Your Christmas Shopping List

[luvflorida]

...I do try to group gifts for families and get a family gift. Like a zoo memebership or something like that...

I like this!

Over the years, I've gotten away from buying "stuff" for Christmas (nobody in my family NEEDS anything) and gone more towards trip or activity-type gifts and gift cards. I know some people frown on gift cards, but honestly, there is not one person in our family that doesn't LOVE gift cards!

I'd much rather give gift cards (stores, bookstores, restaurants) to friends and family members and let them get what they want. My daughters, in particular, get very excited over gift cards. They love looking forward to spending a day shopping, eating lunch, then shopping some more. So do I!

Exceptions would be a family board game or card game that I think everyone would enjoy playing on Christmas Day. And our grandson. He is two and I LOVE shopping for him! I see that ToysRUs just released a multiple page sale flyer totally devoted to train items, so I'm all set!

I like the idea of zoo memberships, "adopting" an endangered species, gift certificates for classes (Gymboree, cooking, gardening, whatever might interest someone) or giving spending money for a planned family trip.

Oops! Edited to add: I realize I didn't answer the OP's question! Our family members have seriously pared down both gift-giving and card-sending. There were many years of large family get-togethers with lots of grandchildren running around and lots of gift exchanging. All of my nieces and nephews and my husband's neices and nephews are grown now. Everyone is more scattered now and there are very few little ones. However, I can see down the road, the circle completing itself as our kids marry and have kids. I feel this is the calm before the storm! So, gift-giving is down to about six family members this year.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Not nearly like yours.

Let's see.

Family: 12 (plus our own kids)
Friends: 2 (don't exchange with most)
Teachers: 7
Employees: 6

 

[DVCLiz]

Not nearly like yours.

Let's see.

Family: 12 (plus our own kids)
Friends: 2 (don't exchange with most)
Teachers: 7
Employees: 6

How many kids do you have? Because I count 27 plus kids which makes it at least 29, possibly 30. That's not terribly far off from 39!

 

[Stargazer]

We have 15 (mostly family members-12), 2 school teachers, and 1 for a co-worker gift exchange.

 

[Liberty Belle]

How many kids do you have? Because I count 27 plus kids which makes it at least 29, possibly 30. That's not terribly far off from 39!

I have two kids. Darn, you're right! And I forgot the bus drivers and neighbor.

 

[DVCLiz]

I have two kids. Darn, you're right! And I forgot the bus drivers and neighbor.

I forgot one person on my original list, too. Now I'm up to 40!

 

[pigletgirl]

Lets see...
6 siblings -- however I'm going to do a gift together for the 2 littlest girls
Parents
DF
Closest friends (8)
Total of 16....
now my friends won't be getting huge things as I'm buying their bridesmaids dresses as a gift to them...they are more than happy with that. I will probably end up making cookies and giving them away.

 

[ilovepcot]

Deleted.

 

[jordansmomma]

My 3 kids, one will only be 2-3 months old, DBF, my cousin, her BF and son. 1 teacher.
So just 7

 

[kldmom2000]

Too many....

 

[Buckalew11]

DH (last year we skipped so I'd like to exchange this Christmas, we'll see...)
DD
DD's BFF
MIL
Mom (already bought hers!!)
Cousin Karen and her family (4 total)
Great nephews (by Christmas I'll have 2!!)

My sisters and I don't exchange. I do a dinner and movie night with the kids which is a blast!

My hairdresser.

So twelve and we'll buy gifts for an Angel Tree family or someone we find who needs a Christmas. Those are always the most fun to do!

 

[Cinderelly5507]

Adults: 11 (includes DH)
Teens: 2
Kids: 10 (including my daughter)
Friends: 2
Teachers: 3 (2 preschool and 1 dance)
Secret Santa Game: 1
Total: 29

 

[indimom]

Hubby and the kids - 3
Both sets grandparents - 4
Stocking Stuffers for the nieces and nephews - 9
Kids gift exchange for my immediate family party - 2
White Elephant Gift for my extended family party - 2 (if we participate)
Kids gift exchange for my extended family party -2
White Elephant gift for my hubby's family party - 2 (if we participate)
My BFF - 1
My day care kids - 12


37 Total (If we skip the white elephant style exchanges, it drops to 33. Sometimes we participate and sometimes we don't. Depends on if we can come up with a good gift.)
My hubby's heart would stop if he saw this number!!!!

