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The Holiday gift giving HELP thread & tips on surviving the season

starlightgemini

starlightgemini

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 4, 2001
Messages
8,690
Location
Fairfax, VA, USA
I always wait to the last minute to buy gifts for everyone, and I refuse to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I try not to even think about Christmas til December comes around but considering that stores put Christmas decorations up the day after Halloween.... its an impossible thing to ignore lol.

I have no idea what to get anyone.

I have no idea what I even want to ask for.

And I imagine I am not the only one in this situation, so... I had an idea :D

I want this thread to be about good gift ideas (feel free to post links and pictures to products, stores, and websites). And not only that... its going to be a help thread. For example, you have no idea what to give your mother for whatever holiday.. make a post in here. Try and mention a few things she likes, so that people may have a good idea of what kind of gift to suggest. Hopefully there will be a couple others who have some suggestions for you.

If you have any tips on how to get your holiday shopping done without going crazy, post them here.

If you have any tips on how to save money and get the best deals on gifts, post them here :)

Even tips on holiday parties, and things related to the holiday season are welcome to be posted, shared, and asked in here.

:D

~ SLG
 
I got my dad this Homer Simpson clock:

wickedcoolstuff_1819_36948653.jpg

It says different Homer quotes on the hour, every hour.:)

And I got my mom warming footies and warming mittens:

3242613159521P.jpg

3242713159530P.jpg


They're pretty cool. You put them in the microwave for a minute or so and then put them on. They are supposed to stay warm for hours. I want a pair for myself.:)
 
i hate gift giving also. the biggest problem i run into is people buying gifts for me, while i didn't get them anything. its always a bit embarrassing :\

instead of gift certificates, i buy the person something from the store for about the same price and include a gift receipt (or the actual receipt). i think it is a little bit more personal the a gift certificate, and more fun to open an actual package. i don't do this for xmas because of the long lines for returns/exchanges, but it works well for birthdays and such :)
 
I also always wait until the last minute to start buying gifts and then I'm so stressed out. This is the first year that I'm not cramming for finals at the beginning of December, so I vowed to get an early start this year.

For the last 2 months, I've been keeping my ears open. Any time someone talks about something that could be a possible gift, I jot it down before I forget. I have also been looking through the catalogs that have started pouring in the mail. I've gotten an idea or 2 for my dad, and he's always the toughest.

I absolutely detest the mall and shopping, so anything and everything I can get online, I will! And the earlier the better. I've just finished paying off my car and plan to start purchasing what's on my list with my December 1st paycheck.

Here's what I've thought of so far, hopefully someone will get some ideas from these:

Boyfriend: Complete Seinfeld DVD collection from here , Cabo Wabo tequila, Alice in Chains guitar tab books, silver monogrammed money clip (he really needs one!). Not that I'm buying him ALL of this, but these are my ideas for him.

Dad: Complete kitchen knife set (those kind that don't need sharpening, last forever, etc. etc.) from here and the Beatles first concert DVD (something like that) from a mail catalog that I can't recall the name of at the moment, as it's at home on my desk.

Brother: Lord of the Rings "Quest for the Ring" statue, with the dark riders beneath a globe encasing the one ring from The Noble Collection

Best friend: Silver plated business card case, hanging wall valet, and electric tie rack from Red Envelope and the new A Perfect Circle DVD aMOTION.

I'm clueless for my mom and oldest brother. Although I know that if I ask my mom what she wants, she won't hesitate to let me know!

Great idea for a thread!
 
My sis works at Zales, so my mom always asks for some sort of jewelry, so that's pretty easy. My dad...well we always get him some sort of massage/heat therapy gadget. He has like every shiatsu/thumper/etc thing in the book, but that's what he likes. That or a John Wayne movie.

My future bro-in-law (he's practically my brother--been dating the sis for 5 yrs now) is trying to get a new cd player for his car, so he's just requested everyone chip in towards that. That rocks because I don't have to think about his anymore. I normally get him something to do with war history stuff because he's a big Vietnam/WWII buff.

My sis is the one I go crazy over...we have the same tastes in a lot of stuff, and just love little cutesy things, so we end up getting each other like 10 presents every year (maybe $50 total). So far I'm thinking that I'm geting her "America: the book" (jon stewart/daily show book), a handmade scarf from this hippie lady in town, and I don't know what else...

I have absolutely NO idea what to get my roommate.
 
I'm getting everyone a book this year. everyone knows im on a budget, too. if i see a book at the thrift for 35 cents and i feel like a person i'm planning on buy a gift for would like it... i'll buy it for them. they get a .35 gift! same goes for a 20 dollar book... although i believe no books should be 20 dollars.

i'm doing sex and the city themes for my close girl friends: modge-podged picture frames with a cosmopolitan, NYC, fashion etc... theme as well as one of the many sex & the city based books. when we have our "gift exchange" i'm making cosmos for everyone, too :)

for my dad: "everyone poops" and "english as a second fucking language"

for my mom: subscription to living, of course :)

for my sister: a book about getting by in the city (still looking for the perfect one), a journal with a "city" theme on the cover, a roll of quarters :)
 
If you have any tips on how to get your holiday shopping done without going crazy, post them here.

