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I went grocery shopping yesterday at wal-mart (yes, wal-mart, the only grocery store near us), went to the seasonal and toy section just to look, and it was worse than black Friday. I have already had it.
Our kids & nieces & nephews totals 8. Our siblings & Sig. Others total 10. Then there's parents, aunts & uncles, cousins, and that number goes really high. Last year, I called everyone and said we are only buying for the kids, and there was no obligation to our kids. This yr. will do the same, but I still feel crummy about it. Frankly, as adults...there is nothing we really need, and for us to try and buy wanted and useful items for our family/adults is a nightmare. It wasn't so much the money factor, it's the pure nightmare of shopping. I do give a personal meaningful gift to my siblings, something I make up that is inexpensive.
This is what happens in our house, both kids have a b-day in November & they get lots of stuff, because of our large family. Then Christmas rolls around, and it just seems like so much.
I just read on several websites that most people think one gift for a birthday and $100.00 total for holiday gifts, is more than enough.
At my son's party , he rec'd a pair of jeans, and his friend said, clothes are boring and said, what's next? I was a bit shocked. My son didn't say it, so I couldn't say anything.
I remember as a kid at x-mas, we rec'd items of necessity-clothing & maybe 2 -3 toys and were thrilled. We really appreciated everything.
I sit here and realize all of the stuff we have accumulated, mostly from what we rec'd from our large family. This time of year, I bag up some the baby's gently used toys...donating to charity, same for my older son's things.
Hubby & I just had a talk, I think the holidays & society in general have really gotten out of control, including my own family. He doesn't agree with me because all year we live on a tight budget, and say no to ourselves and our kids to many things. And just because our kids b-days are close to the holiday, it shouldn't matter. Yes, I understand that. But how can any kid, my own, and the others, really appreciate a toy or game, when they get so much stuff??? My idea of scaling down Christmas-our own and the gift exchanging rec'd from the family- to several gifts is an issue. hubby isn't too thrilled about it, and my brother wants to do the BIG thing, and my sister wants to scale down too. The others don't even have kids, and will go along with the final decision.
I grew up in a large family and we didn't have a lot of money, he grew up with one sibling & both parents had good jobs. I can see where our differences come into play.
we do teach our kids about being appreciative, and are firm in saying no to a lot of things all the other kids get to buy and do. There is a lot of focus on family, faith, others/charity at Christmas & all year here...just so you all know that we aren't all just about the gifts.
So, just curious, what you all do for the holidays? The kids, the immediate family, the extended family? Do you limit by money or buy # of gifts or both?
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