 

[Mommy2cody]

DH
Son (9)
Mom
Step-Dad
Sister
Brother
Bio-Dad
Step-Mom

(Secret Santa @ Bio-Dad/Step-Mom's Christmas Eve party....this is between all the adults on my Dad's side)

** this year my youngest cousin (Dad's side) and his wife are having a baby girl in November, so I will have a new baby to buy for this year!! **

Cousin (Mom"s side, who is like my sister) and her 3 girls (2 twin 5 year olds and a 9 year old)

DH's 3 nephews (2 twin 5 year olds and an 11 year old)

A small family style gift for DH's Brother and SIL

My MIL and DH's Step-Father

DH's Bio-Dad

The girls in my office always exchange something small, usually something around $15 for each, so 4 (One of the girls in having a baby girl in January and I can't stop buying her clothes, so I am sure I will get her something for the baby, and another girl has the cutest 2 year old boy so I am sure I will get him something as well!!)

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

4 kids
3 nieces + 1 nephew + plus a cat gift for the one that doesn't have children. (her cats are her kids and we feel it fair so that she isn't left out when she does stuff for our kids)

2 sets of parents

then if we do immediate family...5 sibling+SO gift sets

also plan on beginning a tradition similAr to what another DISer,
CathrynRose I think, receives every year. A box of homemade edible goodies. But my box won't look anywhere near as nice as the one she gets. I'm not that crafty or good of a cook. Will start with immediate family for that.

 

[Mr.MouseFan]

About 15 people here. That's not the issue this year for me. The Christmas lights / outdoor decorations took a beating last year and I've got multiple strands of lights/decorations to replace.

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

I've already finished my Christmas shopping. I started in July lol.

SIL27 a D&B disney wristlet
SILs husband a Tommy Bahama button down shirt with matching flip flops lol
Niece 5 Disney Princess Magical Talking Vanity, and a couple of Squinkie packs
Nephew 4 U-Command WALL*E remote control toy, and a WALL E figurine playset
Niece 3 Disney Princess Deluxe Talking Kitchen, and a Vinylmation set since she's too small to have Squinkies
BIL25 a 3g Kindle
BIL19 a Jetblue gift card so he can visit his girlfriend in Florida when he wants to.
MIL a Saeco Espresso machine
FIL a box of cuban cigars
My mom a Sephora gift card
My dad a portable police/fire/emergency scanner
My grandmother a music box that plays a favorite Dutch lullaby
My husbands commanding officer gets a monogrammed inkpen
The mailman, trash collectors, my boss, and the group my husband commands get a $10 Dunkin Donuts gift card.
Everyone else (neighbors, extended family that may drop by, etc) get a batch of my home made Christmas cookies.
Everyone not included here that I want to remember at Christmas gets a Christmas card.

 

[Julia M]

DH
Our three kids (18, 16, 13)
My parents
DH's mom
Dh's brother and sister (he has 7, but we only buy for the two single ones, who also don't make alot of money)
Dh's niece (he has 15, plus spouses and 7 great nieces and nephews, but we only buy for one, who has some developmental delays)
my 4 nephews (only ones on my side of family)
my brother (who is single)
my sister (money is very tight for them) and her significant other
my staff at work......7 teachers, 2 SLP's 1 psychologist, 3 OT's 3 custodians, 2 office staff, 16 ABA staff, 2 behaviorists and 13 aides..........this is my budget buster!!!
giving tree gifts
one male family friend
my four girlfriends

I am trying to start to plan now for my staff. I'm lucky-I usually do magazines for my nephews and it lets me buy through my kids magazine drive, so I kill two birds with one stone!

I plan to reduce gifts for my kids, unless I know they really want it, and do gift cards.

I am also working to reduce my budget a bit-we'll see if that happens!!

Julia

 

[MichelleVW]

Wow...I have a very small number by choice.

2 kids, DH (maybe but we don't usually do gifts), and my mom. I have a big family, but I hate shopping, wrapping, all that goes along with Christmas gifts, so I just don't do it.

 

[ksjayhawks]

DS
DD, her dh
2 grandkids
my mom
mil/fil
2 friends
1 work friend
3 neighbor families
neighbors mom