OMG, that's so silly, but it's not funny. My older sister would do that. She would watch what everyone else got and compare it in her head. Later, she would call me and say, can you believe he only spent $xx on me and $xx on so and so. I didn't care about that. It didn't matter to me if I liked what I got, and I always did. I also NEVER gave anyone a list. I don't even remember writing letters to Santa. I think the only year I was disappointed was when my parent's were having financial problems and I got pencils & erasers in my stocking. No candy. I was about 9. With my kids, I used to spend equal amounts on them but stopped that several years ago. It was silly. I get them things they are into and some are more expensive than others. It's not a contest and like I said, I've tried to put more emphasis on giving than receiving.

It's great! I opted out of it years and years ago. Much of the family snobs don't like it but I don't care. When I would shop for people, I put a LOT of thought and effort into the gift. I planned for the year on what to get, paid attention to what they needed and wanted and looked for the "perfect" gift. Then they'd go, aw, you can always use another flashlight! Plus the family (friends too for that matter) has changed a lot over the last decade. The kids I used to buy for are now in their 20s. Godmother, aunts, uncles, father and some close friends have died. Some others showed their colors during the estate handling so I don't want anything to do with them (or from them) anyway. And more variables. Years ago my sister and I were both in a tough financial situation at the time and I told her hey, it's silly for both of us, to bother with the gift thing. We both were trying to declutter and didn't need trinkets and more unwanted junk around. So I told her to get herself something and consider it was from me and I'd get myself something and consider it from her. Strange, but it worked. Then we worked within our budget. I think we both chose a food we liked or something, maybe it was we wanted the electric bill paid on time! LOL Since then and since finances have come around for both of us we're still practical and frugal. I started giving gift during the year rather than birthday or Christmas. I just gave her a printer/scanner/copier for her "birthday" present. She needed one badly, wouldn't spend the money on herself and I got it on clearance for a great price! We also often will take the other out to eat for a present. Could just be a spur of the moment thing or a planned out deal. We're both far happier. With others, similar things. I might get them something on occasion or they for me, but we avoid the holiday markups, junk, crowds, hassles and more. That's a bigger gift AFAIC. Often a call or a visit, an invitation to come to dinner, or watch TV or just chat, help with a project or something like this is a far more meaningful gift than a gift certificate for bunion removal (especially to the amputee!)

Lascatz, this is what I wrote in the first post, " (ds) He said it's a great idea and DGD has mentioned before how she may be interested in playing a guitar." After I sent the two videos above to DS, his girlfriend told me today that he's started to get excited about DGD getting a Ukulele, and how he can learn to play also. Once she sees him play, and she watches Taylor's video, she'll love it. I think the whole household will want to learn. I was only jesting about "WTHeck is this?" only because the hormones are kicking in. lol When the boys were growing up I was forced to listen to Pearl Jam (Eddie Vedder), GunsNRoses, and I loved them, don't get me started about THE best guitarist, Slash. :) And Metallica. Eddie Vedder has an album with only the Ukulele and I sent a song to DS. haha It's a small school & it's not like she has a big social life. The word that kept standing out to me when describing a Ukulele is "happy." Yes! Yes! At the beginning of Taylor's video she says the same thing, and I told DS about it, it;s just a happy little instrument.

I do want to clarify, that other than the weird situation that for a couple years in a row I ended up buying a gift for someone who was through the revolving door of that position in the office in short order, I really don't mind the gift giving, even then I didn't really mind it. I was just in a mood this year about those people who, through no fault of their own, I didn't really know because they did not like working there enough to stick around. If they were there at Christmas, they contributed to my gift too. What I think I am annoyed about right now, is that it really would have just been better to do exactly what I always did, which is buy the same thing for everybody at the same place, that would come in it's own box for free, and be once and done. That, rather than trying to put people in a hierarchy of more deserving or less deserving. I would have saved time and stress, and in all likelihood money, because It would have been done and I would not have been jumping through a bunch of hoops to compensate for how things have played out. The only person I resent giving a gift to is that single secretary, and Everybody does, except her/our supervisor who for whatever reason thinks she's great.