A Little Early But.... i know that its not the time to start thinking about x-mas...But my family has started this tradition yrs ago with all the adaults...What we do is put our name on a piece of paper and you pick out of a hat {or what ever} if you pick that name thats who you buy the gift for...We started at 50.00 one time but got to much for all of us and changed to 35.00..We have had no problems with taking gifts back..The kids get together and spend 15.00 but one the become an teen and have a job they can join in..If you think this might work with you family let me know how it went...We pick name around August to get a head start..

This sounds like a great idea but it sounds like something for a bigger family to do. We don't really buy for a specific person. When we find something that we think someone would like we get it. Pretty simple really, but this idea is cool.

That sounds like a good idea. My family is too small and they probably wouldn't like it though. I'd like to do that one day, maybe in school or something.

The four things I want for Christmas
Resident Evil 4 for Gamecube
SSX: On Tour for Gamecube
The Sims 2 for Gamecube
MP3 player or an iPod (Taking the public bus at five in the morning for an hour is boring and I need some music)

Lately our extended family has cut back greatly on the gift-giving as it got way out of hand a few years back. That Christmas it took us over three hours to get through everyone opening their presents (we took turns). Plus now with my family living far away from the rest of my family it has gotten to be too much to get gifts for anyone except our immediate family and our grandparents. Though some of the gifts that I used to get were nice, I really don't miss getting all those gifts since most of them weren't anything I truly needed plus my parents and grandparents get more than enough for me and my siblings now anyways. We just send pictures or a DVD like we're doing this year to the rest of our relatives to show what we've been doing this past year. The thing I do miss though is spending our Christmas with the rest of our family!

As for RCTMike's idea, it sounds like a cool one that keeps the gift-giving at a nice, low level but not so low that you can't get something nice for Christmas but you can still use that extra money that would have normally gone towards other gifts to use on charities or the needy.

For me I only buy presents for VERY close family and VERY close friends. Other family members and friends will just get a card. I have never seen the need to buy gifts for people that I hardly know.

The one thing that really annoys me is just after Christmas on the 26th December, when there are long lines at the Customer Service Desk in the the stores for people returning unwanted Christmas gifts. My feeling is that if I have spent the time, effort and money into what I think a person might like, then they should have the decency to keep the gift...ohtherwise...why not just give them cash in the first place.
If you want to get someone a gift but not really sure what they might like...I dont see the harm in asking.
My adult children asked me and I gave them ideas.
My daughter lives in Germany and she has MADE me a Christmas Cake...not the American style Christmas cakes...this is really dark with sultanas, cherries, raisins and mine has been in the process for a few months as she kept pouring brandy on it...its going to be a "MERRY" Christmas !!.
My two sons are visiting me in Florida from England. I am taking them both to Discovery Cove in Orlando on New Years Day for their gift. Thought it will be over and done with in a day...the memory of swimming with dolphins will last MUCH longer. My youngest son (20yo) is getting me a tshirt from Discovery Cove...every time I put it on...it will remind me of the day that we spent together.

My philosophy is that if have absolutly no idea what to get a person for Christmas...do you need to get them anything at all.!!!


I do have one more Christmas observation from the advertising angle.
A lot of commercials tell husbands and boyfriends to buy gold/diamonds for their wives/girlfriends...diamonds last forever etc etc etc How many guys get socks or hankercheives or yucky ties for Christmas.

My family actually does that too.