Sitting out the season: A record number of Americans say they won't be buying holiday gifts this yea

[Klaralven]

Predictions for holiday retail sales are rosy, with the National Retail Federation calling for record gains of 8.5% to 10.5% from year-ago levels.

But a record-high amount of people, or 11.5% of Americans, aren’t buying any gifts this holiday season, according to a survey by Deloitte.

Wealthy consumers are planning to spend more, which will mask the fact that many others are sitting out the season.

Higher-income households in the U.S. plan to spend five-times that of lower-income households this holiday season, said Deloitte.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/25/holiday-shopping-2021-more-americans-wont-be-buying-holiday-gifts-this-year.html

[Deuxcents]

1. We'll.. I'm in the middle..

I only exchange gifts with a few.. birthdays, yes. This year only my sister n bil. I’ve requested no gifts as I’m not playing this year. I make no excuses.. it has just gotten out of hand with the marketing, stress n other crap over the years. After almost 2 years of Covid.. all
I want is time to enjoy my friends n family. My bil has recovered from quadruple heart bypass surgery n my sister is my best friend. That’s it. I’m happier this way.

[PortTack]

2. Agree.. time with family and friends. Gifts...not so much

[ampm]

10. Christmas

simple homemade nothing over 10 dollars. It's been that way for years.

[Luciferous]

3. My teenager wanted a gaming computer. Besides a small gift for my niece and a gift card for

my adult child, that's all we're buying.

[elleng]

4. Same as usual for me, BOOKS for kids @ Hanukkah,

which is coming up SUNDAY!

(Shopping done, some wrapping TO BE done.)

[QED]

5. Not much for me

A small gift of dog toys for the custodian who cleans my classroom.

A couple of books for my niece. She gets so much it's obscene.

I may or may not send out cards. Just not in the mood right now. It's been a very difficult year so far.

[Skittles]

6. I only buy for Toys for Tots

yes indeed

[EYESORE 9001]

7. The war on Christmas has reached an inflection point

Muahahaha!

[Freddie]

8. I have 3 grandchildren

And I just found out today that next year there will be 4! My son and wife are expecting their first. We’re all thrilled. Anyway, this Santa is generous with little ones and pets. Grownups, meh.

[Ron Green]

9. We can all do our part to reduce consumerism and to

reverse economic growth.

[Mr.Bill]

11. Whatever the condition of the economy,

historically there have always been the very rich and the very poor. They sold a lot of Desenbergs and Packards during the depression.

[KentuckyWoman]

15. On the flip side

My grandpa paid the mortgage off early during the depression. To be fair, I believe he had a few stills hidden about ....

[mike_c]

12. we stopped doing christmas years ago

Once the kids are gone, it just becomes something else to stress about. It's been at least 20 years since we've done anything at all to celebrate christmas.

[kimbutgar]

13. My husbands family are not exchanging Xmas gifts this year

So we only have to buy for his mother.

[KentuckyWoman]

14. My family has been skipping gifts for a while.

Our extended family spends the year looking for ways to help others and then we share the "gift" at Christmas / New Year. Last year my favorite was an 8 yr old in the family who has been secretly walking the paper from the end of the drive up to the front door every day for an older man who uses a walker. She said she felt stupid because it was September before she realized he can't bend down very good. She finally knocked on his door and told him it was her doing it. She gave him a bag he could hang on the door knob between doors and she would slip it in there so he could just take it off every day.

She said what made her want to do it was because one of the girls at school buried her grandpa, who fell out in the driveway and she noticed this man with his walker. She didn't want someone else to lose their grandpa.

Now I ask you, how can you not love that child....

And yes, I'm bragging... just a little.

[eppur_se_muova]

16. We're all so hard to buy for we pretty much give ourselves gifts.

No insincere "oh it's just what I wanted, do you have the receipt". We know what we want better than anyone, so let's just get it for ourselves.

[Talitha]

17. My famly collectively agreed to stop the Christmas 'obligation' decades ago.

When we see something we know someone would like (no matter what time of year it is) we buy it and give it to them.

Live like there's no tomorrow.

You never know.

[Raine]

18. We have way too much stuff so we quit gift giving

if I want or need something I buy it myself whenever.

[shrike3]

19. We haven't bought gifts in years.

We did a lot when there were little children in the family. But now that everybody's grown. Dh and I do not exchange gifts. If we need or want something we buy it. One grandson is getting married. If they have little ones, the gift-giving will start again.

[TheBlackAdder]

20. I'm trying to get rid of shit in the house.