My husband and I don’t exchange gifts, or cards, for any occasion. Luckily, we‘re in the same mind set on that, that it isn’t necessary or joyful, so why do it.
I do occasionally buy something for family or friends but is most likely because I saw something I wanted to buy them and not because it was a certain day on the calendar. That is the same way I occasionally receive gifts from my family. We grew up receiving gifts on traditional occasions, but as adults none of us are big on exchanging gifts.
Gifts and cards are important to my MIL & SIL, so my husband does get them gifts on birthdays, Xmas, and Mother’s Day. What’s funny about them is exchanging gifts is important but little to no thought is behind them. More of a “I can check your name off my list” feeling. Gift cards to restaurants we don’t go to or they know we don’t like (once because, and I quote, it was convenient for her), clothing items they know aren’t the correct size so we have to exchange it, and the same exact home decor item, which is not our taste, two years in a row. When his father was alive, each gift came with a complaint about how much your gift cost him or the trouble it was to buy it. Um, thank you? They managed to drain any pleasure I had about exchanging gifts. I am finally, 30 years in his family, getting my MIL to make a donation to a charity instead of buying me stuff I don’t want.
My SIL wants perfume for xmas, so she put it on her actual paper list, then bought it, gave it to her mother to wrap because my MIL will give her the money for it, and my SIL will open in on xmas morning. The gift opening session of 4 adults, aged 64-88, is videotaped every year. No cute kids, no funny pets, 4 boring adults opening gift cards and gifts they purchased for themselves. It is painfully sad.
Q