Do you keep score on Christmas?

[Jennasis]

With the gifts. DH is adamant about making sure he gets me the same number of gifts I got him. He's a bit obsessive about it. I don't mind one way or the other, but he'd be crushed if I bought him 10 things and he only got me 7...even if my 7 are more expensive than his 10.

Also, he watches like a hawk while the family is opening gifts and makes sure he's the "last man standing". Like eating the last cookie from the bag, he HAS to have the last gift. He will slow to a crawl during the gift opening if it looks like his pile is diminishing faster than the rest of ours. It's kind of cute. His mom says he's always done it that way, even when he was a kid. One year I thought I got him and I had the last gift...but he'd been watching me and had stashed one behind his chair and whipped it out after I opened MY last gift...such a rascal!

So I wrapped DH's gifts this afternoon and put them under the tree so he could count them and make sure he has the right number to give me, or he can rush out tomorrow and get something else if he needs to add on. I honestly don't care but I know it's important to him...and his OCD.

Wonder if he'll panic when he realizes I wrapped two gifts in one gift bag for him? Maybe I should fess up?

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Not in any way.

 

[pittsburghmarc]

I can relate to some of that. I too pace my gifts. I'm not as much concerned about the number, but I want the moment to last as long as possible. It is a little sad when you realize you have no more gifts to open. After all, us grown men are all still little boys inside.

My wife works so hard all year long to take care of the family sometimes I feel the need to overwhelm her with a lot of gifts. Not the expensive kind but a lot of boxes.

My biggest gripe is that I'm running out of things to buy for my wife. Of course kitchen or cleaning stuff is out of the question, any clothes I buy that aren't from Kohl's go straight back. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've heard "WHAT! You paid how much for this! I can get this at Kohl's for ..."

She's not tech savvy at all.

Now that I think about it...she's never returned or complained about jewelry. Uh-oh, I need to go out shopping now.

 

[FireDancer]

Not at all. I don't equate the value or number of gifts with how much I value someone or they value me so I see no reason to keep score.

 

[Bob NC]

Can't even imagine that.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Also, he watches like a hawk while the family is opening gifts and makes sure he's the "last man standing". Like eating the last cookie from the bag, he HAS to have the last gift. He will slow to a crawl during the gift opening if it looks like his pile is diminishing faster than the rest of ours. It's kind of cute. His mom says he's always done it that way, even when he was a kid. One year I thought I got him and I had the last gift...but he'd been watching me and had stashed one behind his chair and whipped it out after I opened MY last gift...such a rascal!

My Dh is/was kind of like this...but though you find it endearing in your husband, I find it irritating (at best) in mine. Like he thinks he's so special he should have an "audience" watch him unwrap?

 

[kathie859]

It never occurred to me (or to DH, for that matter) that we had to match each other "gift for gift". It's never been a consideration, nor has the dollar value of our gifts. Merry Christmas!

 

[C.Ann]

Kids - yes.. Anyone else, no..

 

[Robinrs]

Wow, no. That takes the term "giving" to a whole other level...

 

[sms]

I think its cute! Its Christmas time. We should all act like kids! Merry Christmas By the wasy, I think I would fess up about the 2in1! That would def. drive him batty!

 

[KinziePooh]

Wow, no. That takes the term "giving" to a whole other level...

Exactly! IMO, you give a gift because you genuinely want to. Not because you expect something in return. To answer the OP, no I don't keep score.

 

[Art 1]

No.

 

[HelenePA]

I really hope my oldest doesn't "keep score" this year. I've spent the most on her but she'll have the least amount of presents. I'm pretty sure my parents use to do this for us and it caused an overflow of stuff we never played with or even wanted. I'm trying to nip it in the bud this year. They already have too much and dont play with 75% of it.. I'm spending hard earned money just to sit in a play room and not even get looked at just to "be fair"...

 

[Jennasis]

Lest anyone get the wrong idea...with the number of gifts being equal, he is apparently worried that he hasn't done enough, though does admit that it's an irrational worry. This apparently only extends to gifts given to me.

As for the gift opening thing....he doesn't want an audience. As a kid he just wanted to prolong Christmas as long as possible, and tried to savor that "last gift" as long as possible. It's more habit now than anything else, but I still find it adorable. He's like a big kid on Christmas.

I also think his OCD plays abig part in it.

 

[LuLuO]

Wow, no. That takes the term "giving" to a whole other level...

SIL keeps score. I just found this out a few weeks ago when she called me up wanting to know what I bought DN. It really takes the fun out of buying for him and made me worried about giving him too many or too few.

I just don't get keeping score. Kind of ridiculous and not in the spirit of the season I think.

 

[VAfamily1998]

As for the gift opening thing....he doesn't want an audience. As a kid he just wanted to prolong Christmas as long as possible, and tried to savor that "last gift" as long as possible. It's more habit now than anything else, but I still find it adorable. He's like a big kid on Christmas.

I also think his OCD plays abig part in it.

Oh, I see

I think MY dh just wants an audience

 

[Jennasis]

Finally...I've been telling' DH for years he was a weirdo at Christmastime. Validation is always nice.


My grandmother used to keep score, and not in an "adorable" way.

 

[Rora]

Not at all. I don't equate the value or number of gifts with how much I value someone or they value me so I see no reason to keep score.

This.

 

[shortbun]

No score keeping here. Some years one gets gifts and the other gets nothing BUT has gotten themselves the stuff they want(me), ha! this year, I shopped for myself and DH is wrapping it. I DID send him out to purchase one thing himself but he bought his own gifts or picked them out. Gawd, I'd go crazy if someone was keeping score!! My brother does the 'wait for the last gift thing'; every year we try to psych him out but he wins!

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Kids - yes.. Anyone else, no..

Boy, do I agree with this wholeheartedly. Keeping score? Never.