I will probably spend a little more on family this Xmas as my daughter wants a new game system and I am amenable to buying one for her. I will likely have to fight with my wife over this as she generally thinks the cost of the wrapping paper given is too much to spend, much less the present inside. This is a battle every Xmas and birthday and I am already dreading the energy that will be spent on this, I would guess she is trying to get me to die early so she can do what she wants with my money.
My previous job had a Salvation Army gift tree at work and I used to spend quite a bit on that, usually would do 5-6 stars per Xmas. Would mix it up with the younger kids asking mostly for toys and teens usually asking for clothes that fit. One year I was pretty upset because a small child had asked for a specific toy that didn't seem to be made anymore, would guess they played with one at daycare and wanted one for home...I bought the closest thing I could find and included a small note explaining my difficulty in finding the toy that was requested. I just realized that my charitable giving was pretty low last Xmas without a tree at the new job and I should probably find another way to help those who are less fortunate.
