abluersun: I’m not really even bothered by spending the money. I’m much more bothered by struggling to select gifts for people I barely see or talk to. I’d happily spend if I thought the recipients wanted the gift rather than just dumping more stuff into the landfill of life.
kmcg103: my extended family dumped gift giving about 20 years ago and now it’s like having 2 thanksgivings. Best idea I ever stood up for.
wondrousalice: I’m one of those Americans. Were a 4 person family on a single income, both with divorced families, the holidays are often difficult for us.
thr33beggars: I feel more obligated to get people things out of pressure to not be a dick than wanting to for the holidays. I’d rather just get people things because I care about them
mrshatnertoyou: >It’s easy to understand why the holidays are a source of worry when you consider how many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. About 41 percent said they would only be able to get by for two weeks without a paycheck, while an additional 25 percent say they could only survive a month.
This is 2012 when things were still pretty down but I bet things haven’t changed that much.
MHM5035: I have a large extended family, and a few years ago all the adults switched to an ornament exchange. We just get small presents for the kids until they turn 18.
In my more immediate family, we do a beer exchange. Keeps things cheap, and everyone has fun and gets beer!
shartmonger: I bake banana bread and give it to everyone I know. That’s it.
Granted, I don’t have children, but I’d still give them banana bread.
itstinkskid: My fiancee and I just jumped the gun and agreed to get some nice steaks and seafood to cook up and spend the day together instead of stressing about buying shit we really don’t need.
TooShiftyForYou: Another [study](https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1112/average-cost-of-an-american-christmas.aspx) found that the average American will spend $929 on Christmas, including gifts, food, clothing, and parties. Most people could probably help themselves to save most of that.
PM_ME__YOUR_FACE: I’ve skipped the last like.. five christmases due to financial pressure.
Don’t succumb to social norms if they don’t benefit you.
Roadguy: The other 55% want to skip it because of family obligations.
IDontWantToArgueOK: Those are rookie numbers, lets get those numbers up!
WAR ON CHRISTMAS CHOOOO CHOOOOO
MinimallyInvasive: People always jokingly grumble things about the holidays so I don’t know how credible this survey is.
If I was asked if I could skip Christmas due to family drama I might answer yeah but not really.
usernameismyrealname: I hate the Christmas gift exchange. I need to come up with $50 per family member to think of a nice, thoughtful gift for each of them with the expectation that they’re all needing to come up with roughly the same amount of money to best guess what crap I need/want. Or else they spend less on me (sucks) or more on me (uncomfortable and embarrassing).
I’m trying so, so hard to just push for family experiences. I want to book a stay in the mountains, or else a trip or specific activity that we all do together instead with my own family. Worse will be when my third is here (due around Christmas) because for the rest of my life I’m going to need to worry that her birthday isn’t lost among the holidays and her gifts are somehow fair given the holiday and birthday situation.
We told our families no gifts last year and are doing it again this year. So far so good.
jef_snow: At it’s simplest it’s a year end tradition to do something nice for your friends and family and for that – it is good.
It’s all the wrapping paper, bows, bags, boxes, merch, swag, apparel, games, gift cards, accessories, branded electronics, hardware, software, outerwear, underwear, consoles, parasols, pepper grinders, must haves and don’t skips and wishlists and grab bags and ugh.
Our kids are immersed in a never-ending stream of advertisements, product placements, and branded merchandise.
They mistake self sufficiency for poverty.
What the hell can we do? Spoil them or starve them – the advertisements keep flowing.
SenatorAstronomer: You can spend a very nice Christmas with friends and loved ones without over spending.
PiroLargo: My family is doing a secret santa type thing this year.
kayonesoft: I actually have done that one year. It was the least stressful Christmas season ever.
Except I guess for the times you were a kid and receiving gifts.
lfod13: Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! But, I think I’ll skip this one this year.
millelacsmojo: I have three kids, my wife has three kids. We are also broke ass nobodies. We realized early on in our relationship that multiplying anything by 6 became oppressively expensive. My Lovely read somewhere about how some people buy four gifts for thier kids. 1) something to wear 2) something to read 3) something they need 4) something they want. This saved Christmas for us. It’s still expensive but it helped allot. Instead of buying crap until we can’t anymore, we fill each category and call it good. The kids really seem to love it too
Xul-luX: I mean, you can skip it if you want.
CajuNerd: Here’s the thing: no one is *required* to celebrate Christmas, and no one is *required* to buy other people gifts. If it’s too much of a financial burden, then it’s the *giftee*, not the *gifter* who is being a dick if gifts are required/expected.
oNOCo: Yeah, no fuckin shit
Whargod: I skip Christmas because I don’t see the point. it takes a bit of time but eventually everyone just accepts it.
The time off work is nice though.
DamaOscuraDeTodos: I live far away from my family and could only come back for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. It was a no-brainer, I would choose Thanksgiving every time. During Thanksgiving, I spend 2 full days with my extended family, eat good food, and play some poker. During Christmas, we go to church, and go back to my grandparents house for a few hours.
It’s just not as fun or relaxed as Thanksgiving.
DJWLJR: I am an atheist and I “celebrate” with gifts (they all ask for gift cards now, actually) to my nieces and nephews purely out of social convention. I like the family get together aspect, but only a few of us are at all religious. It is purely tradition.
SausMastrJah: I do it every year… feels great
fool_of_a_tuque: It doesn’t help the business world starts jamming the christmas theme and advertizements down everyone’s throats before halloween.
