Craving luxury at Christmas.

[KBecks2]

Every year I hope for a wonderful gift.  But it is not about gifts, but if I have to receive a gift I would like something nice.  Yesterday I was getting winter boots for the kids and tried on ugg slippers.  I got an rei mailer that was tempting. 

I got some wrapping paper at an estate sale and look forward to wrapping gifts.  Teachers will get some Aldi fancy chocolate.

Do you crave luxury and specialness at the holidays and how do you achieve it?  We set a moderate $600 budget.  We may go a tad over.  I'd love your suggestions!!

[SoftwareGoddess]

My mom does this. She expects some fabulous, but unspoken, gift and/or family experience during the holidays, and she is always disappointed. Once I was old enough to realize this, I started to dread the holidays.

Now that I'm an adult, I don't do holiday gifts, unless someone asks for something very specific -- no more mind reading for me, I suck at it. :-) I make a special holiday dinner for ourselves and DH's family. That and having a couple of weeks off work make the holidays special enough for me.

[surfhb]

No.....we've limited Xmas to Secret Santa status and now only spend $40 per person.   Unless you have high income and net worth, $600 is excessive.   For me anyway.....and people who are broke :)

[KBecks2]

We have 5 in the immediate family and then things like teacher gifts.  I may skip holiday cards or do an email. 

[Calvawt]

I think $600 is okay.  We planned on $500.  That includes our two kids, my 4 nieces and nephews, and some small gifts for a few close friends/family.  I thought about trying to reduce it more, but my wife really enjoys gift giving.  Establishing a gift budget at all was a move forward for her.

[chicagomeg]

I don't know about luxury. But I do love getting and giving presents. However, it's something that I'm working on. My parents & I agreed to skip presents & do something fun together instead. I think we are going to go drive around and look at Christmas lights, which we haven't done since I was young, and maybe see a movie on Christmas Eve. I am a little nervous that I will be disappointed, but it's another step in my efforts to prioritize quality time and experiences over stuff.

Similarly, the husband and I agreed earlier this year to reduce our budget for each other to $50 each from $100. The other day, we discussed and we've decided to do some fun & free quality time things together for Christmas & then use that $100 to go Black Friday shopping for toys for underprivileged kids. I think this will be really fun and scratch my shopping itch, without the stress of buying presents for one another.

So yes, I DO crave luxury at Christmas (and even more so my birthday!) but I'm working on it and I do feel myself getting better at it as my frugality/minimalism muscle grows.

[chicagomeg]

Yes! I love to ask for nicer things than I would usually buy myself. Last year it was a cashmere cap for winter. This year I am thinking nice, matching pajamas.

Here are some other ideas:

- Voluspa candles come in pretty jars or glasses, smell elegant (I don't know how else to describe it, it's not that super cloying/artificial smell you get with some candles) and aren't too expensive as candles go. These make a nice hostess gift for holiday parties or family stays.

- Good spices are a nice gift, Penzey's will package them beautifully in a gift box. You can get something like really good vanilla extract or saffron for under $20.

- Socks are often derided but really expensive (as socks go) socks like Smartwool are a good upgrade of an everyday necessity.

- Bath and beauty items: I love to get bath stuff from Lush, which, again, is expensive for what it is but not that expensive as gifts go. A few bubble bars or bath bombs make a nice stocking stuffer or standalone gift. Stores like Sephora and Ulta also sell holiday sets this time of year. You can either give a set to one person or you can buy a couple of sets and break them up into little kits for multiple people (e.g. buy a five-pack of lip gloss, a five-pack of shower gels and a five-pack of perfume minis and you can put together five little gifts with one of each).

- Upgrades: if I know someone is making do with a cheap version of something, I like to get a nicer version as a gift. For example, I was at my parents' house and opened a can with their can opener, which was from the dollar store and really a strain to use. As part of their Christmas gift I got them a super nice Oxo can opener that is a pleasure to use.

My mom got us Penzey's spices for our wedding, they're nice! And yes to both Lush & the Oxo can opener as great presents! I'm always keep an eye out when we're at our parents' and in-laws' home for things we can upgrade for them for gifts.

[imustachemystash]

Check out this website to make your own luxuries! http://www.theidearoom.net/2014/10/diy-gift-ideas.html
We set a budget for $500 this year since last year we spent way too much.

[Worsted Skeins]

If you want something nice and will use it a LOT, and can afford it, I'd just get it. My shearling slippers are used 6 months a year and I was not going to wait for my husband and/or parents to divine that I'd use them, and I wore through other cheaper slippers that were less warm first. Uggs are not great for the quality, though, I'd get these. And they're warrantied forever:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/search/?freeText=wicked+good+slippers+women&init=1&sort_field=Relevance

+1

What I have also found is that some of those luxuries can be smart buys.  For example, I love Smartwool socks.  Yes they are more expensive than other socks but they are warm and wear well. 

