Anxiety with buying presents

Yes. Oh my gosh. Yes. This is so me. What am I supposed to buy people? Secret Santa is so silly, because I don't know what other people want. Amazon is the worst because there is so much stuff on there and it is hard to find anything that would actually be a good present.

Yep I hate buying presents too, as well as receiving them. I have 3 teens, a 6yo and 6 adults to give presents to. I've decided to make them fidget toys and phone stands, using scrap wood and a Dremel, and give the under 18's gift vouchers. I'm especially short of money this year so only the kids can have money spent on them. I'll probably make my sister and her kids cookies/snacks as well. Fortunately my sister shares my thoughts on home made gifts being more 'emotionally valuable ' but then when we were kids we made presents for everyone, it was our family norm.  

As for your secret Santa, a key ring phone stand sounds like a fairly safe gift and shouldn't be expensive. 

Making your own gifts is cool. Do you do that every year? I might look at doing something like that for my mother and sisters and little brother. I'm not very creative though but maybe I can do something. Something homemade might be more meaningful.

I wish they would get rid of secret Santa at school. I find it adds to the stress of school and Christmas.

I find Amazon and ebay massively overwhelming. There's so much selection and then I worry about the price in case I'm going too cheap or that it's too expensive. It's hard finding that middle ground.

I have to be honest I've been terrible about gifts for a few years and just sent money, I thought the kids would know what they wanted better than me. But one of them said they would like gifts so I thought a little something would be appropriate. 

I try very hard to make things, I can't draw at all but can manipulate images to create my own creations. My hand eye coordination is appalling so the first aid kit is out ready for me and the Dremel. I made a fidget cube as a test and my friend pinched it so I guess it's good lol. It has different textures on each side. Tried to post a photo but the website isn't playing nice 

I'm considerably older than you Bees, so feel free to dismiss anything that doesn't seem applicable to you.

With close family members, unless I'm fairly confident they will like the gift(s) I plan to give them, I will make a point of asking them what they would like. For example, my son usually asks for clothes, which I tend to order online. During the run-up to Christmas, I'll get him to choose a selection, and then I'll order one or two items from that list.

For Christmas this year, I asked my mother if she would like a hooded blanket. Why? Because she has osteoarthritis and isn't as physically active as she used to be, and often complains of feeling cold. 

Homemade biscuits and chocolates are always a hit in my family, although it's admittedly been a few years since I last made any.

Gift cards are another option, although I find it helps if one knows that the gift card is for a retailer the recipient uses. During recent years, I've been on the receiving end of Amazon gift vouchers from relatives. They're wasted on me because I don't use Amazon. Fortunately, there are now e-commerce websites such as Cardyard (UK-based) where one can sell unwanted gift cards and gift vouchers.

As for Secret Santa, that is something I have no experience of. 

Well, usually I buy presents for Christmas way ahead - mainly because I want to do it all online so I don't have to... shop in person

I hate that. I'm late this year, just too busy trying to adjust to having a job again, haven't got round to it. 

I don't have many to buy for, now, my brother and his family. Still, individual gifts for 5 nieces takes some doing! 

Weekends come and go - and I still haven't bought anything! 

The closer I get to Christmas the more I start to worry about it. I am lucky that my family asks what everyone wants, but recently that adds to the worry of having to think what to ask for. 

My wife is a different story. Her birthday is next week which is too close to Christmas for my liking as I use up all my good present ideas and have to repeat the process a few weeks later. 

Secret Santa I've done a couple times in the past. You have to know the person really well and any allergies/intolerances. I've got to be careful with coconut as had a bad reaction.

Only giving two Christmas presents to my family members. I look in charity shops and indoor car boot sale. I'd tried to give out some advice to now former friend about budgeting and ignored me. I'd set myself a budget between £1 and £6. Christmas cards only sending three this year. Hope this helps you.️

Bzzz! Hello from one hive to another lol.

My easy solution for hard-to-buy-for people is take the budget you'd alot to spending on them, withdraw it from an ATM, put it in a xmas card, and give it to them. It's not a classic "present" but it's not a kick in the *rse either. Nobody in their right mind hates receiving cash, you have thought of them enough to give them something and they can buy what they want with it. Problem solved. :)