Christmas was good to me again

[street]

Had Christmas with my son's family today and they are always so kind and giving.
Got a Fitbit charge 5, a pair of Crispi hunting hiking boots a game camera. Way too much and I wish they wouldn't buy so much.

Those boots are extremely pricy at $480 a handmade boot from Italy. He knows I would never buy a boot for myself that is of that quality. My type of boot is a Walmart $29 boot. Lol

How did everyone else fair for gifts?

 

[Car-Guy]

Sounds like you are having a good Christmas... The DW and I stopped giving gifts to each other several years ago but instead spend whatever we would have spent on ourselves, and spend it on the DD and her husband.

We did go out early this afternoon and had a real nice lunch at a local restaurant well before they started to close up for Christmas Eve. Also left a $100 tip for the waitress.

 

[Ginny]

My DH and I were both looking to surprise each other with a fire table/pit. We went together and got what we wanted!!

 

[Sunset]

We gave a bunch to various relatives, cash and gift cards as we don't really know what they would want so save them the issue of a bad choice and then return.

We don't get each other much by agreement as even that is hard and we already get what we want and have too much.. We do get tiny little things, just for the opening up thrill, often things we can share.

 

[Dash man]

DW and I stopped exchanging gifts a while back. The kids are so hard to buy for, we just give them some cash each year. For one son we guided him into opening a Roth IRA at Schwab and funded it. He had been a stay at home dad for four years, and now his wife left him for some creep. We’re giving some spendable cash today when he comes over, and also to our other son and his wife. We got several gifts for each of the grandkids and added a bonus to their 529 plans. The IRS is taking their quarterly gift on Tuesday.
Our gift to ourselves is heading to Florida on Tuesday for three months, beginning with a New Year’s Eve Caribbean cruise with DW’s sisters, brother-in-law and nephew. Can’t wait!

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

My parents sent me a card which will contain a few hundred dollar check. It's not necessary but appreciated and fungible so not particularly exciting. Sometimes I deposit it, sometimes, if there is something I've been not buying for myself I'll spend it so I have something "they bought" me that I'll occasionally think of. Not sure I have anything I want at the moment other than normal temperatures outside.



I made candied almonds that I've been sharing with friends. Later will meet one friend and her family for a brief stop and enjoy some cookies and probably a beer and snacks before going to a small gathering of friends for an "orphans" Christmas. I made pizza dough that we'll grill there and enjoy with his homebrewed beer and other goodies.


Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[Ronstar]

DW got me an air compressor and a garage door remote for my Polaris ranger. I got her a trip to a rodeo.

 

[street]

Wife and I give a small exchange of a gift but nothing big. We will be doing our kitchen remake so that will be a gift of love to each other.

 

[audreyh1]

We don’t wrap or exchange presents on Christmas. We already ordered our present to ourselves to be delivered next week.

Just us this year. We never decorate our house except this year we placed some poinsettias outside which we currently have inside due to our freeze. That’s about the extent of my patience with holiday decorating.

Ever since we’ve been married DH and I simply don’t observe holidays other than perhaps a special meal and a greeting unless visiting other family. No kids to drive it I suppose. Seems like too much bother except for the food part which we often do fancy throughout the year regardless of any occasion.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I like this thread. We don’t always “do” Christmas with a tree and gifts since it’s just the two of us. This year is an “off” year.

But this morning DH and I went into our closet and each brought out a box with brand new slippers we’d saved for today. His are his favorite LL Bean hut boots, and mine are hot pink Uggs in a style no longer made.

And we woke up this morning and found Santa had turned our internet back on after yesterday’s lengthy outage.

Merry Christmas morning!

 

[Teacher Terry]

My kids gave me gift cards to 2 restaurants that I love. I only exchange gifts with my sister and one friend. My ex took us out to a fancy restaurant Wednesday and paid for it. I took 1k of the money my friend left me and bought myself a matching coffee and end table, small area rug, new curtains, purse, socks and shoes. It was fun to do all that shopping at once and was like Xmas every time something arrived).

 

[pacergal]

Due to the storm, we haven't celebrated with kids yet.

DH and I have often used Christmas as an excuse to buy a higher priced item for the house that we need. This year, we bought the 4 kitchen knives made by Benchmade, custom designed, about $1100. They will re sharpen for life.
We really needed a great knife set, ours are all random ones., several years old.

 

[Buckeye]

I bought my neighbor a box of fireplace 'logs' from Costco. They use unseasoned wood in their fireplace which pours smoke down on us, especially during these low temps. This morning, I wished them a Merry Christmas and asked them to throw one of those logs on the fire because I woke up to the smell of smoke being pulled into my bedroom by my heat pump which is on the side of our house that is next to their house. DH and I don't usually exchange gifts anymore.

 

[aja8888]

This was my first Christmas alone for decades. I did go to DD's house this morning and had brunch with them. I did not decorate the house, or even bring out the 4' pre-decorated tree that DW loved so much. No gift buying except for DD and her husband and that was a card with a nice check in it.

Street, wear those nice boots as it is rough country where you are!

 

[Dtail]

Stopped gift giving on holidays and instead give surprise gifts at various times during the year.

 

[street]

This was my first Christmas alone for decades. I did go to DD's house this morning and had brunch with them. I did not decorate the house, or even bring out the 4' pre-decorated tree that DW loved so much. No gift buying except for DD and her husband and that was a card with a nice check in it.

Street, wear those nice boots as it is rough country where you are!

