There was a time when everyone in my immediate family received at least one present.
Close friends were also treated to an impulse purchase or something they've had on their list for weeks. The winter holidays would leave me broke but I didn't mind as long as I had at least one thing to pass along to everyone. Even as a student, funds were set aside to cover the Christmas shopping no matter how tight it was.
That all came to an abrupt end years ago and I've never looked back - and nor should you.
Get Charlotte Tilbury's £27 Pillow Talk lipstick for £7 in huge Christmas deal
Marks & Spencer's 'elasticated waist' polka dot dress is 'perfect for the festive season'
The person who received the most was always my mother. Typically a bag load of gifts every year varying in genre, price and scale. Whether it was clothes, trinkets or even a holiday to Poland, she was the one I never cared how much I'd spent on. Everyone else in the family received gifts out of obligation and friends were always fun, silly little items.
No matter the reason or what was handed over, it cost hundreds every year - sometimes a few thousand. Although it's nice to receive and even nicer to give, it's an incredibly difficult annual task to maintain. A few years ago I simply couldn't do it anymore and told everyone as such.
There wasn't a fight back, rather a general, "Don't worry about it at all, you don't need to buy anything." I sighed in relief but promised we'd "do" something instead. My friends and I got together for what was the first of an annual Christmas dinner at a restaurant followed by drinks that evening, resulting in dancing through the night.
As a Liverpool resident with family in Ireland, I make the annual leap to visit and do the same
Read on liverpoolecho.co.uk