I guess it should be noted that there are luxuries and then there are Luxuries.  A good pair of slippers is an investment in comfort for me.  (I wear boiled wool slippers and buy a new pair every couple of years.)

I have been known to give some hints to family members on occasion.  There are some sewing or kitchen do-dads that I have coveted but my family would have no clue that I would want.  Of course, these items usually benefit them in the long run so they have learned to listen to these requests!

Holidays can be hard, especially if you are responsible for their orchestration.  Time to hint, ask or just buy!

[Worsted Skeins]

Wool socks are amazing. I can make them cheaper than I can buy them usually, so it's a twofer: a cheap, useful hobby!

A fellow knitter?  I recently bought some lovely superwash wool from Knitpicks.  Wearing handknitted socks as I type...

[GardenFun]

I crave good value in gifts (i.e. the awesome LL Bean slippers listed above).  One mental battle to overcome is the concept of quantity presents vs. quality presents.  So your kids only have 3 gifts?  If they are 3 awesome gifts, don't buy $50 more of crap to meet some visual quota.  If anything, save the money for a Feb/March getaway to the Dells. 

Another way to save money is on gifts for teachers, bus drivers, etc.  Make cookies with your kids, put them in the fancy-looking cellophane bags (can get 25 of them for $2 at Michael's or Joann's), and tie with festive ribbon.  For $5-10 of materials, you have all the people covered. 

[chicagomeg]

I crave good value in gifts (i.e. the awesome LL Bean slippers listed above).  One mental battle to overcome is the concept of quantity presents vs. quality presents.  So your kids only have 3 gifts?  If they are 3 awesome gifts, don't buy $50 more of crap to meet some visual quota.  If anything, save the money for a Feb/March getaway to the Dells. 

Another way to save money is on gifts for teachers, bus drivers, etc.  Make cookies with your kids, put them in the fancy-looking cellophane bags (can get 25 of them for $2 at Michael's or Joann's), and tie with festive ribbon.  For $5-10 of materials, you have all the people covered.

I told my husband that my policy was that if three gifts was good enough for Jesus, it would be good enough for our kids. =P

Your mention of good value made me think of the other reason it's getting easier & easier for me to forgo presents. I am way more diligent about finding bargains that either my or DH's parents! They just buy me things from my Amazon wish list! I, on the other hand, put all of them on camelcamelcamel and wait for the price to drop, or buy them when they go on sale somewhere with a great rewards credit card, or maybe even buy them from Amazon Warehouse deals! It makes me nuts to think of how much they overpay for the things they get me!

[BreakingtheCycle]

We're doing Want, Need, Wear, Read for the kids in hopes of limiting what we buy them.  It's hard though!

[Mr. Frugalwoods]

We're lovers of great food, so our food budget tends to go up around the holidays.  We'll eat more meat, have some chocolate, that sort of thing.

It sounds cliche, but the real luxury I enjoy at the holidays is free time.  Between work and house projects, I don't get much time to just sit and relax during the normal course of the year.  During the holidays I make it a priority (and Mrs. FW accepts my sloth) and it's just wonderful to recharge the 'ole mental batteries.

[partgypsy]

This year will be hard for me. We have some huge expenses coming up this next 2 years, that are beyond our normal budget and even our emergency fund to absorb (expensive car repair, need to replace roof, braces (for both), and also expensive specialized tutoring for youngest).
I normally spend around 1K for chrismas.  this includes tree, wreath, gifts, donations, wrapping paper etc but not grocery.
Some of that is checks to loved ones living on a limited budget. I love feeling generous, and making someone's Christmas. but we just can't do that this year. I already told the people it most impacts (sister, Mom, kids) that it will be a modest xmas, but I still don't know if they understand. And it will be hard myself, to refrain because I enjoy doing it. so wish me luck! I'm doing things like recycling all the catalogs, deleting the emails (we already don't watch tv but do see some ads on internet).  Instead of buying a food gift that gets delivered, going to keep my eye out on things like nuts, chocolates, and dried sausages that can be purchased at grocery store prices and included in gift package. Thinking of doing all cash or gift cards for most (to keep me out of stores) and then either memory sticks or photos and artwork to share. I am lucky in that there is really nothing myself, I need or really want (other than new roof : )) I'm pretty much good, hopefully that will rub off on children to appreciate the things we already have.

[Gerard]

At Christmas my sister-in-law makes a bunch of cookies and, if we're lucky, tourtiere. Those things are more "luxurious" to me than whatever the gifts end up being. But I do like the idea of getting a fancy/better-quality version of things I'm gonna use anyway. Posh tea is nice. Maybe not for kids, I admit!

