What's your Christmas gift strategy?

[Blue_boost]

Christmas gift strategy

There are two schools of thought here.

1. Equilibrium method: Do you equally spend the same amount for each family member.. IE your parents vs your partner's parents? Say $100 each

2. Horses for courses method: you you alter your spend based on historical data and what the reciprocal present is likely to be? If they buy rubbish why should you give generously. If they buy quality historically well you reciprocate

I'm firmly in the horses for courses. My partner's family think they are clever and buy crap that appears more expensive than what it is or where it's difficult to pin them down on a spend. For example some obscure cologne you know they bought at $12 and try pass it off as a $50-100 gift. I feel I should send them a staunch message this Christmas with $10 in a card. Maybe a f#$k off message in there as well.

Whereas my family are super generous with their gifts , a nice few green notes in the card in there so there is no dispute as to what they spend. So it's fair to reciprocate the gesture

My partner's position is equilibrium method as she thinks you gotta be fair to all, not base it on what you receive.

Do you have some nasty Christmas present buyers that need be taught a lesson this Christmas?

 

[MatstaDogg]

I brought my girlfriend a generic branded tv as she is only a renter and that's all she deserves. Her constant nagging forfeited the chance of her getting a nice watch. If she's lucky I might detail her Camry for her and buy some new windscreen wipers.

 

[Blue_boost]

I brought my girlfriend a generic branded tv as she is only a renter and that's all she deserves. Her constant nagging forfeited the chance of her getting a nice watch. If she's lucky I might detail her Camry for her and buy some new windscreen wipers.

Your a good guy. You accept the horses for courses approach.

 

[Papa Emeritus]

We always spend a lot on gifts and always get low value stuff in return. But we like getting people nice things. Especially my nephews and neice.

 

[Mr Beast]

Buy things for people that they wouldn’t buy themselves. That’s how our family generally gift. Red pocket if they’re lazy.

Other than that, every single year we buy gifts and donate them to kids at Kmart, in fact dropped off 3 presents today at Bass Hill Kmart. Our parents did that with us when we were young now, we doing it with ours. Teach them about kindness and to give more than receive and expect nothing in return.

 

[CroydonDog]

Christmas is for the kids tbh. The adults in the family finally woke up to this a few years ago, and now i only need to buy for my son, neice and nephew. Geez it makes it so much easier. My mother especially is just grateful my sister and I combined drove a couple thousand kilometres to see them...

 

[steeliz]

Panic at the last minute

 

[Bad Billy]

I assume my missus does the presents ? ‘Cause on Christmas Day everyone has presents and I didn’t buy any.

 

[Scoooby]

Its all about the kids, Xmas is just a absolute excuse, i don’t have a spending limit etc, kids/family/friends .. it is what it is an everyone does things differently.

mind you I bought myself the latest iPhone watch series 5, to replace the old one, so that was a treat

merry Xmas all..!!!

 

[Blue_boost]

I'm not happy ... As predicted the partners family really Scrooged me. Insulting.

I buy vouchers which they can enjoy. What did I get back? A no name brand phone holder strap a d a cheap earphones.

My partner completely agreed with me that my horses for courses approach would have been more appropriate. I would have really stung them with an insulting gift .. I anticipated this act of war but my partner takes the high road and gives them expensive vouchers . I told her next year I'm not turning up.

 

[Wahesh]

Christmas gift strategy

There are two schools of thought here.

1. Equilibrium method: Do you equally spend the same amount for each family member.. IE your parents vs your partner's parents? Say $100 each

2. Horses for courses method: you you alter your spend based on historical data and what the reciprocal present is likely to be? If they buy rubbish why should you give generously. If they buy quality historically well you reciprocate

I'm firmly in the horses for courses. My partner's family think they are clever and buy crap that appears more expensive than what it is or where it's difficult to pin them down on a spend. For example some obscure cologne you know they bought at $12 and try pass it off as a $50-100 gift. I feel I should send them a staunch message this Christmas with $10 in a card. Maybe a f#$k off message in there as well.

Whereas my family are super generous with their gifts , a nice few green notes in the card in there so there is no dispute as to what they spend. So it's fair to reciprocate the gesture

My partner's position is equilibrium method as she thinks you gotta be fair to all, not base it on what you receive.

