How Many People Do You Exchange Holiday Gifts With?

[orbitz]

None. I'm glad I don't have to deal with the hassle of Xmas shopping anymore, although I do enjoy strolling through the stores during the holidays.

[aliceanne]

1 at most, for Mr. Japanfan. My family doesn't celebrate Christmas really - at least not between us three siblings - and Mr. Japanfan's family decided to stop buying gifts some time ago.

To me it mostly seems a lot of stress and wasted money. Year after year people try to come up with gift ideas and a ton of money is wasted on stuff people don't want. Breadmakers and espresso makers and the like abound at Value Village after Christmas - fortunately for those of us who drink express coffee.

I do like to buy gifts for birthdays or take friend/family member out, but that's enough.

One word of advice: women have way too much hand creme. Is it just me, or is hand creme one of the most overly purchased inexpensive gifts. A friend just gave me some for my recent birthday and I fortunately was able to regift it. I've still got several tubes of hand creme from previous gifts lying around.

Send all that hand cream to me! I get dry skin in the winter.

I'm fine with re-gifting. I figure if I didn't get someone something they wanted, at least I saved them a trip to the mall. The joy is in being remembered at Christmas, if you make gift giving an obligation or feel obligated to reciprocate it isn't the same. Do something else to show your love and appreciation.

[jamesy]

Way too many. My siblings need to stop breeding.

[my little pony]

get them condoms

[Twilight1]

Husband, mil, fil, stepdad, cousin, bil, 4 nieces,aunt, a 2ndcousin, 2 nephews, 6 friends so 20 total

[numbers123]

My immediate family and our parents. Husband and I don't get each other gifts (that is our gift to each other )
15
Son and dil, granddaughters x2 and grandson
Son and dil
Son and grandson
Donation in my parents name to Heifer International
My husband's father
And small gift to 4 of my friends (usually under $5.00)

[mikey]

One. I can't stand the hassle and "obligation" to give gifts, many of which are pretty meaningless. One or two special gifts to the main person in my life, and then I am done with it all...

[milanessa]

22. That doesn't include the odd cash to some folk - postman, etc. I absolutely don't expect a gift in return from any of them but enjoy when it happens, think nothing of it when it doesn't.

I don't usually have any hassle since I buy year round. If I'm in a shop and see something that I know Anne would like I get it then - malls and Christmas week shopping are anathema to me.

[PDilemma]

22. That doesn't include the odd cash to some folk - postman, etc. I absolutely don't expect a gift in return from any of them but enjoy when it happens, think nothing of it when it doesn't.

I don't usually have any hassle since I buy year round. If I'm in a shop and see something that I know Anne would like I get it then - malls and Christmas week shopping are anathema to me.

I used to shop year round. But now I rarely have any money and have to get my husband to pay. And he doesn't get the year round Christmas shopping thing. What I really can't stand is when he sees something that would be a good Christmas gift for someone and says "we should remember that at Christmas time" to which I inevitably say "or we should just buy it now".

I enjoy giving gifts. It kind of bothers me that that is increasingly considered wrong and frivolous. What is happening in our society that so many have decided that other people being kind and generous to them is something bad?

[JasperBoy]

Okay, here is where I am taking a chance on being flamed. What about tips of cash to various people? Letter carriers for example? Or teachers?
My criteria is this....if they belong to a union they shouldn't need a tip. Similarly, the person is a professional or owns their own business. For the most part these are well paid people who do not need tips to reward them for doing their jobs. That is built into their pay scale.

OTOH, I agree with giving a cash gift for special service to anyone receiving the minimum wage, or depending on tips on a daily basis.

This goes back to idea of Boxing Day, when the Lord of the Manor dispensed boxes containing cash bonuses to his staff who gave him personal service during the year. It now implies a servile dependency that doesn't really sit well in this era.

[milanessa]

This goes back to idea of Boxing Day, <snip>

Does it really? There seems to be a rough parallelism on the surface but how do you know this?

[JasperBoy]

Does it really? There seems to be a rough parallelism on the surface but how do you know this?

If you are asking how do I know about Boxing Day, here is the first line of the Wikipedia entry

Boxing Day is traditionally the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradespeople would receive gifts from their superiors[1] or employers, known as a "Christmas box".

That explains the parellelism with those who now give gifts to people who provide services.

[milanessa]

No. My question was how do you know the practice of giving gifts to service people in the US is derived from Boxing Day traditions. They may seem similar on the surface - I'm just not sure one can be said to be the antecedent of the other.

