Holiday Gift Ideas

Hi G.J.,

It was nice to read your article.  A meaningful Christmas message of family tradition to all.  And thanks for the gift suggestions.

It reminds me of a book (practically the only book) available on bipolar of any credibility when my diagnosis was made.  It is "Moodswing" by Ronald Fieve, and has since been revised (I think in 2002), a book well worth reading reviews on. 

Have a happy Christmas, and enjoy your "special" gift this year.

Judy

Thanks for a great SharePost. Thanks for sharing about your own family experience and how your family has made it more meaningful.

My undrsanding is that the population of Australia will spend in the vicinity of between 60 & 80 billion dollars over this Christmas, New Year break. An obscene amout of money in my opinion... Imagine how many people we could help in our society, alone, with 60 billion dollars?! We could renew our health system and greatly assist our indiginous population, ect, ect, ect.

But ultimately it comes down to one person and one family at a time choosing a different way to live, and purchase presents that have real meaning. Thank you for choosing a different path with your family.

This Christmas my wife and I will purchase presents, however we will not be doing so by making those purchases from highly expensive specialty stores. 

Your idea of buying some gifts from thrift shops is a good one & we will look into that. Before we were married I often only purchased cards for almost everyone. I would buy my sisters kids a small inexpensive gift, but none for the rest of the family - only cards, my family knew thats all they would get from me.

My brother- in-law is wealthy as he is a medical specialist. So, their children recieve a rediculous amount of presents, anywhere between 8-12 highly expensive gifts each year. These kids, of whom there are four, have for the last 10 plus years expected to recieve such presents.

I wonder just how much this is negatively impacting their attitudes and subsequently expectations. In terms of how they will aproach life in the future. Will they have unrealistic expectations that will cause them to crash and burn in various areas of thier lives? Will they believe at least to some degree that they have some kind of right to recieve great easy excess from life?

It's important to realise that these kids are treated like this through out the year as well as at Christmas. I am afraid for these kids whom I love very much. 

I dont think that book you recommended is available here in Australia, however it is almost certainly available over the internet - I will look into it.

Thanks again for such a meaningful 'Post' and I congratulate you and your family for changing your attitudes regarding gifts at Christmas.

Thank you

Peter

 I think I would fit in your family rather well as far as the humor goes. One of my nine year olds gifts is a giant jar of dill pickles, she loves them and can eat a small jar in one day. My son-in-law has already gotten his Christmas present. We paid for his part in the duck blind he hunts in, because they didn't have the money to pay it right here before Christmas, and he loves to duck hunt. I hate feeling like I'm obligated to get certain people Christmas presents, because they get me a gift. When my brother and I were kids growing up, we got one big thing and a few smaller things, but our favorite thing was a box we each got, that had fruit,candy,nuts and fireworks for New Years in them. Oh the good old days!   This is my first Christmas without my mother, (she died in April) so that has kindof over shadowed my Christmas. Everyone tells me it gets easier with time, but when the greatest person you've ever known is gone it leaves a giant whole. Sorry to be so down. We don't as a family have alot, enough to get by I guess, but I catch myself felling guilty because I know there are so many people that don't have anything, not to mention alot to buy Christmas with. I have this thing about feeling guilty, I don't know why. I feel guilty if I'm driving down the street, and I see a little old person walking. I picked up a little old man today,carrying several bags of groceries and carried him home. He was so greatful and so tired. I can't help myself. I guess I'm crazy for taking chances like that, but I keep on doing it.      I think Christmas has gotten so far away from the real meaning. I think we should get one gift to open, and take what we would have spent, and feed the hungry people of this country and other countries. It could be a new tradition for Christmas's to come what do you think?     I don't guess I've helped much on the gift ideas, but I do hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas with no ups or way downs.     Emma

It is so good to hear of others that do just what our family does...with limited funds and the REAL reason for the season in our hearts we have never "overdone" the purchasing of gifts either...

Always getting books at the library that they have discontinued throughout the year and lots of kids movies this way too, they are around 25 cents to 10 cents depending on the format (hardback or softcover, dvd or video) and they  make wonderful gifts for they aren't damaged just not needed at the library anymore for various reasons. I have found some treasures this way, and some people donate their books from estates and have found first editions and etc for a QUARTER!! So that is a good place  to look if you're like our family and love books....the little ones get books and pbs movies/shows they like.
We also, when they were younger used to go to the dollar store (have one there?) and everything is a dollar and thye had to use their hearts to find something for each person on their lists and the presents always ended up being so precious. This place has everything from journals to picture frames to bubble bath to tools! So it is a great experience for them to learn how to thriftly (is that a word tehee) spend money and still touch the hearts of those they love at Christmas time...

One of our own gifts to each other is each year i take cardboard boxes (usually jug water box size that holds 3 jugs of water) and make a christmas house by cutting the pieces and assembling with a hot glue gun and cutting out windows doors etc....and then we get together (THE KEY ELEMENT THERE) and we slather on the iciing and then put on candy to make our candy house,

we play christmas trivia which i have compiled from questions about various Christmas trivia (like what was Rudolph's girlfriends name) and we play it kinda like you would family feud, 2 people up at once and whoever knows the answer rings the bell and answers....it is more precious than gifts and so bonding, filling the room with laughter, even for those that are kinda shy this brings them out and into the spirit of being together...

SO like you GJ we use the thrift shops, the dollar store, and homemade gifts like one year i made a rag rug for my daughter to put in her new apartment from simply braiding old shirts that i had cut into strips and then tacking it with needle and thread into a spiral shape, I have made an old end table into a "hip" end table by modge podging pics of their favorite rock stars/movie stars and sayings....there is so much we can do without the all mighty dollar interfering in such a preciously Holy and family time.

Thank you for recognizing that and for making me feel like I'm not a weirdo for being this way, it is actually the first time i've ever shared our family ways with anyone and trust me so many would think that it is not enough to just send from the heart...but it is...for that is what will be judged one day anyway...

thank you

and OH YEAH "AN UNQUIET MIND" Is also a good book to give along with "TOUCHED BY FIRE" what a wonderfully inspirational book!!!

Thanks for the new titles, plan on putting in for them right now at the library!!
Hope you and yours have a good holiday season GJ, and a blessed New Year.And i send my deepest THANK YOU to you for always being there for all of us, you provide Christmas year round in that form for sure! You're children are lucky to have parents like you and your wife.

Take care,

ctrygirl