couple, it has been out of dire necessity, tradition or not.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 we never buy for each other. maybe twice over all the years. we occassionally buy for his parents if we see something unusual we think they'd like. (they have plenty of money to buy anythign they want and they do) otherwise we never buy for adults. We do buy 3 gifts a piece for each child. (1 from santa and 2 from us) We don't worry about equal in cost gifts, just equal in enjoyment. For example, one year the only thing a ds wanted was the latest book in the series he enjoys while another wanted a gameboy advance. It would have been silly to insist on spending many more $$$ and not even get him what he really would have enjoyed. Last year we managed a Wii, so the Wii was the one from Santa and each child got a game from us. The ones too little for Wii got different stuff. This year I imagine they will still get 3 gifts a piece, but the money going into those gifts will be very tight. Absolutely no chance of Wii's or gameboys this year. I am trying my hardest to get a jump on it though b/c we're having a baby due right at christmas and so I can't count on any last minute sales to christmas shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Maybe a little, although less from needing to pinch pennies at the moment than from uncertainty about the future. (We own a business that depends on tourism.) I wanted to get a Wii this year, but DH disagreed. He pointed out (truthfully) that between the TV/DVDs, the Gameboy, and the PC games, the kids have enough electronics and we really don't want to encourage them to spend more time in front of a glowing box. (I still want WiiFit and think Guitar Hero would be fun to play as a family . . . but I see his point.) Some parts of our Christmas have already been simplified. My siblings and I, for example, no longer exchange large gifts. Instead, each year, we give each other an ornament. Simple. Inexpensive. Can be handmade or not, whatever works that year. And every year when I decorate the tree, I think of my brother and sister. That said, my brother is on his way to Kuwait, so I might have the kids put together a care package for him this year. And possibly something for his kids as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CactusPair Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 yes, spending less. getting tighter with our $ all around, just in case something comes up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Dh will not be buying us a big family present this year. He likes to get us some kind of splurge but we really cannot afford it. I'm sure he'll get something smaller though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Actually, yes the current economic climate will affect my gift giving. I am not so enthusiastic about the whole Christmas thing anyway. The whole consumer thing just gets annoying- whose in charge of my life, anyway- the media driven consumer mindset, or me? How much do I want to be influenced by that anyway? Oh, i go through this every year and usually get into it somewhere along the line, but I dont like it. Who to buy presents for, who will be offended. Both my kids are earning money themselves and don't need expensive presents from us. The rest of my family....well, sometimes I splurge and sometimes I dont....this will be one of the not-splurging year, methinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabel Lee Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 In recent years I've gotten increasingly irritated by Christmas at my house becoming all about the material junk. This is not what I want my kids learning and experiencing. My mom has always gone way too overboard - to the point that we (and my dad for their budget's sake) have asked her to cut back, but she never does. This year, my dad retired, so that changes things drastically. She "warned" me that she may only be able to get a few things per child (YAY! :D). It was never over the top when I was a kid. As for DH and I, we know we have to be very careful not to overspend because money is tighter this year. We don't go into debt, but I don't like to throw heaps of $$ at toys and junk. I've had a couple ideas but don't know how dh or the dc would react to some: a completely homemade Christmas (don't think the dc would like, but we may have to anyway), or maybe 1 really special/meaningful thing for each child. DH and I are forgoing gifts for eachother this year, it's just not necessary and I don't like to give or get something out of obligation anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Interesting. I have heard all my life about how awful it was in the Great Depression, from my mom. I don't say that it wasn't. But it was interesting a couple of years ago when I was visiting her and her sister was there. My mom got on the Great Depression (she doesn't dwell on it--it just came up) and she was talkiing about how awful it was. My aunt said, "Do you really think so? I don't remember it being that awful. I think we did OK...we were on the farm (in the Rio Grand Valley) and had oranges and chickens to eat and a cow for milk and butter, ..." And so on. They did agree that it was far worse on people in the cities, and my mom admitted that a lot of what she had said all her life was repeating what she had *heard* others say, not what she had actually experienced. Anyway, I thought the conversation interesting because of the difference in perspective between two kids in the same family, with only 1.5 years between them in age. They were 10-20 years old during the 30s. I was also impressed that my mom could say, "Yeah...the story is a little different from what I had been thinking." It takes a certain amount of humility to do that, and I was impressed. Rambling. oh yeah, a lot of it depended on where and how they lived to begin with. most farmers for example didn't notice a lot of difference. they worked for themselves, so