Tough call. I would just as soon the family didnt buy me gifts. One year I sent a list of charities I want donations sent to. Kinda works kinda didnt.
Gift cards can be lame but one for a rub and sauce place, a local BBQ shop you frequent, for the smoker brand you have.
Grill Grates for your gasser.
I am not a huge Christmas fan, which goes over like noro virus around here. I'll be following.
I'm with you! I have had seasonal depression since I was a kid...I figured that out later in life. My ex and I started the breakup in mid October (many moons ago) and the season change really got to me for years. I do better these days but still dont like the holidays. Starting around October, all I look forward to is January!
I hated the stress and activity of buying gifts and finally my wife (current of almost 30 years) agreed to stop with the gifts. If we want something and can afford it, we get it any time of year and that includes if she wants a piece of jewelry...she's not stupid with money so she wont go too far.
I honestly dont want gifts. Once in a while my wife cant stand it and buys me something. She decided I would like a metal detector for my birthday back in spring this year. Sure, a cool idea, but it has sat in the garage and hasn't been used once since. But that might change...a friend of hers told her we live in a gold belt...an area where gold is found in quartz. We have quartz everywhere! We use the pretty rocks for landscape surrounds, etc.! We will probably start "wanding" the rocks soon hoping to get rich!
Spend the money on a trip... somewhere you both want to go but haven't. Know any needy families that could use a little help... sometimes brightening someone's day is way more meaningful that any object.
Ryan
We donate to Toys for Tots, but I like this idea.
I have been trying to eliminate Xmas gifts in our house for a few years. We need/want, we just buy it.
It's a huge burden off the shoulders once you do. I still sit with the Christmas morning present opening and it doesn't bother me at all to not get anything. BUT...Christmas is the only day I start drinking in the morning! Usually spiking my coffee early then on to a stiff Bloody Mary...then usually regret it because once the buzz wears off I feel like crap the rest of the day and nap...
Me and the wife contact our local PD, they set us up with a family in need, buy some small gifts for all, cook a full meal that will feed most for a week, its all no contact between us and them, the officer picks up and delivers. The thank you notes these families get to us via the PD are hart warming to say the least.
I might look in to this. I got it in my head that since I'm against the materialism of Christmas (so many people dont even remember what the day is supposed to be about) and I'm not a Christian, I should go and serve on Christmas day. I thought delivering meals and a smile to the lonely elderly in my area would be perfect...but then found out, Meals on Wheels takes Christmas day off! Getting in with them is hard otherwise (at least back then), the churches seem to control it all and they are very protective of it. If you arent a member, you can forget it.