If you have any tips on how to save money and get the best deals on gifts, post them here

Even tips on holiday parties, and things related to the holiday season are welcome to be posted, shared, and asked in here.
Click to expand...

AN EXCELLENT THREAD! K - if you're anal like me, you started cmas shopping in June and you were done by August - (didn't do that this year b/c of my divorce - I'm SO late this year - lol) If you're not normally like me - you dread the crowds, you fear that panicky feeling of not getting the perfect gift etc.

To get my holiday shopping done I try to keep a running tally of things throughout the year that I know the person on my gift list wants or likes etc. This makes it SO much easier when I'm shopping. I also set a dollar amount on how much I'm going to spend on that person and I do NOT go over that dollar amount - PERIOD b/c I go to extremes and will go over more than a couple of bucks. Lol....

In order for you NOT to go crazy and to get your Christmas shopping done on time - try and do most of your gift shopping online. When you need to go out and brave the crowds, try and do your shopping during the day, in the middle of the week - the stores are less crowded. Try and avoid the malls -if you can't avoid the malls like I said, try and go during the day, during the middle of the week. To save your sanity, BEFORE you venture out - have a list of EACH store you need to go to, what you need to get there and who it's for. That way, when you walk into a store, you know EXACTLY what you're getting and who you're getting for. You can get in and get out.

To save money, skim the sales ads. Compare prices. Save yourself money by BUDGETING how much you're gonna spend BEFORE you leave your house. Stick to your budget and STICK to the gift you decided on getting (do not pick up things here and there) b/c you think you didn't do "enough" (I SO need to take my own advice on that one) And don't roll your eyes but you can actually make your own gifts that are relatively in-expensive. (I used to CRINGE when people said that) I'm a divorced single mom with children under the age of three. I know about pinchin a penny or two. It's amazing how creative you can get - lol...For instance, if you have a movie buff in your family, you could get a gift card to a video store for say 10 dollars and make a gift basket out of it. Most baskets are relatively cheap (hell you may have one around the house somewhere) you can decorate it up or leave it plain. You can enclose some soda and popcorn bags with the gift card. I usually buy (I'm in Georgia) the big Pop-corn cans at Walmart for 4.00 (it has multi popcorn in there) slap the gift card on top along with a liter soda on the side, wrap it up in pretty wrapping and that's my gift.

Holiday Parties can be taxing on your nerves as well. I like to go to a website called: www.listorganizer.com - this website has a list for everything imaginable. Just organize the day you need to clean sections of your house, apartment, flat etc. and follow it. I have SO many party ideas and ways to make your life easier but all this Christmas talk reminded me I have to take my 2 1/2 year old and 1 year old to get their Cmas pics taken in like an hour - lol........

Will post more and can't wait to hear more ideas from other members too!
 
^ Excellent tips!!!!! :D :D

I really wish I could do some online shopping but I did away with all my credit cards AND my debt card in an effort to make myself more financially responsible and better with my money (and let me tell you, it really works for me). But unfortunetly that means I can't order things online :\

I don't have too many people to shop for anyway. My mom, my dad, my younger sister, my older sister/brother-in-law (whatever I get for her I make sure its really something for both of them), my nephew, and my 2 roommates. So the only non-family members I am shopping for are my roommates, who have really become more like my family now anyway, since my real family lives in another state and I don't ever see them. Oh and I signed up for secret santa at work, so I have to get the girl whos name I picked (who fortunetly happens to be one of the people I work with that I consider a friend) something in the $20 range. Don't know what she wants either lol.

I'm SUCH a procrastinator though. I know I'll wait til the last minute to get my shopping done. I'm always clueless about what to get people. And right now I'm sort of on bad terms with my family (long story) so I don't know whats going on with that. I was planning on going home for Christmas but only for part of the day (I don't get vacation days from work and the only day we're closed is Christmas Day), but my mom hasn't even asked me what I want yet :\ She may tell me not to even come down and visit. I dunno :(

This is just one of the reasons I usually hate the holidays :(
 
This year Brandon and I are doing our shopping together.

Because we both SUCK at money we decided on our friday afternoon date to sit down and actually BUDGET for the holidays.

I think this may have been one of the smartest things we've ever done.

The trick will be in sticking to it but knowing that if I go overboard and get Becky a $45 shirt when I only budgeted $20 means thats one less toy Brandon's son is going to get is a pretty good motivator. Also because we both work as servers (like you SG) its good to know going into December how much money you are going to need for shopping. It will help you make those "Should I or Shouldn't I request off this Friday night" decisions.
 
ugh the other night I had a dream that suddenly it was Christmas Eve and I didn't even realize it and I had bought absolutely NO presents 8o

What a nightmare :p

Why must this time of year be so stressful :X

How is everyone else doing with their holiday shopping?
 
