The Last Poster Wins! [v21]

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I've never had roast turkey before. Am I missing out? My uncle lived in the US for a few years and now at Christmas he complains if there is no turkey and we're like o_o

[Bulbasaur]

I've never had roast turkey before. Am I missing out? My uncle lived in the US for a few years and now at Christmas he complains if there is no turkey and we're like o_o

It's alright. We actually have a chicken on Thanksgiving.

[Neo Emolga]

You're thankful for turkeys, right?

kidding I have seen the simpsons so i know the story

That sounds crazy Neo! xD Now you get to enjoy it all over again in a month at Christmas! ;)

Yippee ki-yay! Time to embrace the wonders of materialism and commercialism!

Ho ho ho-holy credit card statements, Batman!

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Yippee ki-yay! Time to embrace the wonders of materialism and commercialism!

Ho ho ho-holy credit card statements, Batman!

Haha! xD My brother works at a money lending company and he says after Christmas they're expecting to get tons of loan applications from people wanting to consolidate their credit card debt. o_O I kind of feel like you shouldn't be buying a heap of presents if you can't afford it.

I have no idea what to get my family this year either. xD Everyone always wants lists of stuff I want but I find that so boring and like it kind of defeats the purpose. It's not fun opening presents unless it's a surprise for me. xD

[Noblejanobii]

You're not missing out. I actually don't even like turkey. Mac and cheese though, that's the stuff.

[AD]

Thank you, O Grand Magic Turkey of the Sky! Thank you for not gobbling us all up

[Noblejanobii]

Thank you, O Grand Magic Turkey of the Sky! Thank you for not gobbling us all up

He has spared up another year.

[AD]

I give it two years tops

[Noblejanobii]

Honestly I thought he wouldn't spare America this time

[Neo Emolga]

Haha! xD My brother works at a money lending company and he says after Christmas they're expecting to get tons of loan applications from people wanting to consolidate their credit card debt. o_O I kind of feel like you shouldn't be buying a heap of presents if you can't afford it.

I have no idea what to get my family this year either. xD Everyone always wants lists of stuff I want but I find that so boring and like it kind of defeats the purpose. It's not fun opening presents unless it's a surprise for me. xD

Really, people need to learn to use credit cards the same way as debit cards. Don't spend money you don't have! It's not a hard concept to understand! I generally try to be pretty careful with my money, especially while I'm unemployed.

As for what to give other people, buy edible items as gifts. Cookie tins, bags of chocolate-covered pretzels, containers of caramel/chocolate popcorn, that kind of good stuff. It's something they'll definitely use and the best part is it gets used up so you can buy more of the same next year. They're also relatively inexpensive and can be found just about everywhere.

If you'd rather buy them something with a little more longevity or they're closer family and relatives that you want to get something a little more for, get them a fun/creative coffee mug that features something they like. Usually those aren't too pricy either and people will definitely use them either for coffee or tea. If they have a favorite movie, get them something based off of that. Just about everyone has a favorite Disney movie and you know they sell heaps of merchandise for just about any Disney movie you can think of.

Don't get them something that reminds them of work or is meant for work. Christmas is meant to be for fun times, and buying people stuff like shirts for work, cleaning tools/supplies, and office supply stuff is kind of a downer and will probably remind them of the stuff they need to get done as soon as the holidays are over. Also, it's best to avoid giving people things that require a large investment of time. Books might seem like a good idea, but it demands quite a bit of time and unless the person really wants to read it, it might just sit on their bookshelf and never get opened. I feel bad, but 90% of the time, when I get books as gifts, I often pass them up unless I specifically put them on a holiday wish list.

Also, here's a biggie. Don't get people stuff that you personally enjoy, but they may not. A lot of people fall into this temptation and I'll admit, I've done this and it usually doesn't end with good results. My sister often gets my brother and I NASCAR stuff because she really likes it while my brother and I are just neutral about it. As a result, that stuff kind of just gets put away or collects dust. My brother and his fiancé like country music, which is great, but I'm not all that into it. I'd be a little meh if they got me a country music album. I honestly don't think I'd listen to it very much if they did that.

But overall, you don't need to go nuts. Better to aim for something small, fun, and let be it something they'll definitely use than to throw a lot of money down on something that they might use, but you're not sure. A lot of the time, people aren't even aware of what they want while there are cool things out there that they just haven't discovered yet or overlooked among all the holiday clutter and fanfare. Also, pay special attention to the subtle details in conversations from now until Christmas. They might mention something they like or wish they had. Also, come up with a budget on how much you're willing to spend for each person to keep it fair. Usually for me, it's around the $50-$75 dollar range for each family member. For close friends of mine, it's about $20-$30.

Hopefully that helped give you some ideas.