Well, you should first consider the financial status of the friend or relative in question. Do they earn very little wage? If yes, then no wonder they won't be able to buy a gift for you. If they earn well and they did not buy you a gift, then maybe they are just plain cheap to begin with or they forgot to give you a gift due to their busy schedules.
This is a question very easy to solve (at least for me)... If there is no reciprocity, nothing (I mean, nothing! even to the material issues) works. There is no reason to buy gifts for those who don't buy them for me. It has to function as a two-way street.
If I feel like giving someone a gift, I just do it. It doesn't matter if they would give me a gift in return. It gives me lots of joy and pleasure when I give something to someone and they are pleased to receive it. That alone will be satisfactory to me so whether I get a gift or not it's okay.
I know you should never give to receive but when someone stops buying me gifts I take it they feel we either have lost contact to the point that the gift has become just a habit or the person cannot afford it any more and would prefer it if we didn't exchange gifts any more. I have a good friend and we used to buy gifts for each other's children when they were small but now the kids are grown and doing their own thing we just buy for each other. We discussed it and were both quite happy with the arrangement.
I've learned that life is a lot easier if I just give gifts to children. When I used to give gifts to friends or co-workers on special occasions like Christmas, they'd feel uncomfortable if they can't return the gesture. They would feel pressured to give back but can't because they have a tight budget and they'd end up not appreciating my gift. Nowadays, I only give gifts to older relatives and children and to friends on occasions like wedding or christening and I don't expect them to give me gifts in return. My siblings and I don't exchange gifts at all, but we exchange I love yous and that's the best gift I always want to receive from them.
I feel that there must be some kind of reciprocation when we give gifts to others. Usually, I only gift to my very close friends whom I know would like and appreciate the gesture and would return it when time came. And usually they do! But there are some who not only not return the gesture, but also do not show pleasure on receiving the gift. They are not really hard up on cash or anything like that, I know some of them earn much more than I do. But it is not in their natures at all to give to others. So I have stopped giving them anything. I just buy presents for my niece and children of my close friends.
Well that really seems to defeat the purpose, but I guess there is more joy in giving than receiving, right? I am still not sure that I believe in that one all the way, but I get the spirit of it.
I don't mind if I don't receive gifts from Christmas from the people I buy gifts for, but I do mind when I am always invited to people birthdays and I always buy them gifts and when is my birthday they call me to say a happy birthday and that is all, they never buy me a gift. I hate this kind of people, they are that kind of people who call you only when they need you!
If it is more about the giving but receiving why I always have a feeling that some people are bragging how much they got that year. There was a time when I actively sending Christmas cards, an each year I sent cards to everybody just to find out how nobody returned a favor. It doesn't feel very nice, and I can imagine what kind of a feeling must be to buy an actual presents and not get anything in return.
I am a big fan of the holidays and everything that makes them merry.These includes gifts.I have however not had such a problem in the past regarding presents.During Christmas especially, my efforts at deciding on appropriate gifts are only extended to family and close blood bonds that is.Apart from them my close friends also feature in this bracket.I only give gifts to people I know well because I know what they would like.They also reciprocate and it's actually fun to compete amongst ourselves to see who got the other a better gift.I mostly do this with my buddies because we all have egos the size of Mt. Everest.Of course there are other family members who feel left out but it is better to have a small circle of loved ones that you can manage than blow off all your money for nothing don't you agree?
I usually give gifts to my family for their birthdays, Christmas or for every occasion whenever I have money and as for my friends, they know that I'm so thrifty and they will absolutely understand if I don't even give them something for their birthday or for Christmas. Whenever I give some gifts I honestly don't expect anything in return. I give because I want to, I give because they mean a lot to me and it came from the bottom of my heart. I don't want them to feel that they need to give me something in return that they are required to do that.
I concentrate my effort to the Christmas, and sometimes the New Year. I am not such a big fan of anything else. I like to buy the gifts, but my passion are the postcards. First, thy don't cost much, everybody can send it and you can get really creative with them. Unfortunately, I received zero feedback from my family and blood relatives, probably because they are more oriented to the dinners and showing off. I am not fan of either.
After what happen this year..I will not be buying gifts for any adults...Christmas is a time to show how much you care and love one another. Receiving a gift and not give back is just wrong.
If you arae in the capacity of purchasing for someone a christmas gift, just go ahead and do it. You may think someonehas refused to buy for you a ift but in te real sence, hemay not have any money to do so. Other people however, do not regard gifts so much and therefore, theyb dont see any maning in buying for anyone the gifts. Some may not even know where the gifts are sold!