Do you have some nasty Christmas present buyers that need be taught a lesson this Christmas?

Kids are getting a push pop. If they’ve been good... Kinder Surprise.

 

[The DoggFather]

I asked Santa for a supercharger.....again

He let me down.......again

Moral of the story, Santa is a **** lol

 

[Bad Billy]

I asked Santa for a supercharger.....again

He let me down.......again

Moral of the story, Santa is a **** lol

No, Santa’s one of those “there’s no replacement for displacement” bogans.

 

[Blue_boost]

I'm not happy ... As predicted the partners family really Scrooged me. Insulting.

I buy vouchers which they can enjoy. What did I get back? A no name brand phone holder strap a d a cheap earphones.

My partner completely agreed with me that my horses for courses approach would have been more appropriate. I would have really stung them with an insulting gift .. I anticipated this act of war but my partner takes the high road and gives them expensive vouchers . I told her next year I'm not turning up.

To make matters worse my partner received earrings from her side. Cheap ones that had obviously been worn too.

She was really insulted.. I'm not one to say I told you so but "I told you so"

She was upset at the grade of the gift but I told her you cant be upset at the c@nt act of your family as I predicted it (based on every other year).. it's your overly generous gifts that hand them the win that I'm disappointed about. As per the OP I would have stung them with a gift worse than theirs.. she says she took the high road but I say if you want to go into the hornets nest you need to be a hornet. I would have really rattled their bones with a gift I would have dished up. (Maybe a toothbrush that has previously scrubbed my arse).

I then told her what's done is done, but going forward you need to TKO them. How about we wrap up those used shit earrings and next year watch their faces as they open them up as their own gift. I'll pick up a few toothbrushes as well 365 days to go to a square up

 

[Kempsey Dog]

Christmas is for the kids tbh. The adults in the family finally woke up to this a few years ago, and now i only need to buy for my son, neice and nephew. Geez it makes it so much easier. My mother especially is just grateful my sister and I combined drove a couple thousand kilometres to see them...

My family is split and I always have to run around and visit everyone as I feel guilty otherwise as I don't want elders being alone... Even if I can only see them for just under an hour.
Travelling can really put a strain on the holidays, it's good when family can understand and accept that. I only have to drive from Newcastle to Kempsey and thats enough, couple of thousand would be taxing.

 

[Memberberries]

My strategy is to avoid most contact with people so no one expects anything from me.

Fuck Christmas I hate it.

 

[Alan79]

The adults in my family are generally prone to lottery gift packs. Given that I have a huge family and it's difficult to know what they're likely to want/need it suits us all to do things this way. We agreed on it a long while ago. I try to make more of an effort to get toys that the younger nephew's and nieces would enjoy. But it's at the point now where I have mostly adult nephew's and nieces and they're starting families of their own. My mum is the general exception to the rules surrounding the lottery gift packs. She usually gifts cash. She generally says not to get her anything, but instead travel down to visit when we can. The family is pretty spread out these days so it's difficult to all be around at Christmas time given that different branches of the family often have commitments to seeing the family of spouses etc.

 

[The DoggFather]

My strategy is to avoid most contact with people so no one expects anything from me.

Fuck Christmas I hate it.

I love the real meaning of Christmas but fuck I hate the commercial side and the parties where you have to pretend like you give a fuck about family you haven't seen since last Christmas.

Oh and especially hate mixing with the ****-in-laws.

 

[Dognacious]

Buy things for people that they wouldn’t buy themselves. That’s how our family generally gift. Red pocket if they’re lazy.

Other than that, every single year we buy gifts and donate them to kids at Kmart, in fact dropped off 3 presents today at Bass Hill Kmart. Our parents did that with us when we were young now, we doing it with ours. Teach them about kindness and to give more than receive and expect nothing in return.

Yeh good idea. My work has a Kmart wishing tree every year, which workplaces can organise. They arent just at Kmart, which is cool. We usually have a decent stack of pressies each year, with 200+ staff.

 

[Dognacious]

I love the real meaning of Christmas but fuck I hate the commercial side and the parties where you have to pretend like you give a fuck about family you haven't seen since last Christmas.

Oh and especially hate mixing with the ****-in-laws.

I recommend getting shitfaced and telling your inlaws what you really think. Havent had inlaws at xmas for 5+ years. Works wonderfully.