Do you buy presents for all your friends, or just some? What do you do for acquaintances if anything? And if this is a friend you've known for long that doesn't bother to buy a present, do you still buy one or just leave it? Have you bought something nice for someone and they don't buy you gifts and it makes you feel bad?

I don't think gifts and presents should define friendship and I used to brush it all off, especially if we were students or not work and stuff like that, but now it's something I think about often, and I do buy gifts for friends who have been there for me, or genuinely deserve it for being who they are. If I don't know them well but get invited, I'll try to get a card or something. It doesn't matter to me if I get a gift or not, I already have plenty of stuff, but it's still nice when it does happen

[Edited 12/20/11 18:47pm]

Gift-giving is a funny thing.

I give gifts to very close friends for most occassions. Also just randomly (need not even be a close friend) if it's something I come across that I think the person would enjoy.

i buy gifts or make gifts for a lot of people at christmas time, but not really for birthdays unless they are a close family member or friend. but i do send or give them a card.

I only buy birthday presents for my daughter and (occasionally) my wife. More often, we do something fun to celebrate. Everyone else just gets a happy birthday phone call or email.

I find most people enjoy happy endings. (Ladies only please)

I give birthday presents to all my close friends, or if I'm invited to some sort of birthday gathering. I give birthday gifts to my mom and dad but not to my brothers although I do try to send them homemade birthday cards.

not anymore. i only buy presents for my neice and nephews. in fact, this year i tried to drop out of the family gift draw event. i'd rather we spent our time buying easy to eat food, putting it in cardboard boxes, driving up to where peope are sleeping under bridges and dropping off the food for them. THAT would rock my christmas boat, erm, tree.

Oh yeah, I get gifts for my nieces and nephews until they're 18. But over the years I've become the $10 bill aunt.

You know, I'm 34 years old and one of my aunts writes me a check for $10 still to this day.

johnart said:

Gift-giving is a funny thing.

I give gifts to very close friends for most occassions. Also just randomly (need not even be a close friend) if it's something I come across that I think the person would enjoy.

Speaking of which, I still haven't sent you that "Mount Gay Rum" baseball cap our company monogrammed.

I buy gifts for my immediate family only: parents, niece, nephew, my brother & sis-in-law usually just get some money, and my S.O. Everyone else gets a card (I am known for always remembering/sending cards for friends' birthdays and anniversaries.)

JuliePurplehead said:

Oh yeah, I get gifts for my nieces and nephews until they're 18. But over the years I've become the $10 bill aunt.

You know, I'm 34 years old and one of my aunts writes me a check for $10 still to this day.

My S.O. and I just got a holiday card from my grandmother - we each got a crisp $10 bill for our Christmas gift. (Last year she forgot - my mom told me everyone else got money but us...)

Yes because I like to shop for other people. Lately though, I've just been giving money and gift cards.

I have two relatives whose birthdays are December 26th and January 1st respectively. Ugh. Not only do I feel reluctant to spend even more money right after buying all the Christmas presents, but I have to be creative so soon again too! I should order them to take on at least three more hobbies so I can get inspired when shopping.

No I don't buy gifts for all of my friends. Sometimes a simple phone call or a text message saying "Happy Birthday ____" is enough. All my friends don't buy me gifts either. And it's okay. There's no animosity nor do I think anything is wrong with that. One of my girlfriends gave me a gift this summer for being such a good friend to her. When one of my friends was down, I saw a nice Hallmark card that had a lot of thoughtful messages that I felt would cheer them up, so I bought it and gave it to them. I basically give when I pretty much want to give and they do the same.