BellaOnline Forums Relationships Marriage Christmas Gift Buying

When you are dealing with your holiday shopping:

Who do you put more thought into shopping for (spouse, children, yourself, someone else)?

Who do you often spend the most on?

Spouse and child and I don't keep track of how much I spend.

I have a pretty strict budget so I am aware of what is spent on anything. Do you not follow a budget or is holiday spending a special time where you don't watch the pennies?

Well, in times past when money was really tight, we of course had to watch pennies.

We basically just get ideas of what we all would like, how the finances look, and go from there. We don't keep track of dollar amounts per se. My Mom, though... She has a strict limit of X dollars per person and all that. To me, I think this is silly...because a person then ends up spending money to get to a certain dollar amount and to be "fair". I'd much rather have a thoughtful gift (or better yet, a gift certificate) than to have "filler gifts" just to make it look like an abudance.

For example, when I was a child, I only wanted a few things. They were usually items like chemsistry sets, games, electronic games, etc. But instead of buying me what I really wanted, my Mom would spend a lot more money on [censored] stuff just so it looked like we had a "good Christmas". Never mind that the games or toys were of no interest to me; it just mattered that she spent X amount of dollars on "lots" of toys.

I guess I'm entirely different from my Mom in that it's not about amount of money spent or how "bountiful" it looks to observers.

Does that make sense?

Perhaps your mother bought into the idea that the floor must be stacked with gifts for it to be good and right.

I can grocery shop and decide before going in what I am getting and how much it will cost. Without a calculator, I know what I have spent when I get to the register.

My Christmas shopping is no different. I really don't set an amount for any one person but I have a tight budget overall to work with. And I am always acutely aware of what is spent so I remember what the items cost me.

LOL, my discussions with Janet rather got me off track on what I was after with these questions.

Over the years, I have discussed holiday meaning and traditions with so many people. I find it interesting that some think Christmas is about the gifts, and others think it is for children, some prefer to view it as a family time of love and others take a deeply religious/spiritual approach.

I certainly have my own views but I was interested in what others are doing.

Ah. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> The title of the thread, and the questions you asked, were about buying presents.

My husband and I freely buy one another gifts throughout the year, as well as my son. We like giving to each other--whether it be by helping each other at home, giving time and love, etc.

In many ways, it's always Christmas around here, but I especially love the carols, lights, colors, reverie, and facade of "peace on Earth, good will towards men" that abounds. It's a magical time.

The title was about buying presents. But I was thinking of deeeper things than price tags, budgets and sales, lol. But that was interesting too.

Last year and again this year, I see people agonising over getting just the right thing for their child. Some are planning to spend hundreds on one child. Does this equate love?

What about one's spouse? Do very many put as much time, attention and money in to that person. Or is Christmas just for the children?

I guess my ponderings are hard to put into direct questions and words.

Good conversation. For me Xmas time is more about family and traditions than gifts, but I think that is partially because for a long time I lived abroad and so holidays became very special, because now that I'm close to my family, I value this time we have together OR it was the only time I got to see them.

However, don't get me wrong <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I love giving and receiving gifts. I spend mostly on my parents, brother and significant other! I am also on a pretty tight budget, but one of the places that I'm shopping this year is Staples. They have some good choices in the home electronics department for my father who is difficult to shop for!! What places do you use to stay within your budget but still get good gifts?

I think it sometimes depends on an individuals love language, actually. (Here's an article I wrote on the different love languages: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art10664.asp )

Some people's love language is actually Gifts. Perhaps adults with this love language are more concerned about giving gifts to their children during the holidays, since we're likely to show love in the language/s that fill up our love tank. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />