Shelly in VA Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Help! I need some ideas for this! In my extended family, we have one couple without children and several families with children. In the past, we have tried various gift giving plans -- drawing names, drawing family names, buying small $5-$10 stocking stuffers for everyone, etc. None of those seem to fit this year; several people have expressed an interest in buying just for the children, but that excludes the family with no children (they, btw, have miscarried twice in the past 18 months, so it seems additionally cruel to exclude them b/c of their absence of kids!). No one is willing to sponsor a needy family/child or to make a charitable donation (don't even get me started on the comments I've gotten there!!). Does anyone have a perfect solution for me?! Thanks!! Shelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Grandparents/parents buy for kids/grandkids. Grown siblings buy for each other. That way the kidless folks should get something from their siblings and parents. Beyond that - if folks WANT to buy for everyone, they can. That way everyone should get something! (I am assuming that the kids will get more loot from their own parents/Santa at home before or after the Big Family gathering, so they do NOT need a toy from everyone at the gathering!) I give cookies trays to everyone at our gatherings of all my in-laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria from IN Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Last year my ex's family drew names--adults and kids alike--and each present was limited to $10. The catch was, the gift had to be something you could not get in a store. That left yard sales, eBay, thrift shops, and handmade gifts. It was entertaining to see what everyone came up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 (edited) White elephant gifts! Our favorite is the recycled gifts--great for a laugh. We've used coffee cups, books, gross items, new items, etc. Set the expectation for a price point, wrap gift and let person #1 choose item. Person #2 can choose new item or grab #1's gift. Any gift can move three times before it has a new owner. We get so much laughter from re-used gifts. It's a favorite for our extended family. It's best to do young children separately, or a traditional gift exchange. Edited November 7, 2008 by Tracey in TX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 (edited) dh's side: Everyone has at least one kid. each kid draws a kids name to buy for each adult(the siblings and husbands/wives) draws an adults name (we are all buying for dh's mom) my side: Not everyone has kids. We are all buying for all of the kids The adults are doing a dirty santa gift exchange with a homemade item of some sort. Each adult brings an item. We each draw a number. Pick a wrapped gift. Next person can steal it or pick a wrapped present. Each gift can be stolen 2 times. My parents are participating in this, along with siblings and their spouses. We thought that would make for a fun time. People I know of are making fudge, homemade vanilla, one guy makes lamps from horseshoes and I'm probably going to do festive pretzels dipped in chocolate, maybe some hot chocolate mixes or banana bread. Edited November 7, 2008 by snickelfritz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I like the other ideas, but would add that if you know about special circumstances, like the couple losing their babies, then not matter what plan takes form, you can still send along something from your heart... a well thought out card with special note along with something small if money is tight... ?? Thank you for caring about each one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 An ornament exchange is inexpensive and fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in VA Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 Great ideas; thanks, everyone! Shelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 On dh's side of the family, we exchange names for all of the grown-ups and each person is assigned a name. Everyone buys presents for the kids separately. It's worked really well for us. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 On dh's side of the family, we exchange names for all of the grown-ups and each person is assigned a name. Everyone buys presents for the kids separately. It's worked really well for us. :001_smile: That's exactly what we do in our extended family!! Someone started this idea 15 years ago and we've done it ever since because it works so well!! And our 'presents for the kids' rule has a $30 spending limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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