It seems like families used to have their own little holidays, now with divorces, splt parents, or just large families, many have to go to multiple christmase eves, multiple christmas days, or extra days to exchange gifts, and shopping for everyone.
It’s like one big ordeal that people feel like they have to go through because they don’t see family otherwise. Everyone is so busy they can’t even schedule family visits other than christmas or thanksgiving.
Len_Zefflin: I wish I could skip christmas smply because I don’t like most people.
mikeyd69: I survive Christmas by simply NOT BUYING A FUCKING THING FOR ANYONE.
dreaminterpretation_: CONSUMERISM WAS A MISTAKE
Maxentius22: Go to the dollar tree, pick like 4 random things and put them in a fancy bag that is also $1. Now you are at $5 a person for a fun grab bag of stuff. Easy and cheap.
Bburke89: My family has done this for several years now.
It really sucks to be honest. Growing up, my family was poor but I remember Xmas being the day I didn’t have to feel that way. Now, my family can hardly afford to get together for dinner on the holidays.
TribblesIA: We do a cheap dirty Santa for joke gifts and then a nice one. Limits spending to $50 for the one gift to put in the pool and people usually end up with stuff they like or traded to someone that wanted it more (morale booster). The only downside is you kind of have to have similar likes or get something generic that everyone might like. Kindles and gift cards are popular, but my mom came up with a creative dinner of crabs and some champagne. Little kids get spoiled, of course.
havinit: Everyone brings one gift and throws it all in a pile, then take turns picking a gift. Once all the gifts are opened you can negotiate trades or even 3 way deals. It works out.
BoondockRapscallion: Every year
morrock14: I quit it years ago, it feels great. If you’re not a Christian or a kid, let it go.
hypnotica420x: i hate xmas
TheBootyWrangler: I just don’t like seeing a bunch of happy people when I’m miserable myself. Nothing about money or other people being happy, just the constant reminder that I’m alone this time of year. it used to be from the pain of a long distance relationship, now it’s a reminder of how that fell apart too. happy holidays.
Ambitious5uppository: I am skipping it, taking a trip to Morocco for the period instead.
makenzie71: If you’re celebrating Christmas, but you’re making it a financial burden, then you’re doing Christmas wrong. It’s not about giving or getting gifts.
beckoning_cat: I hate the holidays.
tonylee0707: As an Asian immigrant with only my mother and gf and no friends, it’s still a good $400 down the drain.
onetwopunch26: My son is now 2. This year we are going down to the toy store to pick out 10 toys. He is going to help me pick them out. I am then taking him down to the shelter to donate them on Christmas Eve. He will get 1-2 things for Xmas tops. I don’t know how yet, but I am determined to have him grow up with a totally different experience for Christmas than what the rest of us were taught. It should be a time to reflect of how lucky we are and to give and I am determined to show him that somehow.
It will get harder when he grows up a bit and talks to all the other kids about their Christmas…..
Dovannik: At the very least, I refuse the black friday shopping madness. Anything that causes people to die over a television is just something I can’t support.
My wife asked me for drawings this Christmas. Drawings. That’s something I can get behind. Something special. Something I had to make. Not some bargain bullshit I got by punching a soccer mom in the face.
ErichDonGubler: Uh…1000 hardly seems representative for a country of millions…
PizzaClause: My parents always pulled through when we didn’t have anything so I enjoy doing the same.
Bionic_Zit-Splitta: In my family we buy for the little kids, only 4 of them, and do thanksgiving part 2 with more booze for Christmas.
Absintheuphoric: It’s expensive as fuck, plus you have income taxes and property taxes right after it.
MyGFisSexyAF: I don’t get people gifts because I don’t want people to get me gifts. It’s awkward to receive a gift you don’t have a need for or don’t want. I’d rather exchange gifts with my parents (who know me well) and call it a day. I do enjoy the time spent with my extended family, just not when opening a gift they didn’t need to get me.
Official_Naters: I don’t buy presents for anyone. I understand the pressure of having to buy for kids or having to buy a lot of expensive food, but gifts to friends and family aren’t necessary.
ilovebabyblayze: We do santa exchange (adults) with a $5 limit. That’s right, $5. The silliness of some of the “gifts” is so much fun. This year I’ve been trying to get them to agree to a ZERO limit (reuse something unopened around the house, get free item off letgo, make it with items you already have, etc.) but it might take another year for that one!🎄
Edit:stupid autocorrect. How do you disable it!?!
dirteMcgirt: We’re not going to tell our kid that Christmas is a thing. Break the cycle!
BedsideTiger: TIL that 45% Americans are dumb enough to realize that they can skip chirstmas presents due to financial issues
warmbookworm: that’s a pretty darn simple wish… No one’s putting a gun to your head to celebrate christmas…
Deked: I love my family. Every year I ask for nothing and I give nothing. I love my family and I just want to spend time with them. I don’t care about stuff. Its unnecessary.
I mean, I buy my parents gifts, because theyre my parents, but otherwise its a non issue.
graniteslab: Xmas blows it’s only a marketing venture now, everything is so expensive until Boxing Day sales. Give me a break. Funny how much stuff eg games movies are released just before Xmas.
JustaHousePlant: We donate money to the humane society and the women’s/children’s shelter instead of giving gifts. It keeps us humble. We have the necessities, but some animals/people don’t.
Another good donation this time of year is hygienic or health related products such as tampons, pads, razors, soap, toothpaste… people don’t really think about this type of stuff but it’s always at the top of the list.
Blankets, food, toys and money for vaccinations etc are always appreciated at the humane society.
bankerman: What losers.