Christmas cards and presents

[Gopher]

How many of each do you feel you have to give and send?

  I think that so far I've worked it out at 46 cards and 11 presents - but I'm not holding my breath that it will only stay at that.    

[P.C.]

I only do Christmas cards for people I won't see over the season....so that's a minimal number for me......which is good, because I usually make my Christmas cards, and I feel a lazy coming on.

  Presents around 15 or so......and then an undetermined amount of hostess gifts......which is usually homemade shortbread, antipasto, chocolates, wreaths etc.  (anything I can make myself)

[purelife]

This year, from my guy's side, we're doing a gift exchange whereby our names pool in together and we chose one person to buy a gift worth $50.  

  I don't have many people to shop for, under 10, I believe.  I give out tons of cards.  I usally put a scratch and win ticket in each.  I think that I have about 30 or so people.  

[Lil Me]

15 gifts, give or take.  This number keeps going down every year, as our families draw names.
 
 I used to do cards (with photo and form letter), but I haven't for probably 5 years.
   

[Sportsdude]

Everybody draws names at thanksgiving. I told the family to make a giant doll and put SD on it to signify SD in the family gathering. They'll get a laugh out of that.
My cousin and his wife don't like to spend because they're supposedly poor, so now its a 20 dollar limit on giving something.
 

[Lil Me]

Our family limit is $35 for the gift draw.  

[purelife]

$35 sounds reasonable.  Mine is $50 and I feel that it's quite a bit for each of us because it'll be $100 in total.  Oh well.....

  My cousin and his wife don't like to spend because they're [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff40"]supposedly poor,[/FONT] so now its a 20 dollar limit on giving something.



Poor or not poor, I bet it saves them heck of a lot more money purchasing gifts for everyone else.  $20 can still get a pretty decent gift.

[Sportsdude]

no maybe i didn't clarify, you buy a gift for the person you picked, not for everyone. Its always gift cards to best buy.
 

[purelife]

I know what you meant SD.  What I meant was that because your cousin only has one person to purchase for, she/he doesn't have to purchase gifts for everyone else in the family if there wasnt' this gift exchange.

[Sportsdude]

well we changed the rules because of them. He got married, we knew kids were coming so the family was getting too big. lol
and sure enough 2  kids in 3 years.
 

[purelife]

Makes sense.  

[Sportsdude]

I don't have a problem with, everyone in the family understands, now they're building a house as well. But the first year it was 30, then 20, then 10, then last year they said they wanted to cancel the whole gift exchange because they couldn't afford it. Its like when did they become head of the family, just because he's heir to the farm, he gets to make all the rules. lol

 

[purelife]

SD - You obviously have tons of anger issues towards your cousins.  It shows.  This is the last time I'll say this to you: LIFE F***'ING MOVES ON!  This is as blunt as I can put it.

  ADD:  No family, past or future is EVER perfect.  Every family has issues, good or bad.  We learn to accept them and move on and/or forigve each other's faults.  It will be EXTREMELY difficult for you to EVER move on with your life if you have these sorts of anger twards anyone in your circle of friends/family, etc.    

[Sportsdude]

ummm no i don't, and you don't know me or know how my family works. so thanks and that wasn't showing hostility, maybe in your family but not mine.
 

[Sportsdude]

you seem to misread sarcastic jokes with anger issues. My family would be on the floor laughing at the "heir" joke.