Who do you give gifts to?

[Kacey]

As we come into the gift-giving season, I'm wondering who people give gifts to - the main categories being family, friends, coworkers, and other. How many people do you give gifts to? Here's what I'm looking at this year:

10 family members
10 friends
20+ coworkers
TKD Instructor
My TKD students

 

[Sukerkin]

I'm afraid I seem awfully mean-spirited compared to that. You see, I am constitutionally conflicted by Christmas as I find it to be a hideous commercial morass but the backgrond message of "Hey, let's be nice to each other for a change" is one I heartily embrace.

Trying to twist my arm into giving someone a gift because some conglomerate of companies (backed by false religious iconography) say I have to is one sure fire way of getting me to dig my heels in .

My gift list has always been very select and this year is probably going to be even tighter. I buy for those people I trully care about so that the gift becomes one from the heart rather than an obligatory one.

 

[Kacey]

My gift list has always been very select and this year is probably going to be even tighter. I buy for those people I trully care about so that the gift becomes one from the heart rather than an obligatory one.

Well, I do freely admit that my coworkers get a lot less than others - and the gifts are all the same - than the others on the list. This year, they are getting homemade gingerbread in small stoneware pans (reusable) that I bought for $1 each, and some home-molded chocolate. The others I spend more money on, and put more individual thought into, although my TKD students will likely get something similar to what my coworkers are getting.

 

[tellner]

It's not my holiday, and it's definitely not my wife's holiday. So we give gifts to people who take it seriously and give them to us. We mostly give books and baked goods. And I always make it a point to find some Jewish-related stories for my niece and nephews.

Our Silat teacher and his family are very Christian and take Christmas seriously. So we honor their holiday by giving gifts that will make them happy.

My Rabbi is (obviously) very Jewish. So we try to give him something appropriate.

Beyond that we don't hang around much with people who are all that concerned with the holidays. So it's not much of an issue.

 

[ktaylor75]

Well, I am Christian and I just adore the whole Christmas season. My gift list is mainly family,a few close friends from church, and the Pastor and his wife. This year is extra special for Christmas as I have 2 foster children this year, one of which has never spent a Christmas in a home with a family...only groups homes.

 

[MBuzzy]

I am slowly softening from hardcore Grinch to slightly accepting of the holidays. Generally, I dislike most of it......Due to that, I buy gifts for very close family and that's about it.

Parents, wife, brother, in laws. MAYBE some friends.....but unlikely.

I'll start liking christmas the day that I can go to a store during the "holiday" season and not be treated like crap by the other shoppers AND the workers. Seems to me, a holiday based around peace and caring and respect for your fellow man shouldn't be the most miserable time to go anywhere.

 

[Sukerkin]

The man above has a very good point to make indeed - ditch the Coka Cola invented commercialism and the whole thing will become a much better experience.

 

[terryl965]

First off let me say this, I only give to those I want to whether it is family or friends.

35 Family Members

50 close friends

10 not so close friends but people I have grown to respect

12 TKD Instructor

15 Other Martial art Instructors

63 Studentts just something small to say thank you for the past year.


All in all not that many. I never ever expext anything from anybody and I personnally hate those that give you one because you got them one.

 

[Sukerkin]

Our Silat teacher and his family are very Christian and take Christmas seriously. So we honor their holiday by giving gifts that will make them happy.

Not to sidetrack the thread but does this most laudible attitude contrast in everyones mind very strongly with a certain recent Sudanese hullaballoo?

Religions need to become more inclusive and less exclusive if they're ever going to amount to anything good. By this I mean an approach in the mode of Tellners above. It's not his faith nor his tradition but, given that it is not in overt conflict with what he believes, he chooses a path that increases a personal bond. Well done that man :tup:.

 

[Kacey]

The man above has a very good point to make indeed - ditch the Coka Cola invented commercialism and the whole thing will become a much better experience.

I make the majority of the gifts I give - especially those for coworkers and students - usually baked goods or small handicrafts (cross-stitched bookmarks, homemade heating pads full of rice, etc.). For family I make larger items, or buy things.

 

[MA-Caver]

This year (as with every year) I'd be lucky to afford to give. I was fortunate to be able to afford a couple of gift cards for two of my favorite MA-nephews for their respective birthdays.
I'm hoping to be able to get gifts for at least my parents...but that remains to be seen. My income doesn't meet the outcome with the bills I have.

SIGH... my thoughts are with everyone who SHOULD be on my list.


(where the hell did I put that lottery ticket???)

 

[darci]

I Give Gifts To The Children Of The Family And My Parents And Grandma. My Close Friends Will Get A Card.

 

[Sukerkin]

I make the majority of the gifts I give - especially those for coworkers and students - usually baked goods or small handicrafts (cross-stitched bookmarks, homemade heating pads full of rice, etc.). For family I make larger items, or buy things.

I seem to be running across statements from my fellow forumites tonight with which I'm in wholehearted agreement - this is one of them.

A person I know who gives me a gift of something they have made themselves, be it cake, card, fabric or whatever, warms my heart much more than someone who spends money from their excess to give me something 'flash'.

Let's face it, at my age, for a 'gift' to be 'impressive', in terms of it being something I want that I can't get for myself, then you're talking thousands of pounds (and if anyone wants to get me a Cooper Racing Green TVR Cerbera with Ivory leather interior I'll be happy to accept ). But, if someone gets me a £5 book that I've been after for years and have never been able to find that will mean just as much.

 

[Doc_Jude]

Only Close Family, & VERY Close Friends. Also, the occasional Secret Santa that we get wrangled into, that's it. We send out a bit more cards, though, with pics of the kids.
This holiday, originally based on fellowship, family, and sharing during a cold winter, has become WAY TOO COMMERCIALIZED. We chose not to play the game a few years ago and don't mind a bit. We send out a lot of cards, but not tons of presents.

 

[Ping898]

I buy for those people I trully care about so that the gift becomes one from the heart rather than an obligatory one.

I tend to do the same, lots of people get cards, but only immediate family are garunteed gifts.
Usually also 1 or 2 friends get a gift of some sort (and often times if they get a gift it is cause I went to like a craft fair and found something that made me think of them) and 2 or 3 coworkers get gifts as well, and typically the coworkers who do are folks who did something special for me, like the secretary who gave me some inside info when I was tryng to get the company to pay for my move.

 

[Rich Parsons]

As we come into the gift-giving season, I'm wondering who people give gifts to - the main categories being family, friends, coworkers, and other. How many people do you give gifts to? Here's what I'm looking at this year:

10 family members
10 friends
20+ coworkers
TKD Instructor
My TKD students

I buy gifts for the following:

4 Nephews ( 1 blood, 2 step, 1 because I adopted him family as relatives )
3 Nieces ( 1 blood, 1 step, and 1 because I adopted him family as relatives )

My parents

My Step-sister for hosting the gathering on xMas. (* Usualy a gift card for a coffee place as she travels alot. *)

The White elephant holiday party I go to.

And the adopt a family at work. I usually give money towards this and allow the women who want to go shopping buy the gifts.

It is not many people but I try to get things I know the kids will like, and the others are just nice to have, with the adopt a family being necessities that are bought like shoes and coats and clothes.