At the weekend I was out shopping and I can see that retailers are gearing up for Christmas, one of my favourite times of the year.
Everything is so decorative, colourful and festive. It really does put you in a good mood and makes you feel a little sentimental too, about what his occasion means to many and how it is celebrated.
One of the things I love seeing is the decorations and lights on people’s windows and houses. I remember when we were younger we would count all the Christmas trees and see who had got the most.
Then there are the anticipation of gifts and expectations too. It was one of things I noticed on Saturday at the shopping centre was all the gifts that have been set up on shelves and display stands, looking so inviting.
That is until you look at the price tags. Some of those prices are extortionate and completely unaffordable to many. I almost feel sorry for those who are barely coping as it is without the stress of Christmas and presents upon them, especially with the economy as it is and the inflation of prices.
Yet still people feel the need to buy these expensive presents for their loved ones, even it bankrupts them. Why?
Are presents not meant to be about thoughts and feelings. I would imagine the saying “its the thought that counts” would be more in effect at this seasonal and spiritual time.
I know Christmas is commercialised a lot now but what about the true festive spirit of Christmas?
I know many people have made a pact amongst family and friends to put limits on how much they spend on each other. I also know people who have made the decision to not buy gifts for each other at all and truly only enjoying the day as a spiritual day and celebrating it as a religious day.
So here are my questions to everyone regardless of whether they celebrate Christmas or not…
What is foremost in your mind when you are buying gifts?
- Price
- How useful it will be to the person
- How much they will like it.
- How much they want it.
- How much you think they need it
- What they are into
When I buy a gift I mostly think about what the person is into and go accordingly. I decide how much I’m going to spend on them and then off I go to find the perfect gift for them. Very often if I can’t decide or don’t know then I will gift them money which usually depends on how well I know them and how long and how much they mean to me.
What do you do?
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IT's My Thoughts 
This years it seems that everyone I know is on a budget and we were talking about this at work today how we buy gift cards and the kids get things they want and now that they’re all older the 1 item the kids may want is $200.00 like for an iPod and that’s all they’re going to get. Period.
I like to get people something I know they like, price is a factor and I’m very lucky my friends and I all discuss budget too. Then there’s work where we hve to buy a gift for someone there, we make a limit for that too…
I LOVE LIGHTS AND DECORATIONS AND CHRISTMAS AND SANTA AND SNOW!!!! AND NOT IN THIS ORDER! !!!
I like the idea of discussing a budget… Then there are no faces if someone spent less on a gift than the other. As I’ve heard so many people complain about this sort of thing.
I will take everything else but the snow 🙂
I would make sure they would like it and use it over and over. The price would be second .
When I try to find presents I keep in mind a few then pick the most decently priced.
Great post.
You seem to have it worked out quite well.
So what you buying me? 😉
When the God Kids were small I bought them fluffy toys like Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails.
As they got older I bought them toys that they could learn from and explore their imaginations.
Now we have a whole generation of grandbabies and I simply can’t afford to buy for them all so I am now barred from buying presents, but that doesn’t stop me buying for Pat or the girls from buying me stuff!!! 🙂
In truth Christmas is an over-hyped binge fest and the true meaning of Christmas is being forgotten.
No matter though: When the time comes I will celebrate the birth of a very special little boy who would change the world…
Love and hugs!
Prenin.
Do you get a lot of useful stuff as presents Prenin?
Hi Aneesa! 🙂
I have a box and a shopping bag, both of which contain whatever I get as presents, using the shower gel to wash my hair, etc.
These days the girls give me money because they know I’m just getting by.
Ironic that I gave them so much as children and looked after them through thick and thin only for them to look after me in turn!!! 🙂
Dad took away my chance to have children, but I still ended up with a family… 🙂
Love and hugs!
Prenin.
Your father may have took away that chance but he certainly never got to take away your ability to love and be loved.
I like getting money but gifts are always fun to unwrap and use. It also kinda tells you what the other person thinks and feels about you. If I get a gift that is crap or totally inappropriate then I’m not a happy bunny, in fact I get offended, you can see that no thought has gone into it all.
hugggzzzzzz
how much they need it and if they will use it a lot; OR if it looks very expensive and its not costly ! that is a great find any day!
