How insane (or not) does your Holiday shopping get?

[JediMAC]

In recent years, we've had several new additions to the family, either through marriage or birth, which has even further increased the number of people we have to shop for now.  Not to mention the couple married additions technically bring an entire new family into the picture.  So we've got about 25 family members that we shop for now, some more extensively than others.

Then, add in all my wife's friends and their children, who Patty absolutely MUST give gifts to as well, and we're close to double that - somewhere in the mid to upper 40s.  Totally out of control IMO, and expensive as all hell!  Wasn't so bad in previous years when my firm was handing out some very sizeable Holiday bonuses, but over the last couple years they've severely tightened the purse strings and cut back, which makes the craziness of our gift giving quite a bit tougher on the check book.

Generally, for our immediate family members, we usually spend about $75 a pop, secondary ones are more in the $35 - $40 range, and friends and such are coming in between $10 - $20.  Ouch.

On a related note, Patty often likes to host several Holiday parties during December, most of which are often at our own expense.  Then there's chipping in for gifts for the 3 partners at our firm, several Holiday gift exchanges with others, and who knows what else I can't remember right now...

Don't get me wrong, as I enjoy giving gifts to friends and loved ones as much as the next person.  I just tend to think that we may be going overboard with it just a little.  Anyone else go through this insanity as well?

What's your level of gift giving during the Christmas/Holiday season...?

[jokabofe]

I usually get insane around the holidays as well. This year alone, I've spent close to $900 already. And that's just for 9 people (Mom, Dad, Brother & Wife 1, Brother & Wife 2, 3 close friends). I still have to shop for my nephew. And I didn't count the "Secret Santa" gift from here (which has already been shipped, btw )

And that's nothing, since I'm no longer married. That was usually another $1000 - $1500.

[JediMAC]

This year alone, I've spent close to $900 already. And that's just for 9 people (Mom, Dad, Brother & Wife 1, Brother & Wife 2, 3 close friends).

I'm one of those "3 close friends", right?  What'd you send me?  I can't wait...  Thanks D!   

And that's nothing, since I'm no longer married. That was usually another $1000 - $1500.

That's the one area that Patty and I have decided to cut back on - gifts for eachother.  I usually buy myself anything/everything I want anyway, as does she.  So her suggestion starting last year was to just limit ourselves to a few small things for eachother, and that's it.  Little strange not to go nuts for your #1 person, but it definitely helps alleviate things, since we used to go really overboard on eachother in prior years as well.

I guess another added cost every year is about $75 on a Christmas tree...  Ugh.  I wouldn't mind investing in a real nice fake one, but she wouldn't even hear of it.  She hates that fake stuff, and bags on my parent's beautiful tree all the time for that very reason...

[Jim]

Christmas is not that fun and has gotten wayyyyy to commercial.  I firmly believe its for the kids.  My family about 10 years ago gave up giving presents to each other, except for the kids.  Everything kind of check and balanced out.  I gave my brother a $50 present, he gave me a $50 present, etc.  Whats the point?  Some people will say its  the thought, and our thought was hold onto your cash and buy something when you saw it. 

Im with Matt.  I usually buy almost anything I want during the year.  Because if I waited, I never would get anything for X-MAS.  All the good stuff is sold out by November and I hate waiting for certain items.  CD's DVD's SW, etc. 

My wifes family on the other hand goes nuts if you dont shell out good gifts to everyone.  And they go so totally overboard that it can be embarrassing. 

With a little one at home it is certainly more enjoyable then it has been in the past.  I spent about $500 on both my wife and son.  And another $200 on her family and the kids. 

I actually finished up tonight, dropping all $500 at once on my wife and son. The money does not go that far. 

I was in line at TRU today and I saw parents dropping $500-1000 on one kid.  Kids dont know how lucky they are nowadays with game systems and some of these high end toys.

Whatever happened to good all Tinkertoys and Lincoln logs?

