With the holidays right around the corner, you're probably reading this and feeling excited, stressed out or both with the holidays arriving. It's always hard to figure out what to get for your loved ones. It's even harder when you're in a new relationship or seeing someone new and trying to figure out the protocol for gift giving.
For those of you who are single and seeing someone new, I always hear my friends asking "Should I get him something?" Then of course once you get an answer to that, you have to worry about how much to spend without looking cheap or over the top. For those of us in a new relationship, it's the same issue. I guess it also depends where you are in your relationship and whether you're giving for the sake of giving or decide on whether to set a limit. Some of us simply can't afford to be as generous as we would like to.
My boyfriend and I have been dating for a few months and decided to set a limit. I'm sure one or both of us will end up going over that.
So what are your plans or issues in this season of gift giving? Are you setting a limit with your significant other? Are you giving something and hoping for the best? For those of you who are single and seeing someone new ..did you decide to exchange with each other?I'm interested to see all your answers!
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Comments (28)
Kyoto.
It's always best to communicate :D. There can be no huge issues if you know the budget and whether or not you are exchanging ahead of time.
I make presents. I'm broke and stuff. But they're cute.
I got my husband three presents this Christmas and it was all under $200. He already have most of the stuff he wants/needs, so the things I got him where to make our lives easier. Lol. But if we were dating, I would give him a nice and decent gift but not over the top.
I have been dating this guy since late October and he had bought my gift by late November for my birthday and Christmas! I was shocked but hey, that is cool. Such commitment! I however haven't bought anything but I wont be spending a lot. New chucks, a Pink Floyd poster, and a painting I am doing for him. Less than 100 of awesomeness.
my boyfriend doesn't celebrate christmas. I hate it.
for a new relationship, i would have the conversation with him and maybe plan something small for each other and just make it simple.
I sort of learned how to do the rhumba or one of those booty shakin dances and I performed it for him
I filmed it
I can't dance but he doesn't care because he thinks it looks good. so that's his personalized gift or early christmas gift that didn't cost money. that's a gift that keeps on entertaining
he made a card for me and told me he has some other personalized naughty surprise
so the best gift is giving each other:D
Im going with Porcelain Dolls answer.
XD The present giving is going to end up bad I know it. We both suck at giving gifts and we cant talk about it with out ruining the surprise. At the very lest it will be comical.
Last year was my fiance and I's first Christmas together and we didn't get anything for each other, though I got him something small for other holidays like Valentine's Day and his birthday. When it comes right down to it, a lot of guys have no idea what to get and when to get it. This year, we're just getting each other little gifts for fun. Neither of us are really materialistic and we decided to just have fun with it. I'd rather have something that he picked out that costs $15 than a diamond necklace or something.
I've been with my boyfriend for three years and for our first Christmas together he got me these AWESOME shark mittens and tickets to Cirque du Soleil. I was really broke at the time but ended up getting him a few shirts that were made by a local artist I know and then I made him a little scrapbook thing.
This year, Michael and I know each other a lot better, since we've had all year to share each other's interests. LAST year, however, we got each other gifts that...well...we liked them...but they certainly wouldn't have been what we would asked for. We were both really into Scott Pilgrim at the time and shared a lot of Scott Pilgrim-y things (we even went as Ramona Flowers and Scott Pilgrim for the preceding Halloween). So I got him Scott Pilgrim on DVD...not realizing that he doesn't really like watching movies. He loves movies. But doesn't like watching them. Figure that one out. :-/ He knew that I liked puzzles. So he got me a dual-sided, Beatles, WHITE ALBUM (look it up...cuz the cover is the puzzle image) 1,000 piece puzzle. It's way awesome...but I'm NEVER gonna put that thing together. But it didn't at all lessen the fun, joy, and appreciation. And I'm VERY confident that we'll have AWESOME gifts this year. I've since learned that he loves working with his hands, and he LOVES wood, AND he's often dismayed that he has no tools with which to work. So I got him this: http://www.amazon.com/Carvers-Basic-Straight-Handles-Piece/dp/B000YLK3MA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
I also learned that he gets very frustrated when buying gifts for people because he has terrible memory and rarely remembers what they like. So I made him a Christmas list (included a variety of things to choose from, within a moderately similar price range), which he just about peed his pants in excitement over.
My point is: don't worry too much over it, because it'll be fine no matter what. AND you'll have all year to learn more about each other for next Christmas.
Oh. Sorry. Guess I kinda went on a ramble rampage. :-/
@destinationmoderation@xanga - That sounds like a great idea & also really sweet. Good luck with your presents this year
communication is the best thing to have... we have our anniversary, christmas, and my boyfriends birthday all within two weeks of eachother. we decided what we were spending and for what day. don't be nervous about asking, it'll be better than not getting a gift when you should have or vice versa.
I need to set a limit next year with my guy. Hell I need to set a limit for any and all gift giving events. He always spends over $200 and always gives me the gifts weeks before the event. Just a $20 gift the day of would be nice for a change. To sound ungrateful, :P He knows I love him without the stuff but can't seem to help himself.
my girlfriends and I have a $20 limit which is pretty good. Im not in a new relationship but if it was I would try to keep it between 20-40. $40 is pushing it. im a nursing student so im broooooooooooooooooooookkkeeee.
But I think there are many cost effective ways to keep things cheap for this holidays; like cooking a xmas meal for two.New boyfriends and Christmas presents are stressful!!! Money isn't the issue...the "message" is the tricky part. What do you get someone who you're dating, will likely continue dating for some time, but also know it's going to stay very casual (he's mid divorce and I'm just out of one)?? Advice welcome :)
I decided to get my "crush" a tee shirt from Hollister. He's not really the type to wear Hollister or preppy stuff like that, but I thought it'd be nice to give it a try =/ who knows.
We didn't really decide to get each other stuff, since we're not exactly "dating" or anything like that. I just wanted to get him something to show that I care :) And I threw in a handmade card for the fun of it!For my first christmas with my ex, which was about a month after we got together I did waaaay too much. Not that she didn't love every bit of it, but in retrospect it set the bar so high that it made every consecutive holiday after that really hard to match heh. So if you have a great idea just hold off a while and do a normal decent/good gift in a newly formed relation.
Oh and I dunno but most guys I know don't care if you get them a gift or not, pretty much anything you can get is good enough.
My [recent] boyfriend and I set the price at $50 for Christmas....but I ended up spending more. I don't really care though. I rather give than receive.
I usually outdo my boyfriend in value, but he manages to outdo me with the element of surprise. Though he's mostly loved all the gifts I've given him thus far (3 years)... I am just terribly impatient and have given it away a couple times.
Actually nervous about this year though because I think he specifically wanted something I forgot/didn't catch the hint to.i went to half price and got a hardcover copy of "Poisonwood Bible" for 7bucks
I've been with my boyfriend for a little over a year. We got together RIGHT before Christmas last year (at the end of November). So I was a little worried about what to get him. We didn't set a limit, we just got something and hoped for the best. I got him two t-shirts from his favorite sports team and a music dvd by his favorite artist. I don't remember everything he got me, but I do remember he got me tongue rings, a Spongebob blanket/stuffed animal set thing (I LOVE Spongebob) :) and some other stuff.
I think that's the best way to go. Just pick something you know they like. Haha.