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Do you still buy gifts for your siblings?

cfoster629
cfoster629 Posts: 10
edited December 2024 in Chit-Chat
Okay so my sisters birthday is coming up; our birthdays are 4 days apart but she e-mails me to tell me what I can buy her... really nice since she hasn't called or visited in months and we live 20 minutes away from each other.

I'm at the point where I don't really want to buy gifts for my siblings for birthdays OR Christmas... that is really the only time I hear from my sister is when she wants presents. I have kids and a family of my own, and money is tight; my brother and sister aren't married and don't have kids, so they don't have their "own" families to look after, if that makes any difference at all.

I want to know if most people at a point just say hey, we are too old for buying each other presents or if they just go with it.

Replies

  • Sockimobi
    Sockimobi Posts: 541
    I love my 3 brothers. I will always buy them gifts. Doesn't matter if they don't get me any though. I often tell them not to, one has 3 kids and the other doesn't have any money. But they don't ask for gifts either.

    Could you get her a token gift? Or get your children to make something for her? One of my favourite bday presents was just a photo of my niece with her shiny new little sister!
  • snoopytwins
    snoopytwins Posts: 1,759 Member
    Well, I would think it depends on the relationship with your sibling. My brother and I are very close and talk and see each other often. So we do buy gifts for holidays and such, and we also take each other to lunch and stuff. Or if I see something cool, I'll get it for him or my nephew, and my brother does the same for me and my kids. But that's our relationship. Yours with your sister doesn't sound that close. For extended family that does that...which I hate...I just give cards.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I still buy birthday and x-mas presents for my sisters, but we all live within easy driving distance and see each other regularly. I also keep them small so they won't feel the need to reciprocate since both of my sisters have families and I don't and thus they have more financial issues than I do.
  • mama2shi
    mama2shi Posts: 300 Member
    Wait, she emailed you to TELL you what to get her??? Wow.

    We don't buy each other anymore because there are so many children now that we concentrate on them for birthdays and Christmas rather than the adults. But if I did still buy for my sister, and received an email telling me what to buy for her, she wouldn't get squat. Sorry, but that is simply tacky.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    I don't buy birthday gifts for my siblings or parents, but do try to get them thoughtful Christmas gifts (thoughtful = something they will like, can use, will appreciate, but isn't super expensive). For my siblings in law, we've never done birthday gifts and discontinued Christmas gifts when it became an exchange of gift cards.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    We do... but then my husband and I are really close with our siblings and their spouses. They don't expect it from us nor do they go fishing for it... not really. Besides, I like to give gifts.

    However, I don't think if my siblings emailed me telling me what to get them, without me prompting it, that I would get them what they asked for... just to be contrary.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I'm the youngest of 6 kids, so when the older siblings starting getting married and multiplying (I was an aunt at 9 years old!), we switched to drawing names for holiday gift exchanges and not buying anything for birthdays.

    Now that we're all adults, I'll pick up something if one of them is having a birthday party - even if it's a bottle of wine - but I never show up for any kind of party empty handed anyway. And I get my youngest nieces and nephews something for Christmas because we don't have any kids of our own, and they'll be the ones picking out our nursing home when we're old! :laugh:
  • mustanggirl_2011
    mustanggirl_2011 Posts: 116 Member
    I have a very similar situation to you, we used to be pretty close to my husbands side of the family and do weekly dinners and gift giving for all the adults and kids but things changed people changed and now no one wants to do any of it. We went from seeing them once a week to being invited over to their new home (which is only 15 min away) once a year if that. The last time I mailed a card with $20 in it for my 2 yr old niece's b-day because we were not invited to her bday and all I got was a generic and lame thank you on facebook which annoyed me so now I do nothing.
  • DS67ATX
    DS67ATX Posts: 289
    Yes
  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
    I'm only 21 and my sis is 18 and we are close and we get each other gifts. (Oh and we live in different countries for 8 months of the year and we still manage to chat regularly.) So our situation is VERY different than yours.
    I don't know if I'd get your sis a gift, she doesn't seem like a good sis
  • beach_please
    beach_please Posts: 533 Member
    No. I have two older sisters. We don't exchange gifts anymore. At Christmas, we'll buy for each others kids. For birthdays, we will usually take the birthday girl out for drinks to celebrate but that's it.
  • Kitten2629
    Kitten2629 Posts: 1,358 Member
    Honestly no, but then again I live in a completely different state. As our own families have grown it's come to pretty much a general consensus just to buy for the children. Not the adults. Now if we are together sure.. I'll treat my siblings, parents, and what not, but otherwise. I spend the money on my nieces and nephews.
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
    It's different for my blood family and my in-laws.

    I send my blood sisters a Starbucks gift card for $25 and a card. They usually get me something random too. I don't care if they do or not but it's nice and fun. We also exchange simple gifts over Xmas.

    My husband doesn't exchange gifts with his sister/brother in law save for Xmas which is usually really simple. We do however come and celebrate the nephew's birthdays and give him something for his birthday and Xmas.

    Kind of ironic because I realized I give something to my mom and dad for Christmas and birthdays... My husband doesn't do my parent's birthdays but does Father's day/Mother's day. We do get them stuff for Christmas though.

    Kind of ironic haha.
  • mznisaelaine
    mznisaelaine Posts: 2,262 Member
    I suppose it depends on your relationship with your siblings

    I have only two bothers and yes they get gifts.. I give them gifts just because. And they do the same. But that's because we have a very very close relationship.

    So do what you feel you should do.
  • Il_DaniD_lI
    Il_DaniD_lI Posts: 1,593 Member
    I only buy for my favorite brother.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    Why don't you tell them "now that we're getting older, let's just skip gifts." That is what my family does, and it works great. You can always call and wish a happy birthday, but you don't have to stress about gifts.
  • cfoster629
    cfoster629 Posts: 10
    I think every family is different, even though we aren't super duper close, I'm glad that I have them in my life. I'm thinking I'm more annoyed at my sister than anything because she just expects it... and the e-mail demanding presents is a bit rude. I have a feeling I'll get her what she wants anyway. I'm such a push over!
  • nwhitley
    nwhitley Posts: 619
    Yes!! I only have 1 brother, who is 7 years younger than me and I LOVE him!!
This discussion has been closed.

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