Christmas spending limits

This year I've issued an edict. A habit that's caused me no end of trouble in the past.

However,I've decided that,this Christmas,no one is allowed to spend more than £5 on a gift for me.

Far too much is wasted at Christmas as it is,and it might make people a little more imaginative.

Probability is,I'll be snowed under with socks,hankies and sets of body spray/talc.

Still,if it saves people a few quid,I'm happy.

Does anyone else set limits? 

I remember one year a cousin bought me an iPad,which made me feel a bit shitty,knowing I'd sent 

him a shirt and tie combo(£6.99)

I'm quite interested to know just how many people buy you presents, bonce. Maybe I'm just a miserable git but is it really necessary to get into cousin territory? Isn't a card enough?

I'm pretty sure I only bought presents for my wife, 2 kids, and parents last year. Maybe Mrs. McD bought some more for our kid's friends too but I'm pretty sure thats about it.

I can only remember receiving gifts back from my wife, Mum and Dad, mother-in-law, and my kids (which was a Lego set and really just for them). That's it!

If I sent my cousin an iPad for Christmas he would probably be so suspicious that he'd have the bomb squad blow it up before unwrapping it.

Turkey? Bloody rubbish! if it's so good why do we only have it once a year?

Bah Humbug!

I never spend a lot on cousins and the like,which is why the iPad came as a bit of a shock. 

It ended up making me feel rather antagonistic towards him.
'Who the hell did he think he was'.

The strange thing is,I have books coming out of my ears,they're everywhere,yet no one ever thinks to buy me a book token.

It's a no brainer to me. 

Might buy myself a new chest of drawers to keep my socks and hankies in.

Me and Mrs Pig have both decided to keep our gifts to each other to a minimum this year, We do buy for Nephews and Nieces in the family but these days it tends to be money as the kids get older.

I actually get more presents from my in-laws than my own family but that's a different story

I buy for myself. I buy ace presents.

Natasha Whittam wrote:I buy for myself. I buy ace presents.

a festive pack of twirls?

Norpig wrote:a festive pack of twirls?

If only such a thing existed!

We have a fairly loose unwritten rule in our house:

If either of us sees something during the course of the year that we want (within limits) we get it.

And we make these acquisitions in lieu of Christmas and birthday presents.

My new bike's a good example - It's something I really wanted, I know it's the right one, it fits, it doesn't involve faffing about with wrapping paper and sellotape and it saves Mrs B having to trawl round the shops, scratching her head for ideas.

Because let's face it, when you get to our age, you've pretty much got all the tat you'll ever need and thinking up inventive present ideas is a ball-ache.

That said though......if Mrs B doesn't get a surprise present to unwrap on Christmas Day, I find myself in a world of shit. (I learnt that years ago when I took "No, don't get me anything" literally and paid the price until about mid Feb.)

What are you going to do with your bike?

Use it as a clothes horse in the spare bedroom, periodically look at it and say "Ooh, that looks nice. I wonder what it's like to ride. I might try it after I've finished these biscuits." 

And then get distracted by something on telly and forget.

Doesn't everybody?

If that was me, Mrs B would be sat in the boat, poking me with a stick and shouting: "Faster! Get me to the wine!"

Bread2.0 wrote:If that was me, Mrs B would be sat in the boat, poking me with a stick and shouting: "Faster! Get me to the wine!"

I can only assume Mrs B doesn't monitor your posts. 

Don't forget,Humph wants a bike too.

She refers to Nuts as "That site you waste half your life on talking pointless rubbish with the other idiots."

She gave up trying to make sense of it yonks back.

Round about the time I showed her that link that 58 posted to the man with the elephant willy.

(Thinking about it, she might have a point.....)

This reminds me of my old ma and pa. They swapped fivers every Christmas. Saved a lot of hassle.

I've never quite forgiven 58 for that elephant man link.
It sometimes pops into my head ( please don't)like that hippo in Reginald Perrin,whenever he thinks of his mother-in-law.

I'm thinking of paying the family to stay away this year. Bliss.

Bread2.0 wrote:Use it as a clothes horse in the spare bedroom, periodically look at it and say "Ooh, that looks nice. I wonder what it's like to ride. I might try it after I've finished these biscuits." 

And then get distracted by something on telly and forget.

Doesn't everybody?

Funny that. I asked Mrs. McD to get me a rowing machine this year so that I have somewhere to hang my socks and pants.