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[cj]

I'm only buying presents for the girls this year. And hubby. The rest is going on some goats for Africa. I just can't see the point anymore. We've all got far more than we need, and I'm fed up with dusting the candlesticks everyone seems to think we require. Do they think there's no electricity in Devon? And I'm not sending cards to people we see on a regular basis. All this stuff out on display is designed to make us think that other people are at it so we'd better join in or it will all have gone. They only want our money to line their own pockets. It's all gone completely potty. We're more in debt than ever, stress levels are rising through the roof and we inflict all this on ourselves every year? Pants to that, I say. And while I'm having a rant, I'm not doing party bags for Cora's birthday in a few weeks. We're going to make animal masks, so they can have those, a balloon and a bit of cake and be thankful they're not going up the chimney for an afternoon's entertainment.

[Mid A 15]

I'm only buying presents for the girls this year. And hubby. The rest is going on some goats for Africa. I just can't see the point anymore. We've all got far more than we need, and I'm fed up with dusting the candlesticks everyone seems to think we require. Do they think there's no electricity in Devon? And I'm not sending cards to people we see on a regular basis. All this stuff out on display is designed to make us think that other people are at it so we'd better join in or it will all have gone. They only want our money to line their own pockets. It's all gone completely potty. We're more in debt than ever, stress levels are rising through the roof and we inflict all this on ourselves every year? Pants to that, I say. And while I'm having a rant, I'm not doing party bags for Cora's birthday in a few weeks. We're going to make animal masks, so they can have those, a balloon and a bit of cake and be thankful they're not going up the chimney for an afternoon's entertainment.

We've said this sort of thing before and then ended up bottling it!

I agree with what you say though the true meaning of Christmas has become lost in tacky tat and commercialism.

[englishangel]

I'm only buying presents for the girls this year. And hubby. The rest is going on some goats for Africa. I just can't see the point anymore. We've all got far more than we need, and I'm fed up with dusting the candlesticks everyone seems to think we require. Do they think there's no electricity in Devon? And I'm not sending cards to people we see on a regular basis. All this stuff out on display is designed to make us think that other people are at it so we'd better join in or it will all have gone. They only want our money to line their own pockets. It's all gone completely potty. We're more in debt than ever, stress levels are rising through the roof and we inflict all this on ourselves every year? Pants to that, I say. And while I'm having a rant, I'm not doing party bags for Cora's birthday in a few weeks. We're going to make animal masks, so they can have those, a balloon and a bit of cake and be thankful they're not going up the chimney for an afternoon's entertainment.

I couldn't agree more.

Last year we paid for midwife training in Mali or somewhere for my Mum and Dad, (Mum a midwife before I ever was) and stuff for African schools for the rest of the families (who are all teachers). The children got pressies though.

My 2 who are 18 in in 6 weeks time want to go to the panto as a family the day before their birthday, eat a takeaway Chinese on the day - a Monday, (I am getting special cakes though) and just have their mates round at the weekend and veg out on the sofa with Coke, crisps and a few DVDs.

[Katharine]

Last year we decided to send virtual presents to everyone. For some I used the excuse that we were remembering my Aunt Helen - her obituary was in the previous Old Blue - who had worked most of her life in Africa. We had great fun choosing appropriate gifts for everyone, (Patrick who as a child would sit for hours under a mango tree waiting for the fruit to ripen had some mango trees!) We did send a small box of Fair Trade chocolates with each gift announcement.

This year they will still get the virtual gifts with no mention of Aunt Helen! As Mary says the children will still get pressies for the day.

[Euterpe13]

My mother & I decided years ago that neither of us could afford any of the presents we really wanted/needed ( think house, car, pension, facelift, trip to the Seychelles here) , and that it was senseless to spend money we couldn't afford on things that we didn't need. Idem now goes for Laura now that she is grown.

So we buy 2 or 3 silly stocking-fillers so that everyone has a pressie, share the Christmas Eve/Day food costs, and take ourselves off to Andorra for a week skiiing instead !

Although this year I am knitting a sweater for the new BF. Also, I try to remember to double the contributions to societies for end of year ( have 2 kids in India and support the Fistula Foundation - every woman should).

I also gave up sending cards years ago - a silly outlay, they never arrive, and everyone sends e-mail these days anyway.

[cj]

I also gave up sending cards years ago - a silly outlay,

We decided some years ago not to send cards to the people we saw in the village we lived in as we saw them every day. I did get some funny looks as I tried to explain our reasoning, and a lot of people thought I was joking. We cut a third off the total number of cards usually sent. I do however like to send a card and a personal letter (it takes ages, but much nicer than a round robin) to those who are abroad or a long way away. The thing is that most people feel this way, and then, as Mid A 15 says, bottle out. Stand your ground firmly, and I'm sure in the long run it will make life so much better in so many ways!