2024, Family, holidays, Technology

Gifting

28 Comments

I can’t remember the last time I set out of the house to go shopping for Christmas presents for our family and loved ones. I spent much of my morning yesterday scrolling through the Amazon lists and other lists of things our son, daughter, and daughter in law wanted and conveniently sent to us. A few clicks, and their gifts were on the way. Later this week I will fill the treat boxes for our far flung friends and family and get them to UPS to deliver.

Husband and I told the kids we didn’t want any presents this year as we don’t want more possessions that we will have to move. I don’t think either of them listened to us, and we will get books at a minimum. I also told daughter that bubble bath and toiletries were good options for me if she really wanted to get me something.

Right now I don’t have the time or the energy to go physically from store to store in a mall or in a big box store shopping for people. Is that a sad commentary on our current state of affairs, or something to rejoice over? I am not sure.

How does your family gift one another? What are you hoping for this Christmas?

28 thoughts on “Gifting”

  1. I grew up with the norm that choosing gifts was the way to go. I even bristled at having a registry when I got married in 1978.

    But YA whooped that traditional norm right out of me. Starting in her tweens, I quit buying clothing for her unless she was there to pick it out. And as the years have gone by she has gradually worn me down on lists. Not only does she provide me a list (with links) but she nags me until I give her a list for myself. I do try to keep the element of surprise alive a bit with her advent calendar and the stocking but that’s about it.

    The rest of the holiday is hand-made so except for giftcards for a few folks, I don’t do much out-of-the-house shopping. It hasn’t seemed to free up much time though!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  2. I grew up where we got lots of presents and gave lots of presents–nothing super expensive, because we were “lower middle class” I suppose. But we always had a sea of wrapping paper on the living room floor on Christmas morning after opening gifts.

    In early adulthood, it was basically one gift per person and just the immediate family–parents, sibs, in-laws, their kids. About 20 years ago, when all the kids were adults, we switched to donating the money we would have spent on gifts to a local charity of our choice. Still do that every year. Just made our donations last week. Much more satisfying and NO MALLS to wade through! 🙂

    Chris in Owatonna

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

      1. YA and I spend Christmas Eve with our close friends, Julie and Alan and their hoarde. 14 grandkids, aged 15 and under. You may think you’ve seen a lot of wrapping paper but believe me, this gathering holds the record!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  3. I kind of miss the shopping in person, but like Renee, don’t have much time or energy for it. Luckily the people on our list mostly want gift cards, or just some cash! For the little kids, I will shop at the LOCAL bookstores for some books to send… Whoa, I’d better get on that!
    One family gets a recurring subscription to Nat’l Geographic Kids…

    And my sister and I usually just save it up till we get together. Since she was just here, we told each other what we’d like, and we may send each other actual gifts this time. Husband and I just buy something together if we see something we need. This year it went into tires for the Prius. : ) Or I’ll buy myself something I want and put it under the tree.
    I do have a couple of 1000-piece puzzles stashed away for him…

    Let’s see, what was the question? Back later…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  4. I grew up in a family where gifts were always surprises. I married into a family where lists were expected in order to facilitate shopping. I prefer the surprises.
    I have an Amazon account, but prefer not to use it unless I’m in particular need of a specific item SOON. I’d rather not enrich the man who has everything.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. I try to buy local but some things are just easier online. I just ordered a package of oversized rubber bands (for the organic recycling container on the back porch). I called around to the closest hardware stores but nobody carried them. Amazon to the rescue.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. We got lots of presents as kids. There were small gifts, plus big Delicious apples and huge oranges in our stockings. We never got candy. Dad was a dentist and candy was forbidden. Large gifts, like x-c skis or sleds, were brought by Santa, and opened in the morning on Christmas Day. Smaller and more practical things, like clothing, were opened with the grandparents on Christmas Eve. There were always a few toys or games on Christmas Eve too, but the big stuff was always Christmas morning.

    My brothers simply didn’t want to continue gift-giving at all after we got older and their kids grew up. We did white elephant gift exchanges for a while, but my brothers just didn’t see the point. My inner child kind of misses all the Christmas fun. My youngest brother and his family sometimes invite me over on Christmas Eve. I don’t know how my other brother celebrates now.

    Some friends are talking about going to the Hideaway (a restaurant here) for their annual free Christmas dinner. The Hideaway gives the community a Christmas dinner on Christmas Day every year. I think it’s amazing. Their food is always good, and lots of other holiday orphans attend.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. This is such a expansive topic to explore! Kelly bought herself a Vikings shirt recently, then left the package for me to wrap as a gift. I laughed. We often end up just buying ourselves stuff for the other to gift! It’s just easier that way sometimes. But yeah, there will be some surprises as well. And really, how much more stuff do we need??

    My immediate family, we usually all do gifts, but small, simple things or homemade crafts. My sister is the crafty one who takes “junk” and makes decorations. (Personally, and don’t tell her, but I don’t need any more decorations, even if it is the doo-hicky, and rusty nail from the barn).

    Daughter is very particular too. She’s got a list and anything deviating from the list gets a “Well that wasn’t on my list!” from her. No buffer with her. As Kelly said one day, “We’re all thinking it, she just says it.” Yep.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. One “big” gift and a couple of small ones, that’s what my sister and I would typically get throughout our childhood. I remember only two of the “big” gifts. One was a a big fancy doll that dad had brought home from the US, the other was a turquoise bicycle when I was sixteen. Only the bicycle was a complete surprise. My mother was terrible at keeping secrets and would usually spill the beans before Christmas Eve. On this occasion, I’m guessing that dad must have kept it a secret from her until the last minute. The smaller gifts were things like coloring books and crayons, puzzles, and cartoon magazines; things to keep us busy over the holidays.

    Nowadays we don’t really do much in the way of celebrating Christmas. Hans is a real Scrooge and has been for many years. No tree, no strings of light, no decorations, or Christmas music, although I still like to prepare some of the traditional Danish foods associated with Christmas. It’s a lot of work getting the house all gussied up for the holidays, and when I’m the only one noticing and appreciating it, it hardly seems worth the effort. It doesn’t help that I haven’t been able to start my car since before Thanksgiving, I’m completely dependent on Hans to do the shopping.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  10. Ours has never been a “list” family. My daughter started doing them for our grandchild, but they’re mainly for out-of-town in-laws.

    We used to be one of the families swimming in a sea of gift wrap on Christmas, but now we don’t exchange as many gifts. Everyone is grown up (except the grandchild) and buys what they need, so the gifts are usually little treats that a person might not buy themselves. A couple of years ago, I got a potato masher, because I complained about the old one we’d had for forty years. I love it.

    I like to shop local whenever I can. The cities have lots of nice independent toy stores, book stores, and gift shops. If I buy something online, I try to get it from a small retailer rather than the big behemoths.

    The only thing I want for Christmas is more time to get ready for it and enjoy it.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. I moved from the Twin Cities to Winona 8 years ago, but still miss some of my favorite bookstores…
      And there used to be a great toy store in Linden Hills called Wild Rumpus, but I think it’s gone now. They had a live chicken walking around…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. Wild Rumpus is still there! It’s a bookstore, and I haven’t seen the chicken since before the pandemic, but it’s still the best kids’ bookstore.

        There was a Creative Kidstuff toy store in Linden Hills, but it went out of business and was replaced by a toy store called Pinwheels and Play, which is packed to the ceiling with fabulous toys.

        Like

        Reply

  11. Finally, a minute to write. We have a new laundry machines drama going on here. Yesterday the new machines finally arrived after needing to wait for an 8 week backorder on Maytag washer and dryer. The old 20 year Kenmore set was carted off, leaving the plumbers and I to discover that the new set is 4″ too tall for the space where the old units sat (stackables). I was so mad. I pouted for two hours while I waited for mymind to produce a solution. I texted the carpenter who is so good to us. He arrived this morning to enlarge the space. The laundry will be installed Friday after the drywall is dry and painted. God Bless this guy. Who knew units had been expanded so much?!

    Meanwhile, Christmas when I was a child was not much fun for us. After dad became ill, all the life went out of it. So now I try to celebrate with friends, but we do not do more than church on Christmas Eve, a few gifts and a special meal at home. For gifts with my son and my step-daughter, we try to focus on gifting experiences that would be fun, like a play or concert. I have come to really enjoy going to the movies on Christmas Day. This year I would like to see Wicked (tickets not yet offered on sale) and Conclave. This way the day passes pleasantly. We rarely go to a movie theater anymore, so seeing some movies in a theater that are good on the big screen has become special.

    This year we have already had two very nice Christmas parties. A family Lou’s Parkinson’s Program here in EP hosted a meal for us Monday. It was a wonderful experience. We had time to sit and really visit with some other patients and spouses who were really interesting and fun. That was just a wonderful gift to the group from that family.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  12. I am hoping to get gifts that are consumable, like gift cards and edible things (good quality chocolate is always welcome, as is wine) rather than stuff that must be incorporated into my living space and maintained. I am looking for gift cards to give out as well. New restaurants. Theatre tickets. That sort of thing.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Krista Cancel reply