QOD

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1. observer says:

   November 15, 2008 at 10:57 am

   Yep. By about 90 percent.

2. Unstable Isotope says:

   November 15, 2008 at 11:23 am

   I would like to, but I don’t think it’s possible. We just dropped a huge chunk of money to go see my in-laws for Christmas so the spending will be pretty high!

3. Susan Regis Collins says:

   November 15, 2008 at 11:45 am

   I’ll be using my same method: set a spending budget. Get the list(s) of ‘wants’. For each person I select one “large ” item for a present from the list(s)and buy totally cool stockingstuffers with the balance. Budget ususally is $50.00 per….regardless of age.

   For instance I plan to buy my grandson a wrist watch from Walmart (Spider/Batman) and stocking stuffers I pick up at places like Wilmington/Christiana Hospital gift shop and Winethur (sp.) gift shop….good selection for kids, etc. All stocking stuffer are under $5. each.

   Try this method if your looking to downsize the costs.

4. Dana says:

   November 15, 2008 at 12:08 pm

   But wait, why would you do that? After all, our Secular Savior will be taking office on January 20th, so Everything Will Be Alright!

5. jason330 says:

   November 15, 2008 at 12:37 pm

   I’m holding off all Christmas buying until after January 20th.

6. pandora says:

   November 15, 2008 at 12:52 pm

   Like I said before, we are shooting for a Walton’s Christmas. We already spoke with our children about the economy, and they understand why we are cutting back.

   BTW, Smitty called dibs on being John-boy. Something about a mole…

7. Brian Shields says:

   November 15, 2008 at 1:18 pm

   Since we don’t have any children to really worry about.. I’m just going to have a heart to heart with my folks and tell them not to expect much, as we won’t expect much in return.

   The wife and I have agreed to one gift and a price limit. Surviving college and the resulting debt is more important to us right now than useless stuff we’ll forget about by February.

8. Donhusseinsquishviti says:

   November 15, 2008 at 2:47 pm

   Brian,

   My littlesqyuishy is willing to broker a deal to be held and cuddled for an afternoon if you want to send him a few gifts Christmas morning.

   call me to discuss

9. Unstable Isotope says:

   November 15, 2008 at 4:05 pm

   Well, if people are not spending money this year it certainly wasn’t evident from the crowd at Christiana Mall today. That place was insane!

10. Dana says:

    November 15, 2008 at 4:13 pm

    Unfortunately, Mrs Pico’s birthday is December 16th — and that means that I have to think of two good presents in the space of nine days. I am absolutely lousy at picking out presents!

    Last year, I gave her a stained glass window. If that seems odd, it was a real stained glass window, by a local artisan, to fit in the transom above our double front doors. (It’s a Victorian house, with a huge entry-way.) I thought of that one four minths earlier, when I was talking to another local artisan who was restoring a stained glass window on a local church.

    This year, the only thing of which I can think is to replace the broken dishrinser; that’ll be in the $700 range, I’d guess.

    (We referred to the old unit as a dish rinser because you had to wash the dishes of most material before you put them in the unit in the first place. If we get a new one, I want one you can actually put dirty dishes in and get them cleaned!)

11. Donhusseinsquishviti says:

    November 15, 2008 at 4:18 pm

    dana,

    it’s bs that you still won’t have to rinse them 🙂 so save your money and get a mid range one…

12. Mark H says:

    November 15, 2008 at 4:26 pm

    Yep. The family is getting a Wii (already purchased). That’s it. A few clothes for the 4 year old and gift cards for the 2 23 year olds in the house. No toys for the 4 year old. Last year I went nuts and got her a TV/DVD/Computer monitor and a bunch of toys. Other family is getting gift certificates for expert computer repair (ME) and some cookies.

13. Progressive Mom says:

    November 15, 2008 at 4:39 pm

    Cutting back. My husband’s just been hit with a paycut (one income family here, with one high functioning autistic-type teen and one “regular”, merely depressed teen).

    In fact, this troll may be asking how life is “on the ground” in Wilmington near the Pa. border real soon — my guy’s looking at jobs back in Delaware. Upstate NY just isn’t making it for us….

    Kids are getting into the cut-backs, tho: older son is putting together a purloined music CD of all the billboard hits for the past 50 years on his Dad’s birthday. Might start a trend: do one for Gram and Gramp, etc. Younger son doing a “coupon book” of chores he is available for….

    And the malls here? Very, very slow and many businesses, including some high end ones (Coach, Bonefish Grill) closing their doors right before Christmas.

14. jason330 says:

    November 15, 2008 at 5:06 pm

    I must be entering my geezerhood, because I think this..

    older son is putting together a purloined music CD of all the billboard hits for the past 50 years…

    sounds like a great gift.

15. Donhusseinsquishviti says:

    November 15, 2008 at 5:27 pm

    Progressive Mom,

    What is the industry he is in. If you are sort of IT then the Healthcare industry around the King of Prussia/Philly area is pretty wide open

16. Mike Matthews says:

    November 15, 2008 at 5:31 pm

    I wish I had a first-born to sell. Because I don’t, Christmas is looking quite slim this year.

17. Miscreant says:

    November 15, 2008 at 6:23 pm

    ‘We already spoke with our children about the economy, and they understand why we are cutting back.”

    Good move. We did the same.

18. Unstable Isotope says:

    November 15, 2008 at 6:50 pm

    Dana,

    That stained glass window sounds beautiful. What a unique and thoughtful gift!

19. obs says:

    November 15, 2008 at 11:07 pm

    Mark H – Is that two 23-year-olds? How are you not going crazy?

20. Susan Regis Collins says:

    November 16, 2008 at 2:42 am

    Mike Matthews:

    There are two lovely baby blue O’Donnel signs on Greenhill Ave. (golf course) that I thought you would appreciate for your holiday gifts. Now that everyone knows I hope no one beats me to ’em. 🙂

21. Dana says:

    November 16, 2008 at 10:10 am

    Isotope: After 29 years, 5 months and 28 days of marriage, we’ve pretty much given each other everything. I don’t buy Mrs Pico clothes, because she has to try them on, so that’s no surprise. She doesn’t wear much jewelry at all, so that’s not a top item — though it has served when I just couldn’t think of anything else.

    If I get her a good gift, it means that something just sprang to mind at some random point, and I filed it under: Good Gift Idea. That doesn’t happen every year.

    For those who are interested in the stained glass window idea, mine ran $723. It’s ten inches high and about 52 inches long; the artisan I used charged by the square foot.