[Sparks]

In my family, we stopped exchanging presents somewhere around 15 to 20 years ago. Partly because the extended family was too large and partly because everybody was starting their own familes. We did the "one gift" exchange for a while before that, where everyone's name was put in a hat and everbody picked out one name and then bought a gift for that person. Anyway, I haven't done gift exchanges with anybody for over a decade. So my holiday shopping is always done!! I love it this way. It's much more relaxed when we get together for dinner and it's just about the people. And the food.

So the poll question is, how many people do you exchange gifts with during the holiday season? Anything else you wanna share or talk about is cool as well. Happy holidays!

I'm with you, my Poodle. My answer is ZERO!

[PeterG]

I'm with you, my Poodle. My answer is ZERO!

CHEAP PEOPLE ON THE WORLD, UNITE!!!

[BittyBug]

PeterG, you forgot the option I need, which is "Too many."

There is not a damn one of us in my circle who needs anything, so trying to find a gift is a pain in the patootie - pressure, angst, and inevitably, overspending just to be able to check a name off a list and be done with it.

I am a generous person but I like to give when I know it's needed or when it's inspired, and I hate the pressure and obligations of the holidays. And quite frankly the commercialization of Christmas makes me very depressed. How many of the earth's resources are wasted producing, distributing and wrapping useless crap, which will shortly end up in a landfill so that its toxic elements can leach into the earth. Do we really need a present from someone to know that we are loved or valued? I think not but try as we might to wean ourselves from the (forced) tradition, it doesn't seem to happen.

I'd much rather get a call, or a card with more than a signature, or go out to dinner to spend some time together, than receive a gift.

[BigB08822]

I buy for about 8 people. My mom, stepmom, dad, stepdad, brother, sister-in-law, grandparents (only 1 gift for them both) and nephew. My bf buys for his family and I buy for mine, we just slap each others names on the gifts. I try to keep it to that but usually there are other gifts I end up having to get. For example, at our family christmas party we play white elephant so I have to buy a gift for that. I would say 10 gifts is a good estimate, which I don't think is so bad.

I am trying to wean the number down. My bf and I don't exchange gifts. We no longer exchange with his siblings and instead buy for his parents and niece and nephew. I think next year I will mention about not exchanging with my brother and sister-in-law. I don't want to be cheap but I don't need anything and neither do they. We aren't rich so that we can buy whatever we want but we make a living and have what we need to live comfortably. I'd rather just see each other at Christmas than get another shirt I don't like. Honestly, I love when people give me homemade gifts, like cookies, fudge, etc. I always appreciate and remember that so much more than something bought at the store.

[JasperBoy]

No. My question was how do you know the practice of giving gifts to service people in the US is derived from Boxing Day traditions. They may seem similar on the surface - I'm just not sure one can be said to be the antecedent of the other.

I guess I really can't speak about the tradition as it relates to the US. I know that the custom in Canada was imported from The Old Country, AKA England. I suppose it might have been common in other European countries with a feudal society. But why Americans give gift to service people, I really can't say with any accuracy. I suspect, however, that the basis is the same, and goes back to pre-revolutionary days. That would make a great thesis!

[Prancer]

Four--husband, two kids and one friend who always insists on getting me something, so I have to get her something.

I don't consider it a huge hassle. Friend is fairly easy to buy something for, and so are husband and kids. Other people? Not so much.

Curses, make that five--I forgot that BYTCH and I always exchange "gifts" and sometimes gifts. One never knows what will come out of the box.

[Japanfan]

I enjoy giving gifts. It kind of bothers me that that is increasingly considered wrong and frivolous. What is happening in our society that so many have decided that other people being kind and generous to them is something bad?

We are talking about Christmas gifts here in particular, not giving gifts or generosity in general. I enjoy giving gifts too, but prefer to reserve that for birthdays or other 'just because' occasions. For example, I'm passing on my old lap top to a friend who is terrified of technology and computers. I think she might really enjoy the Internet for a variety of reasons. It's an old and worthless laptop, but I'm enjoying bookmarking some sites for her and looking forward to seeing whether she can overcome her fear. She is kind of excited about it too.

With respect to Christmas gifts, there is the commercialism component and the sense of obligation. I personally find the commercialism off-putting. People end up buying a ton of stuff for way too much money that others don't want or need, or will never use, just because they have to buy a gift. If you are buying for a ton of family members/friends, taking each out for a meal - always a good option if you don't want/need to buy stuff - isn't feasible. And people get all stressed out having to shop for presents.