[socaso]

My big luxuries are planning big meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas and finding a special event or two to make the season fun. This year we have already planned out our Thanksgiving menu and are going to go to a holiday light show and take the kiddo to see Santa. We also attend an annual holiday party our friends throw and a couple of work parties. This year as last year we have a $50 budget for holiday gifts for the adults and may spend a bit more on the kiddo. There will also be the annual holiday baking! Reading this I think my definition of holiday luxury is a calorie fest! hahahaha!! Butter!!

[GardenFun]

This year will be hard for me. We have some huge expenses coming up this next 2 years, that are beyond our normal budget and even our emergency fund to absorb (expensive car repair, need to replace roof, braces (for both), and also expensive specialized tutoring for youngest).
I normally spend around 1K for chrismas.  this includes tree, wreath, gifts, donations, wrapping paper etc but not grocery.
Some of that is checks to loved ones living on a limited budget. I love feeling generous, and making someone's Christmas. but we just can't do that this year. I already told the people it most impacts (sister, Mom, kids) that it will be a modest xmas, but I still don't know if they understand. And it will be hard myself, to refrain because I enjoy doing it. so wish me luck! I'm doing things like recycling all the catalogs, deleting the emails (we already don't watch tv but do see some ads on internet).  Instead of buying a food gift that gets delivered, going to keep my eye out on things like nuts, chocolates, and dried sausages that can be purchased at grocery store prices and included in gift package. Thinking of doing all cash or gift cards for most (to keep me out of stores) and then either memory sticks or photos and artwork to share. I am lucky in that there is really nothing myself, I need or really want (other than new roof : )) I'm pretty much good, hopefully that will rub off on children to appreciate the things we already have.

For the kids, find one really nice gift, then buy a few smaller items.  Still gives them something big to focus their attention and they won't notice the difference. 

If you need baskets for the gifts, go to Salvation Army or Goodwill.  They usually have bins of them for $1-$2 each.  Makes everyone think you really care about them.  :-)  Buy a roll of cellophane and you are set.  For nuts, buy in bulk and rebag in the cellophane bags with some nice ribbon. 

[MrsK]

My definition of luxury is sitting in front of the fire, working on a jigsaw puzzle and sipping a hot toddy. 

We don't do many gifts--everyone gives 2 and receives 2.  But we have boxes of decorations that we will pull out of the garage the weekend after Thanksgiving and "whore up the house" with decades of holiday trimmings I have collected.  I have not bought anything new in ages, but I have lots of family things that have been handed down and all of the kids projects from over the years.  I feel quite decadent with this xmas stash!  The whole family likes to go through these boxes each year and reminisce.  A little Pandora holiday music adds to the mood.

But I promised myself that I was going to NOT think about xmas until after Thanksgiving!  I am avoiding the media and anyone else who is trying to steal the awesomeness of Thanksgiving from November.

[MrsCoolCat]

I like your gift suggestions! Esp the upgrades! Thanks.

Yes! I love to ask for nicer things than I would usually buy myself. Last year it was a cashmere cap for winter. This year I am thinking nice, matching pajamas.

Here are some other ideas:

- Voluspa candles come in pretty jars or glasses, smell elegant (I don't know how else to describe it, it's not that super cloying/artificial smell you get with some candles) and aren't too expensive as candles go. These make a nice hostess gift for holiday parties or family stays.

- Good spices are a nice gift, Penzey's will package them beautifully in a gift box. You can get something like really good vanilla extract or saffron for under $20.

- Socks are often derided but really expensive (as socks go) socks like Smartwool are a good upgrade of an everyday necessity.

- Bath and beauty items: I love to get bath stuff from Lush, which, again, is expensive for what it is but not that expensive as gifts go. A few bubble bars or bath bombs make a nice stocking stuffer or standalone gift. Stores like Sephora and Ulta also sell holiday sets this time of year. You can either give a set to one person or you can buy a couple of sets and break them up into little kits for multiple people (e.g. buy a five-pack of lip gloss, a five-pack of shower gels and a five-pack of perfume minis and you can put together five little gifts with one of each).

- Upgrades: if I know someone is making do with a cheap version of something, I like to get a nicer version as a gift. For example, I was at my parents' house and opened a can with their can opener, which was from the dollar store and really a strain to use. As part of their Christmas gift I got them a super nice Oxo can opener that is a pleasure to use.

[OSUBearCub]

(Bring on the facepunches)

The holidays aren't the holidays for me without a few luxury touches.  It's one season a year and it's really easy to plan in advance.  I really don't ever want to give up.