unemployment wasn't that big an issue and credit wasn't widely available for farmers, so most owned their land pretty much out right, rather than high mortgages. here in oklahoma, it depended on where you were. we also got hit by the bust bowl, which caused lost of farmers to loose their land either because they couldn't farm it or because they got credit thinking next year would be better and it just got worse. my mom was from TN thought as doesn't remember a difference. My dad's family stuck to their pile of dust here though and he was really scarred by how bad it was. Says he still remembers the taste of dust in what little they managed to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest janainaz Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 For friends and family - hugs and "Merry Christmas"! I don't ever feel pressure or the need to buy for everyone, it's just too overwhelming. All our family understands and they don't care. I tell our family not to buy for us either. They don't always listen, but at least I mean it in my heart. My dh's parents adopted five kids, but his mother passed away a few years ago, so we do buy gifts for the kids, just not the adults. This year I am not doing any shopping until December. My dh's company is not doing well with the economy and so it would be very unwise for me to start buying gifts. I know at any time anything could happen, so I'm just riding it out before I go spend anything. I do probably buy my kids too much at Christmas - I make a budget and buy only what is on my list, but they get so much from other family members, that it's a little excessive. I need to scale way back and I know my kids won't care a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Not really... we're always broke at Christmas, and this year will likely be no different. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deece in MN Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 I'm curious...is the economic mess going to personally affect your family this year? Are you going to say something to your kids about why things might be scaled back? Ria Our trip to DisneyWorld is counting as Christmas. We did get about $30 worth of stuff from Disney for the kid's stockings and I pre-ordered Beedle the Bard from Amazon as a family gift (I decided to splurge on the replica copy). This is all we are doing for the dc. As far as extended family goes, we have been drawing names on my side with a $15 limit so that will be $60. Dh and his brother and sister agreed a couple years ago not to buy gifts for each other anymore, so we only buy for his dad and a dear family friend. I am working at Kohl's and a local quit shop, so anything I have to buy/make will come from one of those places. We have been trying over the years to scale back and I think we have gone about as far as we can without giving up gift giving completely. I like your idea and we did something very similar to that the past couple years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 it won't change things a bit for us, because we don't spend elaborately for the holidays anyway. we already purchased the boys' christmas present (shared gift, a Wii, with accessories and an extra game). they will also get stockings and they have to craft/buy for one another still. i am planning to make something for each of them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 We should have been going up north for Thanksgiving this year and we certainly cannot afford that. Even with the gas prices coming down a bit it is still too expensive. I think each kid will get one major gift (a couple of them want digital cameras, stuff like that) and that is it. I want to cut back on giving to extended family. The gifts are rarely meaningful, they are usually just required and expected. I would like to cut that out this year but I doubt that will be possible. Maybe I should do some crafty stuff for extended family, but I don't know what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julpost Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 I have no idea....I guess we'll see in November. I'm thankful to have gas in my van and milk and food in the fridge. I got a ton of grapes from my neighbor so I'm canning grape juice tonight. It's day to day around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 The big gift for my DD will be a bookcase I'm turning into a dollhouse (thanks Mom to Aly for the idea). Wait, wait! How do you make a bookcase into a dollhouse? Lisa, who *finally* has another little girl who can play with dolls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 Yes, it is definitely affecting our Christmas giving all around. My "mail-aways" will only get cards this year. We all agreed on that last year in fact. We love each other dearly and treasure our relationships, but it was getting costly as far back as last year when shipping rates went up. We will give each other the gift of time - more calls, more emails, etc. My dc are getting a more scaled back holiday too. We discussed it earlier and all agreed on limiting the gift giving. We will focus more on spending the time together enjoying the activities of the season. We will bake for our neighbors and local friends. We will do gifts in a jar for various teachers, coaches, etc - same as last year. We will go caroling with church and neighbors. We will play games and read alouds, and generally enjoy each other. Dh and I made this decision the end of the summer mainly to try and avoid wearing me out. We are glad we did as the economy turns so bad. Dh and I are limiting our gifts to one another as well. There are some books and such that I want. I need a new bike helmet. Dh as a short list as well. All are good things we need and will use. Again, our choices were made early to avoid exhaustion, burnout, and stress. The saving money side is a great bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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