It appears panic is taking hold in some quarters. So much stuff is sitting in containers waiting to be offloaded from ships and transported thither and yon - whatever is a consumer to do???
I’ve seen posts in various places suggesting one should shop at Etsy or local craft fairs or local businesses - keep your money local, support your neighbors’ businesses, etc. Good suggestions, to my mind.
I don’t see it affecting my family much, as we’re all adults, with the exception of my granddaughter, almost-arrived grandson, and my niece’s son. And all the kids have way too many toys anyway - the consensus seems to be books and money into college funds are this year’s gifts of choice.
Among the rest of us, we’ve pretty much gotten away from exchanging gifts since we all have all the stuff we want or need and no one likes shopping anyway. Instead, we do a goofy exchange. In the past, it’s been $10 gifts or white elephants, and this year, it’s Thrift Store Christmas. No dollar limit - the only rule is the item has to be easily carried in one’s car. It has the added bonus of supporting whatever charity your favorite thrift store is for, and no one’s feelings are going to be hurt if the gift is donated back - it’s really all about a silly game.
So to answer my question, no, my family’s holidays aren’t going to be impacted by the supply chain.
There are fewer of us this year than last (moved away, not died).
I’m hoping this supply chain thing will allow me to talk the remaining group into being cool like @FairyChatMom 's family.
We’re pretty much at the same point with the adults in our family and my kids. I have a 4-gift rule for my children anyway, which translates to one “big” gift and a few smaller gifts like stocking stuffers and books. My nephews, on the other hand, will be a different story. I could definitely see them thinking that their Christmas is ruined. My sister & BIL usually buy them so much every Christmas and throughout the year that their boys even at 10 and 6 tend to have a small mountain of toys each afterward. In addition to Christmas gifts, they often get a “prize” for not throwing a tantrum while they’re visiting (or they get something to keep them from throwing a tantrum). I can’t imagine that there aren’t duplicates sometimes.
Anyway, I don’t see reining that in as a negative - they tend to spend several thousand dollars on Christmas alone. I try not to judge, but I’m not very good at it.
With regard to the adults, we’re all there for the food & company. Usually we have a no-gift or under-$25 policy, so the largest thing I’m likely to get is a cookbook, which is fine by me. I don’t need more stuff.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before:
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store?
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?
Last year, many of us had our holidays “ruined” because COVID prevented us from getting together with the people we would normally have spent time with.
This. Though I have young nieces and nephews, their holidays won’t be ruined if they only get half the toys, and for the rest of us the gifts are not the point. There better not be a shortage of pork rib roasts though …
We have little kids, but we’re just planning to order stuff early. There’s still toys on the rack at the stores, and my kids are not yet old enough (and are exposed to very little advertising) that there’s not yet a specific need-to-have branded toy that will make or break Christmas morning.
Oh, same here. I didn’t get to see my nephews or sister, and my mom was diagnosed with cancer, Christmas was really just spent helping her recover from surgery and prepare for radiation. 'Twas indeed shit-tastic and we didn’t go all out with the food because she essentially had her throat and tongue taken out, reassembled and put back. It wasn’t exactly conducive to eating large quantities of food. But I was absolutely grateful for what I got. And even absent a pandemic, that would’ve been enough for me. I lost too many friends last year and was thankful not to lose her, too.
No, not for us. My wife and I don’t generally exchange gifts, and we were talking about getting some things for the house this year. If we can’t find what we want until Jan or Feb, it won’t be a big deal. My son is just aging into maybe being able to understand Christmas, though I imagine he won’t really anticipate it until next year. We’ll try to find a fun set of duplos or something for him.
I know what you meant, but I can’t shake the image that your grandson is packed away on a container ship anchored off the Port of Long Beach, somewhere.
We’ve already purchased a few hundred dollars worth of stuff for the kids. Enough that we could pull it off with what we have, or maybe add a few more things if they’re available. Last year’s birthdays were a lot more stressful because they were just getting into “big boy” bikes. Nobody wants to be stuck with a tricycle when their peers are starting to ride without training wheels.
Nope. I’m single with no kids. My niece and nephew are in their 40s and live in different states. I buy a little something for my sister, and a few nice prezzies for my BFF. I’m probably having shoulder surgery soon so will be doing shopping online from local bookstores, etsy, etc.
I collect gifts during the year. To avoid big delivery delays this year, I’ve set a few items ahead or hand-delivered them. Much of the family is requesting gift cards. My lovely wife and I have ordered our holiday cards from Etsy and will give each other gift cards and a small present.
