Mine is the upcoming holiday - every year with the in-laws. Names are pulled in November and 'gifts' are exchanged. Exchanging 'gifts' with people who only call during the year when they NEED something from us.

I think next year we'll do MY side of the family - at least there's no pretense.

f#45!!! Ahhh! 50% ltv conv. loan. buyers stellar credit. Appraisal fine, termite fine. no inspection. So let's close. It is the DAY of CLOSING. You are an underwriter....and establish conditions on the appraisal for trim boards and have all the utes turned back on, complete with permit from the city and a pressure test so the gas company will establish service.

I have 7 transactions that should close this month - well, one did close today, so now 6. Holding my breath that they will.

Holidays, ah, we don't do much in the way of celebrating so the most angst there comes from people who try to drag us to more parties. (leave me alone - I am something of a loner, and I like it that way. )

We never exchanged gifts in my family (for any occasion). I buy for my household, my brothers buy or their hosehold. We are content with a Christmas card or a Merry Christmas phone call.

At home my wife and I do not exchange gifts for any occassion. I give the kids 5 bucks each and take them shopping at a dollar store to buy for Mommy. She does the same with them.

I made a deal with the inlaws years ago; you dont buy me anything, I don't buy you anything. It actually makes the Holiday season fun and relaxing for me. Where once there was angst, now there is none.

Many years ago, after all of us having children, we stopped exchanging gifts - although our parents were still doing it.

I can't get the 'in-law' side of the family to STOP it! The limit is $50 and $50 is alot of money; besides that, we all earn enough that if we needed or wanted something, we could just buy it ourselves. We're certainly not rich, but aren't 'wanting' for the necessities of life.

My ideal would be just for us to get together, bring gobs of delicious food to share and enjoy each other's company (although that can be difficult). I think their kids play a big part in it - that these parents want their kids to have these wonderful, wonderful memories of family gathered around the tree exchanging gifts, and, what appears to be cheer and goodwill, when...in reality they could all care less the other 364 days of the year.

Oh, the wish for simpler times....

My inlaws were a bit put off at my attitude but they actually enjoy it now.

We lots of gifts if you look at the pictures. Really don't spend much on them though. The kids shampoo, bubblebaths, hairspray, bubblegum tooth past, I gotta buy anyways. I buy a 6 month supply per kid, wrap it up in multiple packeges and call that a gift. When they were young, the diapers and wipes got wrapped as a gift also. Made for dramatic photos. Half the fun is unwrapping stuff. Imagine my suprise last year when santa left me a wrapped up 12 pack of beer in the fridge!!! I may of went to far when the easter bunny put the cigarettes in the easter bastket though.

Its my Holiday and I will enjoy it.

Until I brought up the subject of at least just "pulling a name out of the hat" (and they FINALLY agreed to it) that's what the in-law side did too - Everyone had to bring a gift for EVERYONE and the m-in-law - she'd go WAAAY overboard buying this and that - some of the this and that was body wash, sponges, etc., for EVERYONE. It was kind of fun to see what junk she'd buy (some useful).

But you know it's a big joke (truly a big joke) when you've got a s-in-law who's saying to the f-in-law..."oh, that's really nice"...then "what is it?". He hadn't even finished unwrapping it and her mouth's just running along - unattended to!

But now, for the past 3 years, we're getting the same old song every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, "Next year may be my last and I want the whole family together."

Perhaps barb43's Sweetie and my m-in-law could just spend the holidays together - I'll gladly ship her to you.

Lol, Va! Yeh, Sweetie's mother buys all year long - & hides the gifts, and then forgets a few things, & finds them along the way over the following year. That used to gag Sweetie - he thought it such a waste!

And it would crack me up - because whichever grandkid she'd bought whatever it was for, had probably outgrown the item by that time (physically or mental-maturity).

I do have an inlaw-inlaw of a sorts on the wife side. She babysits for us in a pinch, kinda family but not really. To me, she is family.

Me and her have been doing our own gift exchange twice a year. I love her attitude, she loves mine. Our rules are:

1. You cannot spend more that 10 bucks (tax included) for the gift.

2. It has to be something that the recipient would actually like/want/use. If you don't like it, fess up during lunch and say why.

3. The giver with the highest cost buys lunch (Without alcohol I have to pay my own bar bill).

4. We exchange our gifts The first friday before Thanksgiving and the First Friday before the July 4th.

We have a blast doing it! A few family members have tried to cheese in and participate, we tried it, but they just don't get the spirit of what we do. Now its just the 2 of us again. IT'S FUN, NOT STRESSFUL!!!!

I'll say it again. A Holiday is my holiday. I will celebrate on my terms or not celebrate, join me or not, or I will join you or not. Disagree with me, fine, then I will do it my way; I aint stressing about it. I will enjoy my season and if need be, create my own.

Back with the 1st marriage, my ex-m-in-law's mother stated that she hadn't received a Christmas card from us (I didn't send out that particular year PLUS I read cards are to be sent to those you rarely see during the year; otherwise, you just verbally send your greetings to those you see all the time). So, after the holidays when single Christmas cards were on sale, I bought 12 different ones and sent each to arrive on the 25th of each month! I liked that woman - she wasn't a bother at all.