Wow. This is absolutely me this year. Christmas has become so crazily commercial that I can't even enjoy it. So... this year, my husband and I are committed to giving a single gift to each of our grown kids, their wives, and our grandkids. That's it. Because it's all we can handle. Let somebody else do that super special and complicated multivariate social calculus. Count us out. Thanks for this post. And God bless you as you navigate the season. 🌻
I propose the perfect HWFO solution: only buy people firearms, firearm equipment, or ammo. It's like being a single issue voter but for Christmas gifts.
There's an app or program called Elfster. Get your family to join. Each person is assigned one other person to buy a gift for. People post lists of ideas for gifts for themselves. It's improved our Christmases times infinity.
You left out the proliferation of inflatable plastic yard decorations that during the day make yards look like recycling centers after a windstorm. Inflatable landfill.
If I want to give someone a gift, I give them a gift. For no damn reason other than I want to give them a gift. I so resent obligatory gifting for holidays and birthday days
The solution to the problem of gift-giving (and shopping) is books. I started giving everyone books for Christmas thirty years ago. It takes some thought... you do want to buy books that others will enjoy... but it simplifies the shopping and may even be pleasurable for those who enjoy browsing in book stores.
This is me every year. Except the anxiety about the gifts often bleeds over to everything else.
Oh, and my wife doesn't think it's fair that she has to do so much of the gift work, but offers to do it anyway to the point of buying herself stocking stuffers (gotta pack that stocking full of crap nobody asked for) and I just end up feeling bad about the whole thing.
I don’t know dude. Seems to me you care waaay too much what people think about you and what you gift them. Personally I buy what I buy,giving zero consideration to weather or not it’s expensive enough or not. And if the recipient of the gift doesn’t like it cause it’s not worth enough for him/her. Well not someone that will remain in my small gift circle anyway. Bottom line,since I’m not a religious believer anyway,to me and my type of people I surround myself with,it’s about getting to enjoy each others company,enjoy fine meal together. Hope Christmas gets better for ya bro.
That multivariate social analysis shit seems way more complicated than anything I could ever figure out. My solution is to be *completely erratic* in my gift giving from year to year, and to also give people "Christmas presents" on all sorts of days that are nowhere near any recognized value of $CHRISTMAS. Nobody expects anything of me because nobody has any idea what to expect from me, and boy howdy do they get it good and hard. 🤣🤣🤣
Plus, it's really fun to baffle people by walking up to them in like, June, handing them a box, and yelling out "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
I used to have so much anxiety at Christmas because of the gift giving. I am a person who feels I have to give the “perfect” gift. And then I would be disappointed when I received gifts that I didn’t seem thoughtful.
So after many years I finally said this is too much, I’m starting to hate Christmas because of the obligatory gifts. So my husband and I decided to tell our family and friends no more gift exchanges. And I think they were all relieved too!
Except my husband and I will exchange gifts. We each buy exactly what we want and give it to the other to wrap, although we do buy a few “surprises “. It has worked out so great for us and like Christmas now.
We’ve been together almost 50 years so that’s a lot of Christmases!
Christmas has been perverted into commercial nonsense. Nobody thinks of Jesus, which Christmas isn't even Jesus' birthday, but at least people were thinking of him. Now it's a nightmare. They just consume.
The church just paved over the old Yuletide celebrations of heathen Northern Europe. It's only fair that the successor religion of consumerism would re-pave it.
Wow. This is absolutely me this year. Christmas has become so crazily commercial that I can't even enjoy it. So... this year, my husband and I are committed to giving a single gift to each of our grown kids, their wives, and our grandkids. That's it. Because it's all we can handle. Let somebody else do that super special and complicated multivariate social calculus. Count us out. Thanks for this post. And God bless you as you navigate the season. 🌻
As a child, on Christmas day, I'd watch two uncles shake hands and exchange $10 bills. Seemed like a pretty good system.
My (much) older brother used to give me cash for my birthday. Worked for me.
The evil version would be the bet from Trading Places. One dollar.
I propose the perfect HWFO solution: only buy people firearms, firearm equipment, or ammo. It's like being a single issue voter but for Christmas gifts.
There's an app or program called Elfster. Get your family to join. Each person is assigned one other person to buy a gift for. People post lists of ideas for gifts for themselves. It's improved our Christmases times infinity.
Judaism's great, comes with many benefits, and has absolutely no drawbacks. You're already circumcised, right?
You left out the proliferation of inflatable plastic yard decorations that during the day make yards look like recycling centers after a windstorm. Inflatable landfill.
If I want to give someone a gift, I give them a gift. For no damn reason other than I want to give them a gift. I so resent obligatory gifting for holidays and birthday days
It’s a great time of year to be Jewish.
The solution to the problem of gift-giving (and shopping) is books. I started giving everyone books for Christmas thirty years ago. It takes some thought... you do want to buy books that others will enjoy... but it simplifies the shopping and may even be pleasurable for those who enjoy browsing in book stores.
I tell my wife every Christmas that next year we're going Jew.
Oh. My. God.
This is me every year. Except the anxiety about the gifts often bleeds over to everything else.
Oh, and my wife doesn't think it's fair that she has to do so much of the gift work, but offers to do it anyway to the point of buying herself stocking stuffers (gotta pack that stocking full of crap nobody asked for) and I just end up feeling bad about the whole thing.
I don’t know dude. Seems to me you care waaay too much what people think about you and what you gift them. Personally I buy what I buy,giving zero consideration to weather or not it’s expensive enough or not. And if the recipient of the gift doesn’t like it cause it’s not worth enough for him/her. Well not someone that will remain in my small gift circle anyway. Bottom line,since I’m not a religious believer anyway,to me and my type of people I surround myself with,it’s about getting to enjoy each others company,enjoy fine meal together. Hope Christmas gets better for ya bro.
That multivariate social analysis shit seems way more complicated than anything I could ever figure out. My solution is to be *completely erratic* in my gift giving from year to year, and to also give people "Christmas presents" on all sorts of days that are nowhere near any recognized value of $CHRISTMAS. Nobody expects anything of me because nobody has any idea what to expect from me, and boy howdy do they get it good and hard. 🤣🤣🤣
Plus, it's really fun to baffle people by walking up to them in like, June, handing them a box, and yelling out "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
I used to have so much anxiety at Christmas because of the gift giving. I am a person who feels I have to give the “perfect” gift. And then I would be disappointed when I received gifts that I didn’t seem thoughtful.
So after many years I finally said this is too much, I’m starting to hate Christmas because of the obligatory gifts. So my husband and I decided to tell our family and friends no more gift exchanges. And I think they were all relieved too!
Except my husband and I will exchange gifts. We each buy exactly what we want and give it to the other to wrap, although we do buy a few “surprises “. It has worked out so great for us and like Christmas now.
We’ve been together almost 50 years so that’s a lot of Christmases!
Pretty sure you are overthinking this.
Pretty sure he's got a brand-new girlfriend.
Christmas has been perverted into commercial nonsense. Nobody thinks of Jesus, which Christmas isn't even Jesus' birthday, but at least people were thinking of him. Now it's a nightmare. They just consume.
The church just paved over the old Yuletide celebrations of heathen Northern Europe. It's only fair that the successor religion of consumerism would re-pave it.
I don't find this to be a problem at all. I just never buy Christmas gifts and make sure people know I don't want them either.
If I'm going to give a gift, it will be for something individually meaningful such as a birthday or wedding.