If you don't exchange presents with adults for Christmas...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In some ways I'd be happy to skip, other than my mom. My mom and I put a lot of thought into our gifts for each other, and I love knowing I've found the "right" thing. My brother and I, on the other hand, seem to be trading pointless gifts (e.g. Amazon card for Amazon card or trading links for items we both need) and it's just silly.

But I also have the only grandchild, and I worry about having a Christmas morning where he's the only one getting gifts. It seems like there's too much focus on him at Christmas anyway, and a situation where he gets but doesn't give gifts seems unhealthy. I'm not sure I'm making sense, but until I figure it out we'll probably keep giving.

My kids make presents for the family. Much more effort and thought than mom and dad buying something.

[Anonymous]

I think I would miss giving gifts to my siblings and definitely my parents. Gifts do not have to be more "stuff." One brother and his wife give yummy baked and canned goods they made, and we have given Netflix subscriptions or tickets to an event. Things that require thought and people enjoy. A secret Santa exchange could work, I guess. Question for those who only give gifts to kids: does this include not exchanging gifts with your spouse? And will you stop giving gifts to your children at some point? Just curious. I don't care what others do; just giving my thoughts/experience.

[Anonymous]

I do not exchange gifts with spouse. We have a good income and don't feel that we need to receive gifts. We do sponsor a family each year and fully outfit them for Christmas...tree , dinner, presents the works. I get much more joy from that than buying a bunch of crap for people who don't need it.

Given that we have a HHI just over 300k, i feel like it is Christmas every day. I never imagined that we would be so financially comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In some ways I'd be happy to skip, other than my mom. My mom and I put a lot of thought into our gifts for each other, and I love knowing I've found the "right" thing. My brother and I, on the other hand, seem to be trading pointless gifts (e.g. Amazon card for Amazon card or trading links for items we both need) and it's just silly.

But I also have the only grandchild, and I worry about having a Christmas morning where he's the only one getting gifts. It seems like there's too much focus on him at Christmas anyway, and a situation where he gets but doesn't give gifts seems unhealthy. I'm not sure I'm making sense, but until I figure it out we'll probably keep giving.

My kids make presents for the family. Much more effort and thought than mom and dad buying something.

I'm the pp you quoted, and my kid makes presents to sometimes, or gives something that's meaningful to him, or saves his own money.

Are you saying that in your family kids give to adults and adults give to kids but adults don't give to adults?

As it is now, I'd say that 1/2 the presents opened at my mom's house on Christmas are to my kid. We go around -- one for him, one for an adult, one for him. If we took out those presents, even if he still gave gifts, I just feel like it would be even more unbalanced.

I should add that I don't have a spoiled kid, I really don't, but when I think about how our family works I don't really understand why he hasn't turned out spoiled.