Outside of Family - Who Are You Buying for This Christmas?

I keep it pretty simple beyond family. I'd go broke. I spent $30 on my daughter's teacher. For my sons' daycare it will be about the same. I always stick something chocolate in the mailbox for the mail carrier and then some soaps/chocolate for the cleaning people. Some may say I am cheap but between my family, my DH's family, his staff at his office, the clients he has to think of etc...I'd need a job just to buy gifts. I am a firm believer in "it's the thought that counts".

Wow! How sad the national celebration has turned into something that forces gift-giving. Seriously? You don't even like the bus driver, but feel obligated to give her a gift? Shouldn't a gift be given to someone because you WANT them to have something from you? And, hey, you forgot your mail carrier, the newspaper delivery person, the school crossing guard, the UPS driver, the FedEx person, the meter reader, your local police officers, the fire department, the health inspector, and that weird guy down the block! Maybe the bus driver would like a set of those pocket hand-warmers, and a pair of soft socks.

i am put off by kathy's response. no need for that kind of response. to answer your question, for my twins with two different teachers and two extra curriculum activities, i spend about 75 on each teacher, the bus driver (just one who is a total sweetheart but even if she weren't, she drives my kids every day and i count on her for the safety of my kids) she is getting a 50 dollar gift card to home good/tjmaxx, the dance teacher (same one for both) is getting a 20 dollar gift card to paneras. i would rather leave out myself and my husband than these people who have a place in my kids' lives. i appreciate teachers beyond words, especially our teachers who are catholic school teachers and get paid peanuts compared to public school teachers. so whatever i can afford for them i usually give.

we do not give gifts to "service" people. My gparents did, my parents did not. If I saw these people on a regular basis, I might feel differently.... but to wave to them.....maybe twice a year....no.

I totally "get" Kathy's response. While she was flippant to the point of sarcasm, there is some worth in her words...... :) A simple "thank you" quite often is all that is needed...

When my children were in grade school, we gave gifts...usually a gift certificate, fruit basket, or a "rainy day" activity for the classroom. End of year gifts were also geared toward restocking the classroom supplies. We only gave to the primary teacher, not the specials/aides. Never to the principal & office staff. PTO always provided gifts for them.

In addition to our family, we also give trays of cookies to our neighbors. I give gifts to my daycare kids. My sons rarely give gifts to their friends.....I think it's a "boy" thing, because none of their friends give either & I'm totally cool with that! My DH occasionally takes in a tray of goodies for his co-workers....& that's it. .....oh, & most years we donate too.

As far as my kids are concerned, I get something for each of their teachers (including specials teachers), the principal and his assistant (who is also the school nurse) and that is it. We do not have any extracurricular events this time of year and they do not take a bus or I would get them all something too.

For gifts, I do not do much at all. I spend a bit more on homeroom teachers and the principal (around $5 to $7) and everyone else I spend around $2 to $3.

Merry Christmas!

I think Kathy's answer is pretty sad. Not saying anything about her, she's not COMPLETELY off base....but it's quite cynical at the same time. I don't give to people that I "should" (my grandpa who couldn't care less, my dads, or my adult friends except for my best friend since 1989, my brother who I love dearly and we speak daily....I'll get his boys something, and if I was SEEING him, I'd come up with something cool). We have an understanding that it's mostly for the kids, not the adults.
That said, we give "stuff" to: Husband, children, my mom, my mother in law, my little sister, my 2 nephews.
Bff and her son, my 5 year old's two good friends, my 2 year old's one friend. We unofficially adopted a family (one of the children is in my son's awanas class and they're having a hard time this year), so we provided tree, ornaments, lights, 3 gifts each for the 3 boys, stocking stuffers, and Christmas Eve dinner before church service.
We participated in Coats for Kids and Toys for Tots, and CAPA's angel tree (kind of a halfway house for children removed from home but waiting to get placed in foster homes). We are always involved in Compassion International and a friend of mine who's a missionary and runs a home and school for children.
We'll be making treats and homemade things for our neighbors, my son's Sifu and the helpers, and garbage men. I got the idea for including the garbage men from another mom on this site---my 2 boys LOVE to sit out and watch the guys in their big truck--they get SO excited, and it's the highlight of every Tuesday for the boys. They jump and dance, and the men always smile and wave at them, so next week I'll stand on the driveway with them and let Joe hand them a gift he helps prepare and a note of appreciation. Our fire station will also get goodies and a note because they decorated beautifully and were so nice about letting us tour the facility in September, and that's Vic's favorite guys. I'll let him help mix and pour too so he can be part of it, even though he's just 2. We don't "have to" but these are some often overlooked people who bring joy to a 5 year old and a 2 year old's day.
Cards with handwritten notes, to everyone. It's not because it's a "national celebration that forces gift giving" as someone mentioned, but because it's a time of the year that we can stop, have a think, and purposely say thank your or show appreciation for people we care about when it's not always feasible to talk to everyone, every week of the year.

