What is your Christmas gift budget this year?

[Kaleva]

My wife and I decided on a limit of $50 per kid and grandkids for a total of $800. The old ones in the family will be getting chocolates, homemade pickled eggs and homemade Juustoa (Finnish squeaky cheese). My wife will be picking out the chocaltes which her mother loves and I'll be making the cheese and pickled eggs.

We've told the kids that this is the last year we'll be buying presents for them.

[FirstLight]

1. Ha!

Nothing yet, working on getting a new job and just keeping afloat

[Kaleva]

4. Back when I was self employed and single, I was the last person paid by people during Xmas

I was owed a lot but December was a very tight month for me.

[handmade34]

2. $0.00

quit buying presents a long time ago (my son was the first to suggest this when he was a teen)... though, I find pleasure in giving appropriate gifts to friends and family throughout the year, when I see something they may like...

[Kaleva]

6. We enjoy watching the grandkids open their presents.

For the adult kids, we buy practical items. Such as for my oldest stepson and his wife, we are buying a part for their dishwasher. The part should arrive today or tomorrow and I'll be putting it in as soon as I get it.

[Callalily]

3. We decided years ago not to exchange gifts.

But we do collect a "private amount" from each person who cares to participate and then donate to someplace local.

[Siwsan]

9. That is a great idea.

A few years before I left work, I talked everyone into stopping the department gift exchange and instead donate the money to a food kitchen or gift program for children.

[Loki Liesmith]

5. 1500

[Siwsan]

7. $0

We are more Yule type people so we don't bother with gifts. Instead we get together for food, drink and spend time in front of a roaring fireplace, for some great, nostalgic conversations.

My family has an abundance of really good and imaginative cooks and my brother is a bit of a 'mixologist' so it's always a tasty and fun time.

[Sherman A1]

8. The nieces and nephews get

Gift cards that I buy with credit card cash back points. Beyond that, it’s just for wife, sister, stepdaughter, a close friend. A few token gifts for my gaming buddies. It will all come in less than $1k.

[Magoo48]

10. No gifts other than family togetherness and fellowship with friends.

Do our planet a favor, stop consuming.

[PJMcK]

11. Not sure

For years, I've started my holiday gift buying during the summer. I keep a large shopping bag in a closet along with a list of those I want to give gifts to. Little by little, I start collecting the gifts so by the time Thanksgiving comes along, I've already amassed most of my gifts. Needless to say, I don't keep track of the total money I've spent.

Since I run my own business, there are numerous contractors and workers I need to give holiday tips/bonuses to. These generally range from $20 to $200 apiece depending on the individual. These include building workers, parking attendants, various contractors and business associates. There are two folks who get substantially more because they are pivotal to my business.

One fun example of my method happened in August. We were driving from Michigan to Wisconsin when I saw a sign for a winery called the Lazy Ballerina Vineyard. Since a part of both our work is in ballet performance and instruction, we had to stop and find out about this place. Their tasting room was fun and welcoming and for a modest amount, we each got 5 samples and a cute wine glass. The wines were delicious so I bought 2 cases with the plan to give them to dancers and teachers. I just thought it would funny to give these hard-working artists a bottle with that label! With that purchase, we were covered for all of our colleagues at the dance school.

By the time December rolls around, I'll pull out the shopping bag and list and determine what else I'll need. It's usually less than half a dozen more gifts.

It works for me but I prefer not to total the purchases so I won't be horrified by the total!

[Kaleva]

14. A practical method!

[Trailrider1951]

12. Oh, less than $1000 total. I really quit buying crap for christmas and birthdays

For Christmas, each of my two kids and their spouses receive gift baskets of items I hand pick and assemble for them, mostly food, like their favorite hot sauce, sweets, homemade spiced pecans and walnuts, a bottle or two of craft beer or wine, and other assorted goodies. Each of my 5 grand kids receives a nice card with $100 in it.

For birthdays, each person receives a batch of homemade brownies and a nice birthday card. I put $60 in the cards for the grand kids. I'm all for making special treats for special days, and since the grand kids range from 11 to 17, they really appreciate the extra cash for things they really want. YMMV.

[Kaleva]

13. We are giving $50 cash each to the three oldest.

[msongs]

15. for your really religious friends, give them the new testament lol nt

[lastlib]

16. Last five years, I buy one present.....

...for a special lady friend (usually $100 or less--that's already done for this year). and the rest of Christmas budget goes to charity and some Democratic causes. Mom, 91, doesn't need or want anything (prefers I donate to one of her charities in her name--which I do if they're not too deep into religious nuttery), siblings and I have agreed on no gifts except for nieces/nephews, most of whom are grown and don't expect anything. So Christmas is pretty cheap for me usually.

This year, due to special circumstances (my broken leg), I will do some gifts to acknowledge the extra help siblings and friends have given me, so it'll be a bit more.

[csziggy]

18. About $100 for the adults

My family quit giving gifts about 2001 when GWB suggested going out to spend money after 9/11.

My husband's family changed to 1 gift per person and we play a "Dirty Santa" exchange - it's a lot of fun. http://www.dirtysantarules.com/

Now, the kids under 10 are different - I give each a gift card to a book store. All the kids in the families have too many toys and books are better in my opinion. Fortunately all the parents (now my nieces and nephews) approve and make it a major excursion for the kids to go to the store and pick out their own books. Let's see, we're up to around a dozen kids total for the various nieces and nephews, so that is about $600.

[rurallib]

19. Whe our kids were little and my nephews and nieces were entering HS

We made a Santa bag and then spent all year buying toys for other items under $10. We'd get @ 20 or 30 and wrap them up as we got them.

Then on the Christmas Eve the bag would get passed around for each adult and child to pull out a gift. The gifts usually had some humor and brought lots of laughs. Mostly they were toys that actually got played with. We did that for @ 10 years until the family had scattered to the 4 corners of the universe.

We did that at some celebrations for a small local charity we were a part of. Always a blast.

[912gdm]

20. 5000$

the bulk of which will be spent on my mother. there is usually a few hundred in gag gifts. There are no children in my family anymore, so its mostly spent on fun things.

I did antique textiles last year with samplers from the seventeenth century, and was a hit so im probably going to look at antique amish stitch work this Christmas.