Celebrate without buying gifts.
Why do you need to spend money to celebrate? Spend your time with people instead.
I 100% agree with this. Unfortunately it’s also one of those things that a lot of people say but don’t really mean. Like when they say it’s OK for men to cry.
Oh this man cries, often. And this man thinks it’s completely natural, acceptable, and often enjoyable.
I totally cry.
I also tend to give gifts when I see something a friend would swoon over, and giving gifts for Christmas is weird.
I also don’t really care about my masculinity or if I’m seen as sufficiently manly.
It’s definitely OK for men to cry. Or, it’s equally not okay for a woman to cry than a man. Lol
Same thought. I just said to people close to me that I don’t want gifts neither for christmas nor for my birthday and I’ll never want them. As a kid it makes sense, getting something you really want from someone else because you don’t really have a serious job or money at all so it’s one of the few chances to get something. Now if I want something I just buy it, otherwise I just don’t want it. And if I can’t buy it because it’s expensive why would I want someone else to spend that kind of money? Plus all that thinking about what would be a good gift. And if it’s about “showing you care about me” then really, just say merry christmas or happy birthday.
Everyone close to me knows I ain’t a holiday gift giver. I like giving surprises to people on the fly when they don’t expect it.
Personally I like giving other people gifts. It’s part of the fun. Last year I got my brother a drone and he got me a thrifted, pit-stained t-shirt for a band I don’t listen to that much. I don’t care, I just like to give other people cool gifts!
People that celebrate Christmas and have not bought gifts yet do not celebrate Christmas with gifts, or at the very least are not important for the celebration.
Steam games bought tomorrow morning
Absolute life saver for the chronic procrastinators among us.
I’m buying myself a new weighted blanket 🥳
Treat ‘yo self!
A few years ago, I had ordered a bunch of gifts for my family to be delivered to my mother’s house shortly before Christmas. The morning my flight was supposed to leave, I got an email from Amazon saying my packages were delayed until like mid-January. Given that I needed to be on a plane in a couple of hours, and it was like 3 days before Christmas Day, I ended up just printing off pictures of the stuff I bought and giving everybody a card with them in it. We had a pretty good laugh about it.
Make plans after Christmas day and buy presents on boxing day on discount is what I’d do tbh.
What the hell is boxing day??
the day after christmas. not entirely sure where the name comes from or what it means tbh
I’m gonna start saying “happy boxing day!” To everyone I come across on the 26th lol
Fun fact: it got known as boxing day because of all the Christmas gifts given and opened on Christmas day all around the world, leading to the most number of empty boxes the next day.
That kind of makes sense? Wouldn’t box day make a bit more sense? Boxing day sounds like everyone puts on some boxing gloves and just goes at it
I heard that’s a recent back story and not the true origin, which is still unknown
Count my money while browsing boxing day sales and chuckling because I don’t actually need anything.
Saw people buying gifts at the grocery store this morning. Like cheap perfume gift bundles and stuff like that.
Sometimes you find out late that someone is going to give you something. And sometimes you procrastinate.
Could be stocking stuffers. White elephant party maybe. Something for the surprise holiday guest so they feel included and welcomed.
I know a guy who grew up occasionally homeless. He has ended up as a well paid tech manager and his approach is that his family can usually just afford the things they want, so instead of buying stress gifts the last month of each year, his family picks a charitable cause to donate time and money to instead.
They’ve bought goats for third world families; paid for education, transportation and home construction; fed hungry and clothed the naked.
He’s a cool guy.
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
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My “adopted” family (in-laws) and I have been heading in that direction and sending trial balloons for years.
This year, snacks, a pair of socks, and a couple bucks.
We got them gift cards for a restaurant we all adore.
We all are doing just fine, in our respective worlds. We’ve managed to stay geographically close, ish, and do holidays etc together at somebody’s house. That’s the important part.
Took me more years than it should have to realize that, but let’s say my wife’s family has taught me quite a bit over the years and largely changed my perspective on many things - this included.
No gifts, just a card. And that still caught her off-guard, because she knows I’m opposed to materialism (for the sake of materialism; I still buy nice things for the things I need).
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I haven’t had money for holiday presents in over a decade, I don’t plan to waste money on it now. Majority of “presents” end up in the landfill or as returns, to be sent to the landfill anyway, so mindless consumerism wins again.
If I give someone something it’ll be cash toward whatever they intended to buy anyway.
give me your money instead