But I'm a Mustachian too so I try to find the middle ground.  First, I budget the entire year into a specific Christmas savings account.  $25 a paycheck leaves me with a total budget of $650.  Second, I'm really old-fashioned at heart.  I start to think of the things that my (loaded) Great Uncle would send us at the holidays and how delighted we were to get them: a box of Florida grapefruit, a giant tin of gourmet popcorn, a bottle of scotch from his private stash, beads from Mardi Gras.  He and my Aunt were clearly working out of a playbook from 1940 and it was AWESOME.  I use this same playbook.

Specific strategies:

1. Wrap a lower-value gift card to the video game store ($20) along with a one pound chocolate bar ($4.99) from Trader Joe's.  They stack these cards up (Gamestop cards are the go to from all the adults in the family) and blow them in one trip on mostly used games.  The difference is that after that shopping trip is done, they've still got a pound of chocolate to eat over the next few days/weeks to remind them that their uncle loves them.

2. All service folks (mail, apt management company, garbage man, etc) and bosses/managers get the same Hershey's Pot of Gold box of chocolate.  The coupons come out in early December to pair up with the sales.  I never need more than ten boxes and can usually get them for around $4 each.  $40 total is hardly going to break the bank to be nice to these folks.

3. I choose 2 holiday parties to go to each year.  I do not show up empty-handed and prefer to bring a bottle of champers.  I made friends with the wine rep at the local grocery who's always good for a tip on outstanding, cheap, off-beat bottles of prosecco (Italian sparkling wine, much cheaper than legit champagne).  $12 each plus $1 each for two fancy wine gift bags bought on clearance after the holiday last year.  Party budget is $25 total and the hosts have an interesting new wine to talk about.

4. I focus on presentation and use the best quality wrapping I can afford.  It only takes a minute to pick out ribbon that matches the paper (no peel-and-stick foolishness.)  Every gift to every recipient is wrapped in the same paper - I can more efficiently use the entire roll, no waste, and it actually looks pretty "Martha" to arrive with arms full of coordinated presents. 

5. My sisters and I usually divide our parent present budget in half.  Half goes to a nice group gift and half goes to an individual, smaller, thoughtful gift.  Example - professional photos of all the children and grandchildren as the group gift, new slippers for both as the individual gift from me. 

[KBecks2]

I decided last night that I don't want expensive slippers.  I asked DH to make paella. Which he says is probably as spendy as the slippers, but it is wonderful when he makes it. 

I don't need expensive gifts.  I want to be a bad@ss.

[The Borgs]

I love some Christmas luxury. The first year I spent in Australia (I'm from England originally) was a bit of a culture shock for me. They just don't do the same things that I've grown up having very well, yet it seems even more commercialized somehow.

After the disappointment of the first year I cottoned onto the idea that I could have all of the things I wanted - food, drink, decorations, just as I would have done in England, but I'd have to make them all myself from scratch. Cost wise, this year for food, decor etc, about $100. This includes making food to give as gifts for friends and relatives, plus a good deal of food for home. It's luxurious, but does require serious effort, which I guess makes me value it more.

[MrsK]

I love some Christmas luxury. The first year I spent in Australia (I'm from England originally) was a bit of a culture shock for me. They just don't do the same things that I've grown up having very well, yet it seems even more commercialized somehow.

After the disappointment of the first year I cottoned onto the idea that I could have all of the things I wanted - food, drink, decorations, just as I would have done in England, but I'd have to make them all myself from scratch. Cost wise, this year for food, decor etc, about $100. This includes making food to give as gifts for friends and relatives, plus a good deal of food for home. It's luxurious, but does require serious effort, which I guess makes me value it more.

I would love to know what some of the English things are that you will be making from scratch.  What is the food and drink that defines christmas for you?  I am fascinated by this and over my life I like to borrow from other cultures and make bits of them my own.  I am French, living in California so I already have a hodgepodge of ideas about the holidays.  My DH has German ancestors and our best friends here have a lot of Scandinavian traditions as they are from Minnesota.

I have to have champagne.  This is a must for me at every holiday.  You can get a decent bottle at Trader Joe's for $7.  I can even enjoy the Andre from CVS for $4.  I now really love Swedish meatballs and mulled wine thanks to our friends.  My DH few up with advent calendars so we did those when the kids were young.

Please tell us, English friends, what are your holiday luxuries?  I love British TV and I always see you wearing paper hats, what is that all about?

[kyanamerinas]

When I lived in Austria I really missed mince pies. You couldn't even make them from scratch as I couldn't find mince meat or the suet to make my own mince meat filling. Got my boyfriend to bring me a jar out when he visited!

