I give and receive few wrapped gifts at Christmas or otherwise. My friends and family and I decided a few years ago to give to charities instead of buying things for each other that few of us need. I've found this much more rewarding. We specify the charity and the donation is given in our names. Seems like a win/win to me.
I am never in NJ for Christmas, and don't give Christmas gifts at Christmas. I take the grands shopping in July or whenever I get there, and they get to pick out their own, and we have a great time doing that. I love going shopping with kids. They are so totally cool.
I have 9 grands, so since I am on a fixed income, I keep a ceiling on what I spend for each kid, but that is part of the fun for them, finding something that fits our budget and that they really want.
And of course, giving is not Christmas. Giving is what we should be, who we should be. It should be just part of who we are.
Gosh, everyone's answers are so good I have little to add. I would agree that you need to be open to opportunities to give all the time. Your heart needs to be open and if it's really giving, then it's in private or in secret. It's not something to boast about. It's either part of your make up or not. Giving should not be done with thought of return, otherwise it's cheapened and more like a business transaction.
It's love that allows you to give and it's what is returned to you in the end.
Our family Christmas' used to be great. We would buy each other the usual nice gifts then had separate gag gifts that we would exchange with each other that were labeled "from Santa". These were inexpensive or rummage type fun gifts. We would laugh so hard sometimes over those gifts, they really made our Christmas Eve. But, then last year my brother's wife announced we weren't going to be exchanging any gifts at all including the gag gifts. Since Christmas Eve was at their house the rest of the family abided by their wishes. Christmas last year was a total bore. It will probably be the same this year.
Christmas is not about giving gifts to everyone. It is about the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Giving gifts is just a nice thing that everyone does as a get together with family. Christmas time should be a joyous time since it celebrates the time when the Lord came upon the earth. It sounds like more people are interested in the commercial aspect of the season and not the real reason of Christmas.
I enjoy giving more then I do receiving, and I think it is very true the more you give the more you will receive--and I do not mean material goods either --in the sense of love.
