I Honestly Hate Christmas!

[danaf]

I hate all the gift buying that I feel obligated to do. I hate that my husband spends money on me that we do not have even though I tell him not to.

I did do one good thing today that I have to laugh about and it didn't cost me a dime.

Next month I start not paying on any of my credit cards. I realized that I had some points left on amex. So I traded them in for 3 $100 home depot gift cards for my husband and a resturaunt gift card. He loves home depot and will be happy. Hey, I earned those points, I might as well use them. I need to check to see if I have points on any of my other cards.

I will be happy when Christmas is over though! I'm much more a Thanksgiving kind of girl.

[6ftladycop]

I thought I was the only one. I really am beginning to feel the pinch from all the holiday phonies. I just found out that my entire family who knows about my bankruptcy and all the financial problems I was having, made a decision together to not buy anything and to wait and see if I buy. I guess they figured that since I allegedly saved all my money for months not paying folks, I should have some left to buy the entire family as I have always done.

Funny thing, once I realized that was what they were doing, I made a decision to buy only for their kids and not cook. That in itself saved me 45.00 dollars, but I loved shopping at Toysrus for the little kids. At least they will get something.

[danaf]

oh 6ft, that's not very nice of your family - I'm sorry to hear that.

I agree with your decision to just buy gifts for the children and not cook!

[nazstar]

I told my extended family months ago to not buy me anything for Christmas because I wasn't going to freak out about finding cash to buy them gifts. My family and my husband's family were really nice about it and sent our baby TONS of gifts. My husband and I spent $100 each on each other and I just found out my in-laws are sending us a check for Christmas. I felt a bit guilty about not sending them anything but my mother-in-law just said, "I want to send you this money so you guys can buy yourself something nice. I expect nothing in return. I WANT to do this". I almost cried. It was so sweet.

[ohwell]

OMG that is soo tacky, waiting to see what you would do!

Last year I did cookies(when everything started to go south), and this year they are getting DVD of the baby(ironically the DVD's were a gift from a relative LOL, hey that's what they are for...)

We had a family issue this past year, so gifts all around it looks like from the families are less than before... You can't pick your relatives....

As long as they buy for the kids I don't care if we get anything, one of my friends was freaking out when we were shopping(I tagged along) and said "Its so stupid to buy gifts for ADULTS!!! it should be just the kids and that's it, gimme a break..." I am borrowing her position on that for sure. I frankly don't care if others are offended, I was on my feet preggers making dozens of cookies last year because we couldn't afford gifts due to us going broke and extreme medical costs. This weekend we had to get a used car and not reaffirm our car(our hearing is/was tomorrow) - sorry our family comes first, still figuring out how we are getting anything for our children!!

TOO BAD relatives.

I don't mind doing the gift thing, but I have a whole new perspective... next year IF we do gifts, it will be joint type (some platter or something from TJMaxx - they have great xmas stuff!! so bummed I couldn't get us anything this year when I went there just to get out of the house....) We are on a tight budget since I don't work and hubby's income went down... people just don't understand, I mean don't want to understand. Our kids come first, and everyone else can deal.

[Bandit]

because I wasn't going to freak out about finding cash to buy them gifts.

That is the ticket. Give me cash so I can buy you a gift. I like that.

[Bandit]

Only 375 days until the next Christmas, then everyone gets to do it all over again.


There is a funny Christmas song out about someone losing their peace on earth & good will toward all men....

Where? IN THE MALL PARKING LOT

[chpxiii]

While I got an AMEX gift card for my mom, bought something for my boyfriend's sister, and my boyfriend and I went in on a gift for his parents, we're not getting anything to each other as we already did that a month ago. (New Wii game console. )

Personally, I just wish his family wouldn't get us anything. I have a HUGE extended family. They get for themselves and for their kids and nothing for me. That's fine. I don't want to be getting everyone something, not even their kids. There are too many.

BTW, I disagree that Christmas is only for children. It's for *everyone.* IMO, we shouldn't really get anyone anything. It's not our birthday.