Well I work in retail so I start thinking about Christmas in fucking August. Start planning out the store decorations, how to set it up blah blah. Anyways.

I really wish I was more organzied because through out the year I find stuff in stores and think 'wow this would be a great gift for mum' but then I put it back and think oh ill find something later.

Its very hard for my family this time of year because:
Dec 7th- Chanukah
Dec 15th- moms birthday
Dec 23rd- sisters birthday
Dec 25th- Christmas
Jan 3- grandmas birthday
Jan 9th- Dads birthday

So yea, thats a LOT of gift shopping. Plus my sister especially gets screwed by people getting her a combo bday/xmas gift which i think sucks.

My mother doesnt work due to a bad back, so i feel this time of year is an excellent way for me to shower her with gifts and not make her feel they are pity like. I bought her a big TV last yr on sale for HALF price! I bought my sister a smaller TV for half price too. I lucked out and found great deals.

I think for this year since I get a 40% discount at a lot of stores due to my companies parent company owning so many that I can do a lot of shopping that way. I will buy my father some more ALL Clad pans from Williams-Sonoma, I will prolly buy my stepmom something from Pottery Barn blah blah. They are easy. For our big yankee swap gift I will probably buy something from my job.

I tend to avoid malls and it works for me because I live in Boston and there is TONS of street shops (newbury st where I work, fanueil hall for cheesy stuff, harvard sq ... ) so I get crowds but I get different stuff than the usual mall crap. (no offense)

Try to hit up flea markets, art shows, garage sales, some hobby conventions are neat cuz you can buy stuff BEFORE its released to the general public only downside is it usually costs a small amount to get in.
 
oh! i actually made candles for my close friends... i found some gel candle stuff on sale then bought a set of plain but fun stemmed martini glasses. they were super easy to make and look just like little cosmos.

other than that, i just ended up getting my sister a bright pink puma bag and a cute journal thingy.... and i'll get her something else fun and high fashion as shes totally into that kinda stuff.

i got my mom an urban decay shadowbox and i'm still working on the rest.

everything else is still in the works.
 
williams sonoma, west elm, holdeverything, pottery barn (kids, teen, bed and bath), williams sonoma home ;) :D
 
discount at williams and sonoma = same price as buying it somewhere else :D i love that store but its SO overpriced! although there are some things that are similarly priced.
 
faithfully dangerous said:
oh! i actually made candles for my close friends... i found some gel candle stuff on sale then bought a set of plain but fun stemmed martini glasses. they were super easy to make and look just like little cosmos.

other than that, i just ended up getting my sister a bright pink puma bag and a cute journal thingy.... and i'll get her something else fun and high fashion as shes totally into that kinda stuff.

i got my mom an urban decay shadowbox and i'm still working on the rest.

everything else is still in the works.
Click to expand...

you get your mom urban decay? the majority of their eye makeup has glitter.. lol i can't imagine a mom wearing glittery eyeshadow :D
 
I'm curious as to how everyone feels about gift certificates as presents. Is it too impersonal? Lazy? Is it bad because if you give a gift certificate then the person knows how much you spent?

Personally I LOVE receiving gift certificates to my favorite stores. Its great because I get to pick out whatever I want (I am generally pretty picky about presents... though I know... you can't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that) its just that I'm hard to shop for. I only asked for a few actual presents this year and otherwise I want gift cards.

Anyway I'm asking because I figured I'd end up giving a couple gift certificates for Christmas. I'm really at a loss as to what to get everyone, especially since I don't talk to members of my family very much, and my mom is still holding a grudge about me not being able to come down for Thanksgiving... so she isn't really being helpful.

I figured maybe I'd get my little sister a gift certificate to American Eagle, because its her favorite store. We've grown apart lately and I don't even know what she likes anymore :\

Last year I got my older sister and her husband a gift certificate to one of their favorite restaurants because my sis had just had her baby a couple months before, and I figured they would really appreciate being able to go out and eat and take a break from the little one ;) Is it stupid if I got something like that again?

Ugh I am totally dreading the holidays. What sucks even more is that work was SOOOOOOOOOO slow this week, and its expected to be like this til after the holidays. Everyone is busy Christmas shopping and saving their money to spend on Christmas gifts, instead of coming out to eat :( And since I live off my tips... but we haven't had many people coming to the restaurant well, I'm fucked as far as having extra money to spend :(.

So yeah, I'm stressing. I'm sure I'll have the kind of bad luck where when I have a day off and have time to shop, I won't be able to because I won't have any money.
 
personally i love gift certs, and last year i discovered that gift certs to grocery stores rock! LOL
 
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