[JediMAC]

I'm not sure I even knew you had a son, Jim...  How old is he, and do you let him mess with YOUR toys?!   

[jokabofe]

I'm one of those "3 close friends", right?  What'd you send me?  I can't wait...  Thanks D!   

Uhmmmm.... yeah, your gift will prolly show up the week before Christmas.

I guess another added cost every year is about $75 on a Christmas tree... 

Yeah, that too. And you can also add the other assorted decorations I buy year after year. Of course, I try and save as much stuff from year to year, but there's always something new that gets added every year, or something that gets lost or broken from year to year. I don't really go too nuts around the house, since I live alone, but I have enough stuff to satisfy everyone in the family.

And I guess you could add another $100 - $150 that I usually drop on ornaments every year as well. I've got enough ornaments to fill several trees now, but every year I find myself in the Hallmark and Disney stores buying armloads more. Thank god the WB store closed down, I used to drop $200 a year just on WB ornaments usually. Last year I had so many ornaments on the tree, that when my parents came over they told me they weren't going to bother looking at them, because there were too many. And trust me, if Mom doesn't wanna look at the ornaments, that means there's really too many there. That woman lives for Christmas.

Which, BTW, is where I think I got my habit of going overboard at Christmastime buying stuff for everyone and anyone. This year I cut back to "3 close friends" - last year and the year before I think I bought stuff for at least 10 of my friends. Nothing big or spectacular, but something. I guess I'm one of those people who really doesn't care if they get anything from other people, I just like buying stuff for others. I picked up an extra Silver Vader GG bust from SWS.com, originally to sell and hopefully make back a few bucks on the one I bought for $200+, but one of my friends missed out on it, so he's getting it for Christmas instead. I'm such a nice guy...

[JediMAC]

This year I cut back to "3 close friends" ... I picked up an extra Silver Vader GG bust from SWS.com, originally to sell and hopefully make back a few bucks on the one I bought for $200+, but one of my friends missed out on it, so he's getting it for Christmas instead. I'm such a nice guy...

Dude, I already got the Chrome Vader.  Pay attention Dave!  Sheesh...   

Please send me the regular GG Vader bust instead.  Thanks.  (or the Boba Fett in it's place)

As for ornaments and decorations, we pretty much loaded up last year for our first Christmas in our new home, and are pretty happy with everything we got (like long term stuff we'll enjoy decorating with for years to come).  So this year, and I think in the years to come, our Holiday decorating tab shouldn't be too much at all really, outside of 5 - 10 Poinsettias.  Of course, I won't mention what it was last year...   

As for the Hallmark ornaments - those are collectibles, so they don't count towards regular Holiday expenditures!  (at least not the Star Wars ones)   

[jokabofe]

Dude, I already got the Chrome Vader.  Pay attention Dave!  Sheesh...   

I know that. If you took a minute to actually read my thread, you would have seen that it says "one of my friends missed out on it, so he's getting it for Christmas". Obviously, if you have one, than you are not that friend. Sheesh yourself

Please send me the regular GG Vader bust instead.  Thanks.  (or the Boba Fett in it's place)

Oh hell, I can't pick one of those... I'll just send both. OK?

As for the Hallmark ornaments - those are collectibles, so they don't count towards regular Holiday expenditures!  (at least not the Star Wars ones)   

Not if you only put them out at Christmastime on your Christmas tree they aren't. I used to have a shelf in my bookcase for them to be on display all year 'round, and I would consider them collectibles then, but now I only take them out at Christmas and they all go on the tree. That makes them ornaments, and therefore part of my Christmas budget 

[JediMAC]

OK, but you're still gonna send me the regular Vader bust though, right?

Also, if the Hallmark ornaments are gonna be part of your "Christmas budget", then you can't include them in your Collector's Challenge tally.  It's either one or the other, but no cross-collateralizing them!

BTW, it's rather hard to decipher your post when you quote the entire thing like that.  It's about time you learned how to properly use all the bells and whistles we have available here...   

