Dorky bike gifts from clueless people

[nancielle]

I really like how some of my friends who have a large, extended family Christmas thing draw names and only buy one cousin/auntie/grandad/whoever a present. It's a nice way of keeping the gift-giving goodness, but cutting down the needless expense/acumulation of junk/etc.

That's what we do in my family (immediate family, not extended), with a price cap of $20.00. We buy for the children if we have the means to do so (some are better off than others) but none of my siblings (and to their credit, none of their children) have the expectation that we will buy for the children. The family decided years ago not to do extended family (financial constraints--tons of cousins and now their kids! Yikes!! ) It cuts down on a boatload of stress. I do token gifts for the sisters whose names I didn't draw (I usually make an ornament for their Christmas trees) but that is by choice and not expectation.

We have family "spies" who help keep others posted on the likes/interests of the others. Last year I gave the sister whose name I drew gift subscriptions to two cooking magazines that she just loves. I wouldn't have known about them (kitchen jus' ain't my area of expertise!) without the help of the "spies". (Said sister tends not to let on what she likes/doesn't like. )

We just came from a friend's house this evening where we celebrated a little holiday cheer. We brought 4 perfect red pears and 5 tangerines, nestled in pretty colored tissue in a box as a gift for our friend and her young son. She gifted us with a lovely bag of granola that she made fresh in her kitchen.

Lisa S.H., that sounded like a fabulous get together!