[BKcrazy]

I can't stand holidays either. My ex-husband ruined them because of his GF. Every holiday. But, I'm getting rid of old docs right now, from when we were married (divorced in 2000). So therapeutic.

[rrockinggramma]

I think this is tougher when you have children that are young then the older kind. My youngest will be 26 in March. Today she called and wanted me to get her a pair of shoes that she saw. But they are 44.00 My limit this year is 25.00 each so I told her I would get her the gift card for 25.00 from the store and she could fork over the rest. LOLOL I have never done that before in my life. In the past I would have gone without just to please her, but no more! My next daughter (middle) is a parole officer for the state we live in and she needed a gun for work. Her brother and her father got the ball rolling there and I contributed my share. (that was 600 total but her brother paid the lion's share of it for her) She is getting nothing more from me. And my oldest is an engineer, married to an engineer with no kids. LOLOL They do wine. So I bought them a wine game and a wine calander. As to everyone else, I am fixing dinner for my mother and that is it. I am estranged from the rest of my own siblings since my financial woes began in 2000. For the bf's and husbands, I got 25.00 gift cards. The only person I went over on is my grandson. LOL He was worth it. When you budget and stick to it, it is so much less stress. I don't "hate" the holidays, I just had to learn how to "control" them. Merry Christmas to all of you!

[chpxiii]

I don't "hate" the holidays, I just had to learn how to "control" them. Merry Christmas to all of you!

Yes! My boyfriend would talk about how he HATED Christmas - all the gifts for everyone, etc. He doesn't really have that much money. His family is the kind that will get hurt, angry, and offended if you don't give them something but they give you.

I keep telling him that if he just STOPPED giving gifts, they'd stop too. That's what I did with my family and extended family. But the difference between me and him is that he actually likes his family where as I could take mine or leave them.

This year, finally. FINALLY! He came up with a budget and a spending limit. YAY!!! I was so happy! I totally encouraged him on that. I try to do something big for my mom. Usually it's just cash because considering her situation, cash would do her better.

[One Half Full]

Money has been tight here for about 3 years. I gave my niece a good watch 2 years ago, and explained that it was probably all I could give for a while. Kids don't understand that there is no bottomless well of money out there.

[CATCHMEIFYOUCAN]

I stopped "celebrating christmas," years ago. I had to stop somewhere. I just got tired of being broke every year and the pressure and stress of it all. It was hard to do but after awhile it became routine. Now when I hit at the casino, I will buy a ton of junk, and it would be like christmas in the summer or spring for family members and their little ones.

[chpxiii]

Money has been tight here for about 3 years. I gave my niece a good watch 2 years ago, and explained that it was probably all I could give for a while. Kids don't understand that there is no bottomless well of money out there.

IMO, the spoiled ones don't. But kids know a lot more than they let on and many do understand when money is tight.

[JollyGG]

See I love christmas.

I have so much fun picking out great gifts for people if my budget is $5 or $50. But I have to say if it's not something you enjoy I am very sorry you feel you have to do it.

I have a BIL who doesn't get the whole christmas thing / family thing / gift giving thing. He doesn't get my family a gift any longer. He gets my SIL a gift card and my MIL and FIL some generic gift. The gifts with no thought or care actually make me sadder than the gifts he doesn't send. He doesn't owe me a gift (expecially since we don't get along) and I have no problem with him not sending one.

To me if you are going to give gifts buy ones that mean something and have a good time with it or don't bother.

I have to share a few examples of my BIL horrible gift giving. 1. He called and asked us to go in on a computer for his parents. We were thrilled to do so. So we sent him the money and he bought it and gave it to them in OCTOBER. We ended up buying them additional software so that there would be something under the tree to open. 2. We called and asked him to go in on a mothers ring for his mom. He said "No, he had something else planned, however he couldn't remember what". Instead he sent them a tower of cookies and candy (which cost more than the amount we were asking him to contribute to the ring). 3. His mother has been wanting family pictures for years. I asked him at the end of the summer if he would show up for the pictures. He said yes. I told his mom. She was very excited. He refused to do it when it came time to schedule the pictures. But then wanted to do them the following spring and still expected me to foot the bill.