[myteafix]

We're doing Want, Need, Wear, Read for the kids in hopes of limiting what we buy them.  It's hard though!

Just read this post this morning that mentions that rule: http://www.slowyourhome.com/ultimate-clutter-free-gift-guide/

Also, I will agree with previous comments: expensive, high quality items that you can use a lot don't really seem like "luxuries," they seem like good investments. :)

[brycedoula]

I would love to know what some of the English things are that you will be making from scratch.  What is the food and drink that defines christmas for you?  I am fascinated by this and over my life I like to borrow from other cultures and make bits of them my own.  I am French, living in California so I already have a hodgepodge of ideas about the holidays.  My DH has German ancestors and our best friends here have a lot of Scandinavian traditions as they are from Minnesota.

I have to have champagne.  This is a must for me at every holiday.  You can get a decent bottle at Trader Joe's for $7.  I can even enjoy the Andre from CVS for $4.  I now really love Swedish meatballs and mulled wine thanks to our friends.  My DH few up with advent calendars so we did those when the kids were young.

Please tell us, English friends, what are your holiday luxuries?  I love British TV and I always see you wearing paper hats, what is that all about?

Christmas Crackers!! We do them in Canada too. They are fancy cardboard tubes (think empty toilet paper roll) with the paper hat & a little toy/joke inside. When you pull them apart they make a "POP", like a cap gun. In my family we open the crackers before the Christmas dinner, and then wear the dorky hats for the rest of the evening.

[The Borgs]

I would love to know what some of the English things are that you will be making from scratch.  What is the food and drink that defines christmas for you?  I am fascinated by this and over my life I like to borrow from other cultures and make bits of them my own.  I am French, living in California so I already have a hodgepodge of ideas about the holidays.  My DH has German ancestors and our best friends here have a lot of Scandinavian traditions as they are from Minnesota.

Please tell us, English friends, what are your holiday luxuries?  I love British TV and I always see you wearing paper hats, what is that all about?

I make Christmas pudding, white sauce, homemade fruit mincemeat which then makes mince pies, fruit mince filled shortbreads and oaty mincemeat slice, I make the booziest Christmas fruit cake you'll find (smells flammable!), brandy butter or whisky butter. For ham I discovered that the nearest I could get to English ham is buying pickled pork here, boiling it then baking it. Turkey should be baked covered in butter and bacon, little chipolata sausages also get wrapped in bacon.

For drinks I make homemade baileys and sometimes homemade amaretto.

And the hats come out of crackers. They always tended to be too small and required a rip up the back to fit!

Other things that aren't English, but speak to me of childhood Christmasses - Dates stuffed with marzipan, homemade stollen and pannetone for breakfast.

It used to be for me that having a few different cheeses was a big Christmas thing too, but having paid off the mortgage and having no other debts, we enjoy the luxury of a few cheeses regularly now. That probably should merit a little bop to the nose, if not a whole facepunch.

[Alchemilla]

Brandy butter, sprouts, trifle. Carols on the radio Christmas eve.

[Worsted Skeins]

I make Christmas pudding, white sauce, homemade fruit mincemeat which then makes mince pies, fruit mince filled shortbreads and oaty mincemeat slice, I make the booziest Christmas fruit cake you'll find (smells flammable!), brandy butter or whisky butter. For ham I discovered that the nearest I could get to English ham is buying pickled pork here, boiling it then baking it. Turkey should be baked covered in butter and bacon, little chipolata sausages also get wrapped in bacon.

For drinks I make homemade baileys and sometimes homemade amaretto.

And the hats come out of crackers. They always tended to be too small and required a rip up the back to fit!

Other things that aren't English, but speak to me of childhood Christmasses - Dates stuffed with marzipan, homemade stollen and pannetone for breakfast.

It used to be for me that having a few different cheeses was a big Christmas thing too, but having paid off the mortgage and having no other debts, we enjoy the luxury of a few cheeses regularly now. That probably should merit a little bop to the nose, if not a whole facepunch.

No nose bops from me!  Your holiday sounds absolutely delightful!

Some of our holiday traditions began when we were poor graduate students, indulging in a few homemade luxuries.  We could not afford presents so we made things like pecan tarts to give.  Later, after we were on steady financial ground, one of my friends said (in response to a purchased gift), "What? No tarts?"

There was a lesson there for me.  Anyone can buy a gift.  The time and attention that we lavished on our homemade treats were priceless.

[Distshore]

I second the food option.  There are two things that are hard to do - a thoughtful gift and something that you made, not just spent money on.  I suck at thoughtful gifts, except when it's my husband or someone I know really, really well.  However, the baking thing works much better for me. 

