Truth is, I and my wife can't afford anything this year.
Hopefully that will change in the not so distant future.
I'm just happy to have a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.
Anything else is "gravy".

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Gifts don't necessarily have to be something you buy from a store to be of value.
A poem or a song can mean more than the most expensive store bought gift. Some have other talents like woodcarving, or shaping small pieces of leftover sheet-metal. Preparing a special meal and serving it with atmosphere/music can serve as a gift for someone special.

I have heard of the gift being Time, donated to paint a bathroom or clean out gutters or to plant flowers in the Spring. Such gifts can be presented as a Typed or Hand written personal promise .

[cheers]

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Who waits until Christmas to be the only time to get people things? Seriously? I can't believe that was brought up. Christmas is about the thought and money requires no thought whatsoever. It leaves nothing. Again, I won't belittle someone and infer they shouldn't wait until Christmas to be giving, but whatever works for you and yours, is what is best. I, unlike some, respect that. I just have my own personal experiences and life lessons that give me different (not better) values.

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Yes, many of us have different traditions, however that does not preclude offering your great gift ideas. They may help another member to discover a unique gift to give this season. Let us put aside the arguments and help others with your gift suggestions. Some are scratching their heads this year for a fresh gift ideas.

What about :

An artificial Flower Display with a nice vase
For the collector you know, a new Shot Glass, Statuette, Snow Globe, Nutcracker, etc. ...
A Sweatshirt in a bright color like Yellow or Orange or etc. that will ease the cabin fever this winter
A fun gift like a "Rubics Cube" or a Chess Set

Come on now folks, it's your turn now !!

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This year is going to be quite different for me. Last month or so has been a mess, don't think we're getting a tree this year (Which my wife doesn't care about but I really like) due to time. Luckily my family finally agreed on a scaled back version of giftgiving, so I have only a single gift to buy for someone I have no gift ideas for this year! :)

Going to miss the tree but overall I think I'm going to be a lot less stressed out this year.

Normally my girls spend Christmas break with their mothers, but this year I'll have them and they talked me into getting a tree. We normally don't have one because, well, they aren't home, lol. It'll be pretty neat this year for me because I'll have three of my girls on Christmas. I don't think that's ever happened before. Pretty awesome!

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Sounds great, will you be doing any cooking . If so, planning can be your most important ingredient . Ham is always a Christmas favorite, many stores sell sliced dinner ham by weight. For some items, frozen foods are a great answer, Deserts come to mind. Dry and canned foods also can be stockpiled in advance. Fresh fruits and vegetables, IMO, should be purchased to be as fresh as possible to when they are to be served. I like to have a few Oranges, Apples, Bananas, etc. on hand most of the time. Veggies like carrots, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. don't keep as well as onions or potatoes so Refrigerator space is critical.

I know some that completely clean / rearrange their Refrigerator 10 days or so before the Holiday
(Thanksgiving/Christmas) in order to be ready for the Holiday fare.

MERRY CHRISTMAS [cheers]

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It's true, I and my wife never had to have a special occasion to give gifts. We do it when we can.

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