Ahh the holidays are coming up and I can see i'm not alone here in dreading them. But this year hubby is finally onboard with a Christmas budget. Each child (SD18, SS15, and my three little nieces) gets $50. The little ones will get gifts to open, the older SK's will get cash. I have been working on our budget for almost a year and have finally got it to where we are ok (not great but ok). Last year we could not afford to get anyone anything and boy oh boy did SD throw a tantrum. She wanted presents in the worst way. When we listed out all the things she has (iphone, ipad, two computers, trips to the beach twice, college paid for, etc, etc, etc) she just rolled her eyes so we asked her what she needed, and she said we could pay her car insurance - BWAH HAHA HA. This is the same child that I had to give $5 to, to buy her dad a fathers day card the year before, who I did birthday parties for yet ignored my birthday. Oh she cried and whined but we stuck to our guns (we had no choice, no money means no money). She told us her gram thought we were mean, etc. Anyway, I have now detached from her and her brother as well as DH's family but since his mother doesn't know that I know about the things she said behind my back, I'm sure she will be fake and send me a gift (usually money). If she does, how to i politely return it? Especially if it's money? They live locally but have never come to visit us and have stated that if we want to see them we must go to their home but DH and I have both agreed to having Thanksgiving and Christmas at our home this year so most likely we won't be seeing them and the gift will be passed onto me. Usually it's cash (if it was a check I would just tear it up). Do i hand it to stepdaughter to keep, do I return it with a note "thanks but no thanks"?

Even though $50 isn't much I absolutely dread giving it to my SS15 as he has wanted nothing to do with us for years now. My hard earned money going to a punk but at least he can never say we never gave him anything.

Thanks DH's family for making me dread the holidays