I really have to try to educate the in-laws on this....I think it's ridiculous that we still are expected to give family gifts when we're all over 30.  With the first grandchild arriving soon though, maybe I'll be able to convert them just to one gift for the kid; the rest of us get a hug, a lovely dinner and some sort of comestible eg. wine, special treat food, home baking etc....though my fitness-crazed SIL may take it as sabotage :(

Admittedly this year we will purchase smartphones for the family (mid-range, hopefully on sale over Thanksgiving); but we were going to have to do that anyway as that's our contribution to our parents...

[RunHappy]

I used to but over the years it became too stressful and I've scaled back considerably.  Everyone gets one gift from me (usually handmade and practical). This will be the first xmas with my SO and I brought up the subject of gifts and my thoughts on them.  We agreed to give one MAYBE two gifts to each other.  We haven't set a price limit but agreed they should be practical. 

[going2ER]

Wool socks are amazing. I can make them cheaper than I can buy them usually, so it's a twofer: a cheap, useful hobby!

A fellow knitter?  I recently bought some lovely superwash wool from Knitpicks.  Wearing handknitted socks as I type...

Handknit socks are the best. Once you start wearing them, you won't wear anything else! Each of my children get a pair for Christmas, as they feel the same way I do about them.
Yes! Wearing hand knit socks right now too!

[opnfld]

Xmas is a good opportunity to buy for each other the desirable things that haven't been found used or at great discount throughout the year.  Luckily most can be found at discount via holiday sales.  In a mustachian household, these feel like luxuries.

[dorothyc]

When I lived in Austria I really missed mince pies. You couldn't even make them from scratch as I couldn't find mince meat or the suet to make my own mince meat filling. Got my boyfriend to bring me a jar out when he visited!

I am a Brit in the US, and I use this recipe, except instead of baking it at 225F or 110C for 3 hours, I put it in a slow cooker on low overnight, no need for the separate steeping. I then put it in conventional canning jars with two part lids - no wax paper. I also use coconut oil instead of the suet  which is a special order item from the butcher, and also tends to squick out the Americans. I often make mince pies for pot lucks here.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/mincemeat/home-made-christmas-mincemeat.html

[justajane]

Regarding homemade goods for teachers, I wonder if they always get eaten or are sometimes pitched. First off, if every student gives them something, that's far more than one or two people can consume. Also I've read this exact sentiment before on a blog post: I see how poor the hygiene of some of my students are - why would I eat something made by them?

A better alternative might be a packaged chocolate that can be saved for later (and doesn't have possible student cooties). We usually give gift cards or buy something for the classroom.

[Artemis67]

I'm at my sister's in Southern California right now, and her orange and lemon trees bear far more fruit than her household could ever hope to eat. She practically begs me to take it home with me. So I'll haul home big boxes of unsprayed, organic citrus and spend next weekend cranking out candied orange and lemon peel, plus candied ginger, and figuring out a use for all the orange and lemon guts (lemon curd is definitely on the agenda). Some of the candied orange peel will get dipped in dark chocolate, and I might see how white chocolate goes with the lemon peels.

I'll make other treats as well (either fudge or truffles, plus raw vegan stuff for the folks into that), and end up giving it all away. I package everything attractively, try to tailor individual boxes to people's tastes, and it always goes over well. The recipients look forward to it because I don't make the same old stuff you can get just anywhere, I use top-notch ingredients, and I don't bombard them with huge quantities of sugary treats--just a little box of decadent deliciousness that cost me maybe $3-5 (plus my time) to make and assemble, but would cost a fortune if bought anywhere.

[Annie-Blake]

I would love to know what some of the English things are that you will be making from scratch.  What is the food and drink that defines christmas for you?  I am fascinated by this and over my life I like to borrow from other cultures and make bits of them my own.  I am French, living in California so I already have a hodgepodge of ideas about the holidays.  My DH has German ancestors and our best friends here have a lot of Scandinavian traditions as they are from Minnesota.

Please tell us, English friends, what are your holiday luxuries?  I love British TV and I always see you wearing paper hats, what is that all about?

I make Christmas pudding, white sauce, homemade fruit mincemeat which then makes mince pies, fruit mince filled shortbreads and oaty mincemeat slice, I make the booziest Christmas fruit cake you'll find (smells flammable!), brandy butter or whisky butter. For ham I discovered that the nearest I could get to English ham is buying pickled pork here, boiling it then baking it. Turkey should be baked covered in butter and bacon, little chipolata sausages also get wrapped in bacon.

For drinks I make homemade baileys and sometimes homemade amaretto.

And the hats come out of crackers. They always tended to be too small and required a rip up the back to fit!

Other things that aren't English, but speak to me of childhood Christmasses - Dates stuffed with marzipan, homemade stollen and pannetone for breakfast.

