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.
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.
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.
My wife got me one of those this year. Really helping me through my covid. Oh yeah, I also have covid on Christmas day, lol. Fun stuff.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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).
To any of you planning on last minute present shopping today, know I and every other retail employee fucking hate you. I have work in an hour and I'm not allowed to be mean to you to your faces, but know I wish all of you misery.