I agree, I love it when I find a bargain. I recently bought my sister a long cardigan… It was gorgeous Kashmir and I got it reduced. She loves it and wears it all the time. 😉
i wish they would negotiate here too.
I think that buying gifts is always a little tricky, and sometimes it is better to buy those little money wallets so that one can give everyone the same amount of money and let them choose their own gifts 🙂
It isn’t really a lazy idea, it is just a practical way of giving someone something that they will like, I mean if everyone gives the person money then a combined gift that is more expensive can be purchased, making the person very happy I think? 🙂
Of course one could also add a little stocking filler as a secondary gift along with the money wallet, but it depends on whom the present is for? 🙂 I hope that you have lots of fun choosing Aneesa 🙂
Androgoth XXx
Money is always great and I always like to say .. “put this towards something you really really want” because these days a money gift doesn’t cover much but it can help towards something for sure.
See brilliant minds do think alike 🙂
I do like buying gifts but mostly I prefer gifting money to kids because their wants are always so expensive.
hugggzzzzzz
Yes I agree, hey on the money for gifts idea cheeky 🙂 lol And childrens toys cost so much now anyway, usually fifty pounds doesn’t even come close and to give so much for all the kids, well that would be a very expensive time for anyone, well unless one is absolutely rich of course and then money is no object…
Have a lovely rest of evening Aneesa 🙂
Androgoth XXx
Hi,
When I am looking for gifts, I am always looking for what I hope that person will need or like and something they can use and is useful for them.
That is great if you know the person well.. but sometimes it’s hard trying to buy for people you don’t know well enough. I find it difficult buying for my friend’s kids’ as they are all so different and all have their own interests and likes.
First thing first, I’m never good at deciding what to gift someone on special occasions such as birthdays. Secondly, Christmas isn’t as widely celebrated in our country as the rest of the world. So, I wouldn’t bother with that either. 😉
So sajib when you do have to buy a gift what do you do?
On the basis of what you have said, I totally agree. There is another reason why the price tags on products are so high, that is to do with the retail stores having a bad year in sales. They know X’mas is the time when people will be more likely to spend in the year so retailers are capitalising on this festive occasion.
That said, I don’t celebrate X’mas as such, as for me (personally) it’s nothing to do with Jesus or his birth but rather a commercialised celebration aided originally by Coca-Cola. But having said that I enjoy the festive spirit and the good mood people are in during this period of the year.
They do this every year. First the prices go up then they start dropping them to pull the consumer in, making it look like you are getting bargains. It’s an old sales trick.
I think Xmas is wearing thin as the years go by, mostly the whole concept, it just doesn’t life the spirits of the nation. That said, we don’t celebrate Xmas per say but it’s an excuse to use the time off to get together with family and friends we haven’t seen for a while.
We try not to over-emphasise the whole “gifts” thing for that particular day. For example, just this Diwali gone, we brought the kids gifts because they neeed to understand that this was, if not more of a special day in our cultural calendar and that it also deserves treats.
Our kids are still young in terms of gifts “they need” because throughout the year we are keeping track of what they need and filling up the wardrobes with clothes, shoes and jackets. So at present, its on the basis of what they want but my eldest understands that finance is important and if it means waiting a little longer, then he is happy to be patient. I would go as far as to say he understands the logic that after XMAS, there is something called “Sales” and that it makes perfect sense to purchase then….I know I sound like a typical Indian here, but this kind of thinking is what helped out parents, aunts and uncles to achieve so much and do so well when they were establishing themselves in foreign lands.
What we always do is give the kids a book with whatever present they get, that’s a must, knowledge is vital and a good book is always a cracking idea. We do that with all the kids in the family, I always buy a round of good books, even better is to personalise them on the inside cover.
When material objects become that much more accessible, i.e. 20 yrs ago, you would have to save up a year to buy a computer whereas now we live in a BNPL culture, a gift doesn’t seem to have that much of a meaning now. Peer pressure is also putting kids under pressure who in turn put their parents under pressure to buy.