The only people we are buying for this year is family and our best friends kids. My daughter is not in school yet, and I stay home with her....maybe I should buy myself a present?

Coworkers--I have about 6 or 7 in the office right now, my husband has to buy for about 5, security guard at work, 1 bus driver, neighbors (1 set we're very close to), teachers (4), friends & their kids, mailman, arrrrrrghhhhhh....on and on and on! LOL

Family only.. the ones that are "in town" that is....and we can barely do that.

the kids gift exchange at school.

1 boy toy and 1 girl toy to go into the toys for tots box.

We have never gotten our bus drivers anything.

Outside of gifts for family members we'll be giving my daughter's 1st grade teacher and her aide each a gift certificate and also we buy for our godson! We also participated in the angel tree at our church and will be sending in our annual contribution to the various charities that we feel strongly about. I've often felt bad for not remembering our mailman, garbage man, newspaper delivery person, etc but I rarely see them and when I do it's not usually same person - and then I wonder where do you draw the line on gift giving?

My mother-in-law has a list of over 100 (no that's not a typo - 100) people that she buys for! They are not by any means well off financially - she just enjoys giving to others. She even buys gifts (birthday and Christmas) for their neighbors nephews kids!

My hairdresser who I've been seeing for 20 years and my youngest son's church school teacher. Thanks for the reminder! I had almost forgotten about the church school teacher. When my kids were in elementary school I got their teachers a gift card or an educational toy for the classroom, but now they are in middle school and high school. I might get a little something for the piano teacher we've been going to for over 5 years. She always gives the boys a little gift.

ETA: We always participate in the gift drive at church, food shelf donations, and often Toys for Tots, but I wasn't really thinking of those as Christmas shopping.

Well, I'm def one of those ppl who would much rather give than receive, and I try to give to as many ppl as possible :) I do gifts for his teacher, well until this year it was just one, he's in 3rd grade now so and has 3 teachers, so obviously I'll want to budget better. I also get for the bus driver, we didn't like our sons either, he became new school year before this one, but we also grew to love him, anyone who gets my kid to and from school safely everyday without wanting to choke him is a great guy..lol. I don't spend as much as you do though..I think with some teachers and most bus drivers they don't expect anything or much of anything, so I just do something simple like buy a nice holiday candy dish and fill it with colorful candy, for his bus driver and 3 teachers I'd spend about 20 to 30 bucks. I also like the idea of buying small Christmas trees and helping my son make small ornaments to put on them for ppl, he really loves doing that! I think this year I have a couple more ppl to add to my list. His sunday school teacher, who is also the play director when they have plays, she plans all their trips and just absolutely adores all the kids and does soooo much for them, well she's in a way retiring from these duties, and you can see she's pretty bummed but I'm sure she has her reasons. But she's been great, and I feel like I should get her something this year too. I also buy for my neighbors, 2 of them, the husband and wife as one, then our really close neighbors that are like family ( I walk in their house without knocking anymore if that says anything..besides that I'm rude lol) I buy for them and for their 2 daughters, who are just like the little sisters I always wanted but never had, but I don't spend a whole lot, usually just give them 10 and take 'em to walmart with me one day. So, besides my family, which there is just too much of to mention, 9 boys between ages 2 and 13, and then all the adults, I buy for quite a few other ppl, but kids are always the most important so I try not to stress or spend too much on other people. But you can't go wrong with a fun, festive holiday dish with mints or candies or chocolates in it, my opinion anyway, I wouldn't mind getting something like that, even if I wasn't expecting anything at all :)

Other than family, $5 gift certs for Starbucks to preschool teachers along with cute small Christmas boxes of chocolate for $0.89 to give to neighbors. I also bought an ornament to exchange at an ornament party and a toy for Toys for Tots. Oh, some food for a food pantry. I think that's it!

I do not buy for anyone outside of my family. In all the years of childcare I have never seen parents give their kids teachers gifts at Christmas, ever. It just amazes me that people would do this. I do think it is a nice gesture but I am sure it is not expected.

If I were going to do this I would let the child make something for the teacher, from them to her.