Christmas Shopping

[Jim Oaks]

Does anyone else struggle with Christmas shopping??

For some reason this year I just can't seem to figure it out, and I don't have as much to spend as past years which makes it more challenging. My 'kids' are 28 and 30, and they're both married and both now have a daughter celebrating their first Christmas. I got a few things for my granddaughters. Easy, but not easy. It will be easier when they're old enough to tell me what they want. My son doesn't know what he wants. I think my daughter-in-law has come to expect that my gift will include fuzzy socks. My daughter wants me to do the Angel Tree at Walmart instead of buying her and her husband anything, but the catch with that is that you have to buy everything on the list. That could get expensive or I could end up buying a stranger more than what I bought my granddaughters.

Times like this is when I wish I had a wife or girlfriend. As much as I dislike my ex-girlfriend, I can honestly say that she was a good gift giver.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Gift cards for things you know they’ll use or cash. That’s the easy thing and it doesn’t get returned.

My parents often tell me what they want or I’ll get annoyed at dad borrowing something all the time and get him one of those. My brother, it’s been a tradition to give each other a mixed case of beer. Both of us like a lot of different craft beer so it’s a pretty solid gift and we usually end up chilling some down and having some to compare tasting notes. Makes for a fun little tradition and neither of us are big on getting drunk (plus you can’t taste nuances in beer when you’re drunk and that defeats the purpose of craft beer).

Sometimes I’ll get something for a friend but most of the time I don’t. Just if I happen across something it happens. Most of the rest of the family has gone their own way so that takes care of that.

 

[Jim Oaks]

For about the past 8-years I have made sugar cookies and taken them to my daughters. Usually before Christmas. That has become something that my son-in-law looks forward to.

 

[pjtoledo]

I drew my daughter in law for the gift exchange then promptly went shopping at Cabelas.
we were supposed to get only one item, but when I spotted the pink earplugs I didn't have the heart to put the other gift back.

 

[superj]

I think christmas should be another meal holiday instead of gifts. It so commercialized and people go into debt to try to buy presents. Its stupid and ruins the holiday by causing fighting in familes


We could cancel christmas and i would be fine. I am so tired of the bs that is christmas now days

 

[Uncle Gump]

We started doing silver coin for the grandkids. Not a lot... but have been doing so for birthday and Christmas. Wife also got them handmade wooden boxes to keep them in. In time... they can look back over the years with coins that depict a given years big events.

They also get something fun of course.

We just bought the youngest two tires for her car...

The rest of the family this year... ear and eye protection... and things that go boom. Was the easiest Christmas shopping I've ever done.

 

[Rick W]

I’m 100% on board with Christmas being to commercial. With the Internet and TV jabbering constantly that you have to keep up or beat the Joneses, they’ll never be able to give anything that will be sincerely appreciated. OK, off my soapbox.

I always think one of the best things is the gift of time, at memorialize it with a nice photo in a frame. You can go on a picnic, or maybe go to a special restaurant, or an event place, whatever. But you go as a family. And when you are there, have someone take some pictures so that you are all in the pictures. Take a bunch, so you know you end up with at least one or two good ones.

Print the pictures a good size, maybe 5 x 7 or a little bit bigger, and put them in a double frame. In the other side of the frame, just write a little note, a letter about what you did and how much you enjoyed it maybe mentioning a couple Funny or loving things that happened. It’s not like getting a new doll or a new wagon, but it is something they will carry and remember all their lives.

I hate gift cards, I think a gift should be thought out and personal to the person If you feel compelled to hand them an item, that just takes conversation with them and observing what they’re into. Maybe look around their rooms, and just regularly ask what they’re going to be doing today or tomorrow. I would still write the little note, and put it in a frame, or at least put it in a nice folder, and just tell them to keep it for later and we’ll all look at it in 10 years and see what we remember.

Or maybe a unique piece of clothing with something embroidered on it. You could just get them denim jackets, but embroidered their name on the left above the pocket, or maybe your family name there, there are T-shirt, printing and embroidery places everywhere, and if you bring the jacket to them, they’ll usually do whatever you want. That way it’s not just a jacket, it’s grandpa‘s jacket. Del cherry shit.

Hope it helps

 

[Jim Oaks]

Per my daughters request, I went to Walmart and checked out the Angel Tree and picked two kids to shop for. So my daughter and SIL's Christmas gift is knowing (2) kids will get something for Christmas.

Calvin:

Latham:

That was an interesting experience.

 

[rumblecloud]

Small gifts for the grandkids to open - things that go with their current interests. And then deposits into the bank accounts. Gump's silver idea is a good one - I might steal that one - although the current price of silver is

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I used to have a lot of fun doing it.

Christmas with little kids is a lot of fun though.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

@Rick W , I’m going to disagree on the gift card thing to a degree. Yeah, Willy-nilly handing that stuff out can look a little like you didn’t put any thought into it. But say everyone knows I’ve needed materials from say Home Depot for something or a tool from somewhere or whatever but it’s beyond what someone can spend or they don’t know specifically what I’m after. So they give me a gift card and say hey, I know you’ve been looking at getting <insert tool here> or needing something for your <insert project here> so here’s something to help out with that. Perfect. I’ve been told that you put thought into it and gave me something actually useful.

 

[djfllmn]

gift cards