Sorry to sound so glum….but hey, Xmas is about Mr Bean re-runs, Dumbo, Only Fools & Horses and our lovely QUEEN giving out that message to the nation, all dressed in her glad rags.
I don’t think you sounded like a typical Indian at all… i remember my parents having the same attitude on a lot of things.
We non Christians have the luxury of not having to have a stack of presents under the tree on Christmas morning. We celebrate our festive occasions separately and there fore we are not out in throes buying high priced items with the rest of the nation.
I love your book idea, we do this too. This year my niece choose a book for her 14th birthday herself. It was all she wanted, so we must doing something right.
It’s a shame a lot of things have lost their value, I hear older people say that it was amazing to just have one TV in the house and these days every room has one. Sometimes even gifts are losing value because they have become so easily available and therefore making it more difficult to find that perfect gift or even a worthy gift.
A good way to deal with peer pressure is to send your kids to a school where uniform must be worn with a strict dress code and don’t let them out to play after school lol! just kidding 😛
Very timely post for us in the US … With Thanksgiving on Thursday, Friday brings us the biggest shopping day of the year … and the day i stay away from malls and shopping areas.
Recently the stores started competing for shoppers with early hours. 7 am … then 6 am …. then 3 am … midnight …. now Thursday night. This is absolutely insane!
But to your question, the gift must focus on the receiver … not the giver … and yes – their wants and needs.
Here in the uk we can basically shop 24/7 as there are now supermarkets that stock everything and are open all night. Before it used to be just groceries now there is nothing you can’t buy from them. From soft furnishings to garden furniture, clothes, kitchenware to decorative stuff, including paint and wallpaper.
So this concept is now very normal to us. Then there is the internet shopping phenomenon, I wonder what is coming next.
It is of my opinion some don’t deserve a present and if i think they don’t i don’t bother giving them one…. especially family who act like asses and then expect to be laden with my hard earned money.
Nice sparkles you have here, pop over and see mine sometime.
You are one bad ass pretiwoman… do you actually get away with not giving presents?
Will pop over soon… thanks for dropping by 🙂
Gifts shuld b frum da h8rt… price tagz shuld neva b lukd at
luv yur blog sweety xxx
thanks Umayra for dropping by… you must have a lot of money that you don’t need to worry about price tags lol
I agree with prettiwoman sometimes your heart does not wish to give gifts to people you do not feel love with.
… and sometimes you just have to … love is tough innit? 😛
Same, decide what you want based on either of what I know or what they wish for, decide how much I am going to spend, which is different from person to person and get to shopping. But yes its not about the prices its about the thought. But then again if the thought is being cheap just to be cheap you might as well not get anything lol
I like giving gifts though
And I like receiving them 😉
Hi Aneesa! 🙂
Just caught your comment! 🙂
I’m trying to adjust my sleep pattern to fit with the rest of the Human Race while taking my meds and it’s a bit of a struggle, but I’ll get there! 🙂
Love and hugs!
Prenin the Vampyre!!! LoL!!!
Simple, give them something useful and something unique. Something you know they can’t have and would reflect your choice and personality so they could remember you everytime they see it… i.e. if the person is close to you else just give them the stereotypical gifts that are usable by everyone. Though helping a poor guy would be the most noble and the greatest gift of all to me if anyone is giving me a gift… So help me out?:P
No! This is my blog…. Anyone getting a gift will be me!! 😉
but you wanted my opinion 😛
I appreciate your opinion but not you taking over my blog… araam seh beth… 😛 😛
now if you got me a tiara that would show how much thought you put into a gift and how caring you are 😛
and if I remember correctly we have already discussed terms and conditions previously… the contract still stands… it cannot be amended..
just sing on the dotted line 😛
Just one que: How do you SING on a dotted line 😛
P.S. I will take over 😛
Usefulness and Price Anessa.
Usefulness especially because I don’t want my gift thrown away.
i don’t throw gifts away ever… but what i do if it’s useless to me… i will gift it to someone else.. 😛
yep same here…i just go with what the person’s into though im not into giving gifts…yep sb door door sy he achay hotay hein:)
Totally agree…. 😛