It used to be for me that having a few different cheeses was a big Christmas thing too, but having paid off the mortgage and having no other debts, we enjoy the luxury of a few cheeses regularly now. That probably should merit a little bop to the nose, if not a whole facepunch.

I'm a born and bred Aussie and we have always done bon bons/crackers with the hats, trinket and joke.  They sit at each persons place setting at breakfast on Christmas day.  It's so much fun!

We have always also done fruit cake, christmas pudding and fruit mince pies...all my Aussie family and friends do these things..it's a huge Aussie tradition...and we do big cheese platters too! so not sure why you have had so much difficulty finding them here.  check out any grocery store for the food items - coles, woolies, aldi, bakeries etc. and bons bons can be purchased from any grocery, department store or junk shop. 

A hot and sunny Aussie Christmas is amazing!

[southern granny]

I don't want any gifts for myself, but I can't stop buying gifts for my family.  I have already gone way over budget..  probably doubled it.   

[libertarian4321]

We spend almost NOTHING on Christmas and the trappings.  At least not on the "decorations/presents/whatever" aspect of it.

Most of the money we spend over the holidays is on charity.

We are well off, we really don't need to impress our family/friends/neighbors/co-workers/casual acquaintances with more lights/baubles/whatever.  And frankly, we have everything we need, so we don't need elaborate "presents."

So rather than spending money on gifts neither of us need, we give the money to a number of charities.

We'd both rather spend $50 buying a nice Christmas dinner for a poor, working family than blowing it on yet another shiny bauble under the tree.

And of course, this would not be possible without a sensible wife who feels the same way.  The last time I bought her a shiny metal trinket was around 1997 :) .

[KBecks2]

I am loving reading everyone's replies, thank you!

Our little ones are excited about gifts this year, my 8 year old got a postcard to Santa from a friend and was very serious about getting it done.  This age will not be here for long, so I am trying to be a good and reasonable Santa.  Some of this years presents are from resale (video games) and I have several Ebay bids out there -I hope I get it.

I am less worried about a present for me, I am thankful to be over that.

[irishbear99]

My biggest luxury at Christmas is increasing our already substantial electric bill so the hubby, dog and I can spend obscene amounts of time snuggling on the couch with our beautiful, indoor decorations all aglow.

[LiveLean]

I'm thrilled that our two little ones, ages 11 and 9, don't want much this year. (And the soon-to-be 12-year-old's birthday is during holiday week, too.)

Big victory since my wife's parents are always over-the-top about Xmas and my wife has inherited some of that mindset (thankfully shifting a little toward MMM). Even now after insane spending for decades has left in-laws basically living solely on Social Security in their senior years, they still spend, spend, spend, for Xmas, waiting until the last minute to shop and send gifts FedEx.

As far as luxury, I noticed that my BlendTec reached 3,000 on the counter the other day after eight years. I got it in 2006 as part of a business/advertising tradeout. They cost $400 at the time (still $320 new). If it went kaput I would gladly buy another (on Craigslist where some people give up on them after 10 uses), though it's still cranking out green smoothies for me every day. I can't think of anything else I own that's mechanical that has given me no issues over the last eight years when used on a daily basis.

[I'm a red panda]

I try to stick to a budget when getting gifts for others.
The nieces and nephews (7 of them) are a max of $25 each. I shopped some incredible sales and had them all shipped to me so I could wrap them and send them to their homes. I would have saved money by shipping direct, but I didn't want to add more work for their parents, because I know Christmas is already hectic.  I averaged $21 (with the shipping- $40 total) a kid, including one that just got a check for $25, and another whose gift cost $30 and I couldn't find a sale. I thought I did pretty well.

My Dad likes gifts, and I spend $50 on him. This year he is getting two pairs of luxury grips for golf. I don't know what they do, my Mom told me they are ridiculously expensive, but I don't really care about "value for dollar" since it isn't something for me. Instead, I care that they fit my budget and he wants them.  No way in hell would I ever buy something like this for myself (they cost about $20 a pair, I'm told standard ones are like $5 a pair).

I send the two grandmother's Harry and David pears. They cost WAY too much, but they always rave about them. I only do that if I can find a sale plus a free shipping code. I won't pay more than $2 a pear!!!  Hickory Farms was cheaper, but with health issues, I can't do that anymore.

I wish we lived near our family, because then I could easily make presents and give them something fresh baked instead of ordering anything.

My Mom gets a donation to a charity.  My sister/ sister-brother-in laws don't  get anything. Once you have kids, gifts go to the kids, not the adults. My in-laws have adopted the "just the kids" Christmas and don't send us anything, my sister usually sends a gift basket.