I will wear them with care, I may never wear them at all, with what they cost the kids! Lol

I wish you a great day and glad you had time with DD. Hope for the best for you and your wife.

 

[prudent_one]

We didn't exchange gifts as she prefers to get what she needs during the year when she needs it and will simply not ever ask or hint for anything indulgent. At our age we really don't need anything. The only thing I ever kinda-sorta splurge on is a collectible for my hobby and she knows she doesn't know enough to pick something appropriate, and it's kind of meaningless for her to give me money to buy one.

I would really like to get her something special sometimes but she just doesn't want things she doesn't need. One time a few years ago I said to take $500 and go buy some new clothes she'd like to have and she handed it back and said there are no new clothes she would like to have, she has a closet full of clothes that are perfectly fine. We had so many lean years I guess it cured (or cursed?) us of "wants" and now that there is some extra, neither one of us is that interested in splurging.

 

[athena53]

Those boots are extremely pricy at $480 a handmade boot from Italy. He knows I would never buy a boot for myself that is of that quality. My type of boot is a Walmart $29 boot. Lol

There's a difference, believe me. I have 4 pairs of boots and each pair ran around $500. All were made in the USA. The oldest pair is almost 20 years old and I still get compliments on them. Bonus: they don't end up in landfills after a couple of years and they're worth repairing although it's getting harder to find places that repair shoes and boots in this throwaway world. Enjoy them.

For me it's been a "better to give than to receive" year and I'm happy with that. I have a very good life and don't need/want anyone to spend money on me. I loved taking DDIL and my two granddaughters to The Nutcracker at Kauffman Center and last night I spent the night at a local hotel with the two girls, where we spent a lot of time in the pool and they ate too much stuff with sugar. They even like riding the elevators and exploring the other floors.

BF's family mostly trades gift cards among the adults. Not interested in that.

 

[street]

There's a difference, believe me. I have 4 pairs of boots and each pair ran around $500. All were made in the USA. The oldest pair is almost 20 years old and I still get compliments on them. Bonus: they don't end up in landfills after a couple of years and they're worth repairing although it's getting harder to find places that repair shoes and boots in this throwaway world. Enjoy them.

For me it's been a "better to give than to receive" year and I'm happy with that. I have a very good life and don't need/want anyone to spend money on me. I loved taking DDIL and my two granddaughters to The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center and last night I spent the night at a local hotel with the two girls, where we spent a lot of time in the pool and they ate too much stuff with sugar. They even like riding the elevators and exploring the other floors.

BF's family mostly trades gift cards among the adults. Not interested in that.

That is how I feel too. I wish the kids and wife would not get me gifts. I enjoy giving but I guess they feel the same way so maybe that is why they give too.

 

[jollystomper]

DW and I exchange a few "token" gifts, just small things usually related to our hobbies just to have something under the tree. Occasionally We will get each other "big" gifts, but only if the timing with the holidays works. Duing the year we each keep Amazon lists, at this time we share them and pick out a few things. I got her reading/painting/calligraphy related stuff, she got me golf/small electronics related stuff.

With our kids who live far way the best gift is hearing or seeing them. They could not travel this year (one set with grandkids will be coming in a couple of months), But we had a nice Zoom call with them, and DS who lives nearby came over with his GF. They usually also send a token hobby gift. Our DS and DIL with grandkids usually send something custom related to the grandkids, e.g. a calendar with pictures taken at our last visit with them.

 

[jazz4cash]

I think I overspent. We did not discuss an Xmas budget this year. Bought a Bunch of small gifts and gift cards. Oh, and I bought a new truck.

 

[jazz4cash]

I bought my neighbor a box of fireplace 'logs' from Costco. They use unseasoned wood in their fireplace which pours smoke down on us, especially during these low temps. This morning, I wished them a Merry Christmas and asked them to throw one of those logs on the fire because I woke up to the smell of smoke being pulled into my bedroom by my heat pump which is on the side of our house that is next to their house. DH and I don't usually exchange gifts anymore.

Sure hope that works for you and neighbors get the hint and/or notice how much better it is. Probably they’re using free wood and won’t pay for seasoned wood. BTW your heat pump is not pulling any air into your home….the smell is getting on some other way.

 

[brett]

We stopped giving Xmas gifts to each other ten years or so ago. We each have everything we want. If not, we would have bought it for ourselves.

I did buy DW got a box of Costco Belgium chocolates this year. Same as the last two or three years. That was the extent of it.

We give our children money and/or gifts. We buy for our grandchildren.

At the same time we stopped giving each other gifts we asked our children not to buy us any gifts.

We asked them to make a donation in our name to our local food bank in lieu of gifts. Works for them, works for us.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We gift money and gift cards to the kids and their partners for their big gifts. For things we can wrap and open, our family members usually exchange consumables and small token gifts like jewelry, candles, wine chocolates, fun socks and fancy beer. We also received some home made jams and cookies this year. I don't think DH got anything that wasn't edible since otherwise he is pretty hard to buy for. The one who got the most gifts to open was actually a cat who got a couple climbing towers, treats and play toys.

The best part is just visiting and all being together.

 

[Luvtoride]

For our DDs and their husbands we gave them gift cards and a thoughtful gift each (something we knew they each would like I.e. a great bottle of Tequila for my one SIL).

In addition, we gave each couple a gift certificate AND a “hard to get” Saturday night reservation at a new HOT Steakhouse restaurant near our shore home. This includes Babysitting for their kids on the night of the reservation. They were thrilled!