[Ben]

I think my siblings and I are going to get my dad a TiVo, but since I'm the only one that actually makes money, I'll be buying it. It's a good thing my brother works at Best Buy, I'll say that. (Yay employee discounts!)

I still have no idea what to get my mother and grandmother. I'll likely make up my mind at 3 PM on Dec. 24th.

I'm getting my brothers some Sigma Phi Epsilon license plate frames, plus Best Buy gift cards. One's currently a member at Iowa State University, and the other sib will be next year, at the same school.

I suppose I'll get something for Jen and Kim, but they're bitches, so I don't know about that. It'd make good for some booty calls later, though.

So I guess it isn't too nuts. I already have the gifts for my bros, and I'll be paying for dad's gift this weekend, so that only leaves the wimmins.

[Snively Bandar]

I'm quickly learning that my future in-laws go pretty nuts with the Christmas shopping too.  My family's always been fairly tame with the shopping, but with a new fiancee in my life this year, I'm seeing that she might be looking to spice things up just a little.  I'm just glad that she's handling 90% of the shopping, since that whole chore gives me a major headache.

There have been rumblings from a few poeple in my wife's family about changing to a partner type system, where you're only buying for one other person instead of everyone.  But I highly doubt that will actually come to fruition.

We have been spending a lot more than I'm used to on Christmas decorations for around the house though.  I guess as a former bachelor, stuff like that wasn't such a high priority to me in the past.  But whatever keeps my girl happy now!   

[Jesse James]

It's not bad for me really Matt.  I will give the few kids I have to buy for some gift-certificates or just cash.  My parents are easy to get for, and my brothers and I don't share gifts... 

I have weird family like that, with very little buying. 

I'll still go shopping a day or two, just to go, but that's about it.  I'm just as glad to avoid the stores for the most part.

[Jim]

I'm not sure I even knew you had a son, Jim...  How old is he, and do you let him mess with YOUR toys?!   

Tyler turned 3 today.  He is a total SW junkie.  And my wife is pissed that he is so into it. He drives her nuts with the topic. Its strange, because I can see the same sparkle in his eyes that I had when first introduced to SW.  He has probably, no kidding watched all the films about a dozen times each.  The only thing to this date that has frightened him is the EP3 trailer.  Everyday he wants to watch, but my wife is going nuts and has put her foot down since she is a mostly stay at home Mom.  We are actually working on another little Padawan to join the family.

My collection is downstairs, and occasionally he will mess with a figure or two. He more or less just stands there in aw.  And already knows about 25-30 characters names. He has most of the playskool figs, some reg figs and a lightsaber.   He gets his Playskool X-Wing and Playskool Reek today.  Then the Falcon for X-Mas.

[DSJ™]

All my nieces & nephews are grown up now. Just dealing with there children is tuff. We have so many toys that we bought over the yrs., were going through them & just handing them over as gifts. Dolls, teddy bears, playsets etc...

As for the grown ups, its hard to buy something they want so I just get gift certificates, done it for that past 4 yrs. & doing it again this yr. 

[Mikey D]

We set a limit, $50 for each sibling and their spouses and $100 for each parent.  Between me and my wife, we have three siblings, three parents and two spouses we buy for -  $550 right there, although we usually spend a little more on my wife's sister, because she's her only one and she doesn't have a significant other. 

Now onto the kids.  Between family and close friends, there are about 5 - a niece (actually my cousin's kid, but it's easier to call her a niece since she'll call us Aunt and Uncle) and a nephew, my wife's cousin two kids and a close friend's daughter.  Gifts for them range anywhere from $25 to $100 (the niece and nephew).

As for the wife and I, we decided since we just bought the house this year and are in the process of renovating the basement, we wouldn't exchange gifts.  Although I know she'll get me something small and I have a few gifts stashed away for her.

Throw in a gift for my company's Yankee Swap and my Secret Santa (it's on the way) and I think that's about it.