Reduced the Christmas list by 8--woohoo!

[riley2008]

After reading the post about buying presents for daycare and school classmates and feeling "grinchy" every year.....I made the call! I called up my step brothers, whom I love dearly (their wives, well.....) to talk about Thanksgiving and finalize those plans. I called the one with the whiny wife first- she's always complaining about not having money. Sure enough, and right on cue, she started in about outstanding loans. I jumped on it! I commensurated with her about tight finances and then proposed no gift exchange! I did it! I think I shocked her! She agreed and then I spoke with my DB. He thought it was a great idea! He called his brothers and we are all onboard!

We are thinking about having the kids choose an angel or two off of the local angel tree over Thanksgiving when we are all together and plan what to get together too. Much better idea for us!

So, my suggestion is, if you're feeling a little grinchy, make the call! I bet you aren't the only one!

 

[scrapquitler]

thumbsup2 Good for you!

It is SO much easier now that we don't exchange any gifts with my side of the family! Well,we buy for the children only (and there are only 4 of them, 2 of them my own!). We also do a grab bag for everyone. So it's super simple: I buy 4 $5-$10 Grab bag gifts and a gift for the 9 yo niece and a gift card of some sort (gas station, probably) for the 17 yo nephew.

Now if only I could get my in laws to agree to the no gifts thing...

 

[kkwis2]

Isn't it great! Very freeing! We did this in my family several years ago. So much less pressure! We buy only a small gift for the kids, no adult gifts exchanged.

I only wish my DH's family would go for it. He won't bring it up and I won't do it for him. I have moved to only buying a family gift now, however. Actually today we went and painted a plate a local pottery place as a part of their gift.

 

[krcit]

I was the one to stop the adult exchange about 10 years ago and then about 8 years ago, I approached DH's side and asked about having each kid pick a name instead of buying for all the nieces and nephews. Everyone was great with it so now I only buy 3 gifts(I have 3 kids) instead of 8. I love the idea of picking an angel

 

[earpiemom]

scrapquitler - Just curious as to what you do with the grab bags. Does each person just pick one or do you do some kind of game? I am looking for some ideas to change the way our family does things too.

 

[monorailsilver]

scrapquitler - Just curious as to what you do with the grab bags. Does each person just pick one or do you do some kind of game? I am looking for some ideas to change the way our family does things too.

We do a white elephant type of grab bag.

I am not sure exactly what it is called but depending on how many people are playing, that is how many numbers get written down. Then each person playing picks a number. We set a limit of $15 or something like that.

Person #1 picks a wrapped gift, opens it & then keeps it. Person #2 picks a gift, opens it & decides if they want to trade with person #1, OK not trade but steal/swap, wait no take the better gift.

Person #3 picks a gift, opens it & then can trade with #1 or #2. Etc...

When we reach the end, person #1 gets to pick from all the gifts.

The bad thing about my family is they are all wealthy & they all give in such crappy gifts. One year I did a nice picture frame & lotto tickets. OK not nice but... they are so much better then a chia pet. So I don't play because I don't want their crap in my house but I guess I can regift it for the following Christmas.

 

[tinkermom23]

We do a white elephant type of grab bag.

I am not sure exactly what it is called but depending on how many people are playing, that is how many numbers get written down. Then each person playing picks a number. We set a limit of $15 or something like that.

Person #1 picks a wrapped gift, opens it & then keeps it. Person #2 picks a gift, opens it & decides if they want to trade with person #1, OK not trade but steal/swap, wait no take the better gift.

Person #3 picks a gift, opens it & then can trade with #1 or #2. Etc...

When we reach the end, person #1 gets to pick from all the gifts.

The bad thing about my family is they are all wealthy & they all give in such crappy gifts. One year I did a nice picture frame & lotto tickets. OK not nice but... they are so much better then a chia pet. So I don't play because I don't want their crap in my house but I guess I can regift it for the following Christmas.

We do similar to this but with Gag-gifts. we all look around all year for the perfect stupid thing and wrap it really good! The best, most fancy wrapping is probably the old poinsettia-painted toilet seat again! The other thing that comes back every year is the stuffed armadillo.

My sister works in a hosp. and has some unusual things to give....

It's for the adults but nothing nasty or rated X. Just really funny and costs next to nothing!

One year I got a box printed on the outside "Nuts & Chews" and inside was a old bag of Redman chewing tobacco and a bunch of old screws and nuts.

 

[scrapquitler]

scrapquitler - Just curious as to what you do with the grab bags. Does each person just pick one or do you do some kind of game? I am looking for some ideas to change the way our family does things too.

We do a game. Everyone picks a number. Person number one picks a gift and opens it. Person number 2 picks a gift and opens it, then can trade. Person three choses a gift, opens it and can trade with #1 and #2 and so on. FInally at the end, person #1 gets the choice of any gift. Its fun because there's always lots of negotiating and deal making going on throughout. THere's always a few gifts that are $$$ than they should be (usually a bottle of wine or something) and a always a few real crappo white elephant type gifts and some joke gifts (my brother put in a plunger one year after another brother had clogged the toilet at Thanksgiving). And the children are involved in it, too, so some adult ends up with crayons and a coloring book, and the 7 year old might get the scratch tickets, so then more deal making ensues throughout the night. It's something that we have always done as long as I remember. Oh, and Mom always buys a few extra grab bag gifts (she's the hostess) so that if any random people show up they can play too.

 

[labdogs42]

I was the one to stop the adult exchange about 10 years ago and then about 8 years ago, I approached DH's side and asked about having each kid pick a name instead of buying for all the nieces and nephews. Everyone was great with it so now I only buy 3 gifts(I have 3 kids) instead of 8. I love the idea of picking an angel

OP -- Congrats on negotiating this! I want to try this with DH's family so badly. I may try to propose the children drawing names for next year at this year's gathering. I already have gifts for most of the kids purchased, so I"m too late for this year! I'm totally inspired by all of you! I'm all for less gifts!

 

[ah1126]

We have done a grab bag where everyone buys several things that cost around $1 or less. It can be anything.... sponges, cash, potholders, playing cards, hair ties, candy...... Some things get wrapped, some don't. Everything goes into a big bag that gets taken around the to each person. You reach in and grab one thing without looking, then it goes to the next person. It goes around and around until everything is gone! Then we always traded with each other. Lots of fun!

 

[disprincessatheart]

We do a game. Everyone picks a number. Person number one picks a gift and opens it. Person number 2 picks a gift and opens it, then can trade. Person three choses a gift, opens it and can trade with #1 and #2 and so on. FInally at the end, person #1 gets the choice of any gift. Its fun because there's always lots of negotiating and deal making going on throughout. THere's always a few gifts that are $$$ than they should be (usually a bottle of wine or something) and a always a few real crappo white elephant type gifts and some joke gifts (my brother put in a plunger one year after another brother had clogged the toilet at Thanksgiving). And the children are involved in it, too, so some adult ends up with crayons and a coloring book, and the 7 year old might get the scratch tickets, so then more deal making ensues throughout the night. It's something that we have always done as long as I remember. Oh, and Mom always buys a few extra grab bag gifts (she's the hostess) so that if any random people show up they can play too.

My family did this for a long time, but no one opened ANY of them packages until the end. You'd have to choose what to take and swap entirely by what the packaging looked like, the weight, if it rattled when shook, etc. Many times the most "in demand" present turned out to be the crappiest gift