The Christmas Gift Poll

joasis

So in our down economy, the latest polling suggests 70% of consumers are spending less then last year, so I am curious about our group....what are we spending on gifts? BTW, this has nothing to do with religion, or whether you agree with the holiday. This is not about political correctness either...so if you have a desire to go off on a tangent, don't.

Basically, gift exchanges in my family have always been about the kids....the presumption is that adults typically have everything they want...if they want something, they get it on their own...no point in spending big dollars for gifts..... Kids on the other hand.....nothing like the sparkle in a little one's eyes Christmas morning.

I gave my grandsons wooden rocking horses last year...made from my shop. My daughters and my wife both have cedar chests from the past years...and now, I haven't had the time to make the next round of heirlooms...so I have to think about gifts. My older girl is 27, my son is 26.....so they will get books.....my little girl is nearly 10...she would love to have an I-Pod...whatever that is.....she gets a new book too. My wife wants a new TV.....she gets a book too....the grandsons get little toy tractors just like the antique I own....total I am spending..about $150 Christmas is still about the thought, and the gifts to the less fortunate are larger then what I am spending on the kids.

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genecarp

My spending habits will be no different this year than any other, my wife and i spend at least $500 on each other, we have always done this. I have a small family, we will spend a couple of hundred on my mom. My wife has a few nieces and nephews, she probably spends 3-4 hundred on them. A couple of my old good friends and i exchange small token gifts. G

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ChainsawCharlie

Nearest family memeber is over 2500 miles away form us, so it's all Christmas cards. The misses and me will make gifts for each other, but she's making some small crafts (wreath ornaments-all material supplied by ma nature) to send our folks.

silvertree

We keep it to one big gift and 4 to 6 little gifts. Its mostly food and family time with us. We also give to others about equal to what we give ourselves.
I wouldn't want my kids to support bums, but I want them to understand some people just need a help sometimes.

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camaroman2125

We go nuts with the kids and that alone can rack up a big bill since we have five. Then me and the wife spend a couple hundred on each other. Mom,dad, and step-mom are all getting pictures of all the kids, and my grandma and grandpa just want scratch off lottery tickets.

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KentWhitten

We used to spend on each other until our children. Then it was more important to watch the kids and their expressions and excitement. My wife and I give each other the gifts of love, happiness, togetherness, enjoyment.

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Leo G

I'm doing a mix this year. Make a few gifts and buy a few. We always spend around a grand between my family and my immediate family. About same as last year.

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