Celebrate without buying gifts.
Why do you need to spend money to celebrate? Spend your time with people instead.
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!
Gifts can be made or affordable
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.
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
I always heard it was called boxing day because it’s the day you start boxing up all of your holiday decorations (which isn’t even true since most families keep the tree and stuff out for a few days after.
It’s a thing in Commonwealth countries. The origin is not really clear but these days it represents discount shopping and a big cricket match
Count my money while browsing boxing day sales and chuckling because I don’t actually need anything.
I told them I donated money instead. Which is true. Not primarily for the sake of not giving gifts though. I didn’t want any gifts but still got some. I overheard the sentence “next year he’s not getting any gifts” and I am looking forward to it.
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).
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
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.
Not ‘celebrating’ Christmas here.
Yesterday we had my wife’s parents over for diner, they areived at noon and left 4h later so the pets could be fed. Was fun to chat and have the rest of the day off. My sisters come tomorrow with kids. Haven’t had them around to visit for over a decade. We usually go to them, as some have pet allergies and we have loads of pets. Alas, I’m unable to leave town for a few months, so we haven’t seen them for a few months now, so they decided to drop by. No decoration apart from an paper ‘table cloth’ and some chrismas cookies for the kids to decorate.
When you normally see each other almost every month, why go trough all stress for the holiday season just because everybody celebrates a nice story. (is tricked into spending loads due to ‘tradition’) We had a not so simple meal with my inlaws (my wife liked to cook something special) and tomorrow it’s soup with sandwitches and pizza (the kids would want notuing fancy anyway and it’s easy for a big group).
No gifts, apart from each others company this year, although normaly we just dig inmfor the weeks and hide (with december being the only month in the year without birthdays). We already get to stressed about all the stress in/around the grocery that’s almost in our back yard.
I will buy them and send them late, like I usually do.
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