I don't have kids, so my husband and I don't do gifts at Christmas season.  We just stick to our standard year round ideas of how much to spend on stuff, and this is the time we pick up a few more things because so much is on sale.  I will say that I'd actually rather not get a gift from someone else than get a cheap trinket, though of course I receive the gift graciously. I just hate seeing other people waste their money on crap that I'm going to throw out after a few months.

[Goldielocks]

One time a Mom gave her a home made scarf made from her old torn up T-shirts.  Gross.

Regarding homemade goods for teachers, I wonder if they always get eaten or are sometimes pitched. First off, if every student gives them something, that's far more than one or two people can consume. Also I've read this exact sentiment before on a blog post: I see how poor the hygiene of some of my students are - why would I eat something made by them?

A better alternative might be a packaged chocolate that can be saved for later (and doesn't have possible student cooties). We usually give gift cards or buy something for the classroom.

My wife is a teacher..... Homemade goods get pitched every time. 

Gift cards are the best no doubt.  I'm always amazed at the weird things she brings home....

hmm,  you are on a non-consumerist, financial "frugal" blog.   so why gross?  We all buy items from the thrift store, and reuse of one item into another should be applauded.

If it was because it was visibly soiled, or dirty, maybe, but you would have said that, I think.  Otherwise, the worst you can say is "unfashionable"...  Maybe it would have good reuse as a floor mop pad?   At least no money was spent on something large and tacky like another coffee cup...

[justajane]

One time a Mom gave her a home made scarf made from her old torn up T-shirts.  Gross.

Regarding homemade goods for teachers, I wonder if they always get eaten or are sometimes pitched. First off, if every student gives them something, that's far more than one or two people can consume. Also I've read this exact sentiment before on a blog post: I see how poor the hygiene of some of my students are - why would I eat something made by them?

A better alternative might be a packaged chocolate that can be saved for later (and doesn't have possible student cooties). We usually give gift cards or buy something for the classroom.

My wife is a teacher..... Homemade goods get pitched every time. 

Gift cards are the best no doubt.  I'm always amazed at the weird things she brings home....

hmm,  you are on a non-consumerist, financial "frugal" blog.   so why gross?  We all buy items from the thrift store, and reuse of one item into another should be applauded.

If it was because it was visibly soiled, or dirty, maybe, but you would have said that, I think.  Otherwise, the worst you can say is "unfashionable"...  Maybe it would have good reuse as a floor mop pad?   At least no money was spent on something large and tacky like another coffee cup...

That would gross me out if I were a teacher. It assumes an intimacy and familiarity with the teacher that they don't have. By all means give such a thing to a relative or a best friend but not what is essentially an acquaintance at best. I think in general homemade gifts are tricky. I've gotten tons of knitted and lovingly made scarves, and I wear none of them. They're just not my style. I prefer one type of style of scarf and that's it.

I guess you can give homemade things to people, but only do so if no strings are attached and you are comfortable with it languishing in the closet or immediately given to the thrift store.

And yes, I think the worst things you could give to teachers would be mugs or Christmas ornaments and the aforementioned homemade edibles. This year we asked the teachers for suggestions for things to buy for the class. They might prefer gift cards, but my son's preschool class has six (!!!) teachers, and I wasn't about to give a $15 gift card to each. We bought a $30 wooden toy for the room instead. I give daycare workers cash, but it seems strange to give the teachers at the elementary school cash like that.

[jo552006]

"If you want something nice and will use it a LOT, and can afford it, I'd just get it. My shearling slippers are used 6 months a year and I was not going to wait for my husband and/or parents to divine that I'd use them, and I wore through other cheaper slippers that were less warm first. Uggs are not great for the quality, though, I'd get these. And they're warrantied forever:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/search/?freeText=wicked+good+slippers+women&init=1&sort_field=Relevance"

(I don't really know how to quote)

I bought these with a gift card my mom gave me for my birthday!  They are great.  I'd like to point out though, that while these are warrantied forever, people often equate that with "lifetime free replacements".  One of the many reasons why LLBean's prices are so high is because people often abuse their warranty policy.  The items they sell are warrantied for "factory defects" and come with guaranteed "customer satisfaction" but a lot of people read this as "the last xxx I will ever need to buy" which isn't the case.  To be clear, I am not trying to imply anything, just clarify as to what warrantied forever means.  I have personally seen LLBean's warranty & satisfaction guarantee abused on many occasions.  You SHOULD expect a good quality product (not necessarily made in USA anymore) that will perform it's function well.  You should expect it will never have "factory defects" and that you will be satisfied with the product's performance.  You shouldn't expect it to literally last forever. (I do not believe the OP was trying to imply this)