For me, there were several dollar store trinkets that already broke, and one toy for my kids that was a huge sparkly styrofoam mess waiting to happen, so I threw it out rather than curse anyone else with it.

  • sbv@sh.itjust.works
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    10 months ago

    At the other end of the spectrum: My wife and I made a minimal gifts pact. We each got each other minor crap we needed for around the house. It was perfect. No waste. No extravagance. Just stuff we were going to get anyway.

    • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      10 months ago

      Just don’t gift anything and enjoy a peaceful evening? Why does one need a special day to gift anyway?
      My family did it and it was honestly amazing (obviously kids should get something if possible).

      • sbv@sh.itjust.works
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        10 months ago

        Just don’t gift anything and enjoy a peaceful evening? Why does one need a special day to gift anyway?

        We haven’t made it that far yet. I imagine/hope we will eventually.

      • gramie@lemmy.ca
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        10 months ago

        As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, in Iceland they buy each other books and on Christmas Eve they open the books and everyone sits around reading them.

    • Awesome357@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      We always get stuff for the kids and the nieces/nephews, and our moms. But we haven’t gotten a gift for each other in years now. We both buy something if we want it bad enough throughout the year, and it’s both of our money anyway, so what’s the point? We will some years get a “household gift” that’s something we need or everyone can benefit from, that shouldn’t go to just one kid or "you two share this and try not to fight over it, or that they will care less about. Nice air fryer one year, Nintendo switch another, etc. But nothing really needed or wanted this year so we’ll probably just take a pass.

    • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
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      10 months ago

      this is how my family has it set up too, everyone writes a list of some reasonable stuff they’d quite like to get anyways and we just pick a thing from each list while coordinating with each other to not duplicate anything.

      Works brilliantly.

      • sbv@sh.itjust.works
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        10 months ago

        And we finally get around to getting the crap we keep forgetting to pick up! Note pads!