SO and I have never received a gift from SD30, and it's been 26 years that I have been a part of things. 

Dh's kids were famous for showing up with no gifts. It was a rare ocassion. I remember one Christmas she gave DH and me a Movie Pass card. Meant for one person. LOL 

Other than a Christian CD (band I never heard of) and some napkin rings, I don't remember getting anything else. It was always us providing the wonderful gifts under the tree.

SS once gave DH a bag of licorice. He was only about 14, and DH was pretty sure BM gave him the idea because DH gave her a bag of licorice on some occasion after finding out she was cheating on him.  He does like licorice anyway. 

My dd 17 got us a candle and a room spray... which i cannot smell due to covid, i feel AWFUL.  But i guarantee sd didn't buy us anything

Amazing enough YSD15 did pretty well this year. DH was a bit flummoxed by one of her home-made gifts (we can use it each Xmas though so I'll save it for him). She broke one thing already by taking it completely apart but no worry.

We're just relaxing now and waiting for the storm to come in.

I think I was able to instill a flicker of enjoyment for gift giving in YSD, but OSD is quite narcissistic. She doesn't derive pleasure from doing for others, so things like entertaining or gift giving are done in an uninspired, perfunctory manner. She's all about the getting, not the giving.

By far the worst and best gifts were the ones DH and I received the last Christmas we spent with OSD. The one we hosted and spent a fortune on. The one where OSD's family of eight ate the most, drank the most, received the most, and gave the least. The grandkids gave us dollar store purchases - a small nylon scarf and a tacky Merry Christmas tie that was supposed to light up but didn't. Fine, they're little kids. But the clincher was OSD and her passive DH, who had drawn our names, gave us nothing in the adult gift exchange. Everyone one else in the room was opening gifts, exclaiming and admiring, while we sat there. I immediately understood we'd been played. We'd each asked for a donation to our favorite charity, knowing the organizations provide a printable certificate and notification mailed to the recipient. OSD, who doesn't have a charitable bone in her body, would have known this IF she'd actually made a donation. It hurt, and further validated how little regard OSD had for us.

I wish I could say I spoke up and exposed her scam, but I didn't. Didn't have the guts, didn't know what to say, and didn't want to mar the celebration. But something inside me shifted. I knew I was done trying with that selfish, stunted woman. That was the last Christmas we spent with her, so in a way her cr@ppy sneakiness was a great gift because it gave me permission to drop the rope for good.

Gosh, I wish I could play but SD30 has never given either of us a gift, ever.

Although ss is only 12, so we don't expect gifts. He can't even be bothered to say happy birthday or Christmas even when prompted. So I doubt dh will ever get gifts 

If we're limiting this to Christmas gifts only, then from SD24 Bratty McBratFace:

To me: A wine tasting for one person 

To SO: a machine to transfer 8-track tapes to CDs.  SO owns zero 8-track cassettes nor do I.

Non Christmas - she once gave SO a case of water.  She once gave me a $5 gift certificate to REI from free rewards points.  And she told me it was from free rewards points.

Fun times.

OSD gave DH coffee mugs. I just acted like she gave them to both of us and raved on and on about how wonderful they are and how much we will enjoy using the mugs ... Poor thing was probably so baffled that I thought they were a gift to us rather than acting jealous and left out like she would do if the shoe were on the other foot. 

I've been with DH for 6 and a half years and so far we got nothing. We are seeing OSD tonight so maybe she'll bring  something. Who knows. My YSD is perpetually broke so that's that. And OSD is in and out of our lives, she is in for now so maybe they'll be improvement. She and SGD carved us pumpkin on Halloween so that was nice. 

update: OSD got us very nice gifts. Not sure what's up. Good stuff doesn't last with her. Hope for the best 

This isn't a gift from a skid but SS17 told me he really wanted this video game for Christmas. Multiple times he said "I really want X for Christmas, i hope you get it for me!" I went to GameStop and got it. 

We were at my parents' opening gifts last night and when he opens it, he says "Meh, I already have this game." I told him that I got him exactly what he asked for, and he said "Oh, there's a new one coming out." When I told him the GameStop staff didn't mention multiple versions, he said "Oh, it won't be out for a while."

This is SS17, who i've been really close with for years. The court ordered "therapy" with his mom to try to get him to stay with her. They've been at it for a year, he still doesn't sleep there but apparently he can only like one of us. He's been slowly getting "colder" toward me since it started. 

Expected nothing, got nothing. 
 

SO didn't get anything either, though she did give money to her kids to buy their bio-father something. 

Sd15 got husband a fishing calendar (just for laughs) and me she got body butter. Which is really nice since she doesnt yet have a job and its from money she probably saved up from birthdays or whatever.

This is the first time, too, and Im 8.5 years in this. And she really enjoyed the giving so thats hopeful. I gave her a new comforter for her bed and a gift card. Totalling about $100.

Sd22, last Christmas, before yelling at me and demanding to be taken home, I had given her $100 bill. Then 4 months later I tried to reconcile and bought her presents send to her place of residence (Toxic trolls apartment) and had taken her out to lunch and then orchestrated a nice dinner with her and her dad. 4 months later shes texting me nasty texts, "you took my dad from me!" etc etc. As well as nasty texts to her father "you are just the sperm donor Clove took you away".

So, a few days ago, "merry christmas I love you dad" and "what is your jacket size? I have a present for you". Husband wisely had a small gift for her when SD15 was dropped off at our house. And mentioned it at Christmas, because according to SD15, Feral Forger Sd22 was crying "dad doesnt love me he didnt get me a present". She gave me nothing and she got nothing, from me, and no texts merry christmas either. I got her zero and my parents got her zero, and usually my mother has something thoughful for her.

Funny thing, no gift was dropped off with SD15 last night. And Husband tells me that he will give her a "benji" depending on how nice her gift is...lol. No gift, no "benji" and I doubt she has anything for him. And she works in a department store (macys) in the mens department (I snuck in and saw her at the cash register) so shes probably going to wait for things to go on sale. who knows and who cares?

But, that is our norm when we are across the globe from each other.  We sent him some token gifts.  We spent a few hours on the phone with him on Christmas day and we did TNBC with him the night before. My dad reads it to the whole family every Christmas Eve out of the book that mom and I dad  bought for me on my first Christmas.  57 years and counting for that books comand performance each year.    It has crayon scriblings all through it from my younger brother.  Something I point out to him every year.

We had a great time on the phone with SS and his SO.  They are happy, that makes us happy. The SO returns from deployment on Jan 9 so they are postponing Christmas until they are reunited.  

My particular Christmas gift thsi year on 25-Dec is a positive COVID self test.  I am scheduled for my PCR lab test today.

Anyway, no dama for us this year.  

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year STalkers.

SD gives thoughtful gifts. SS on the other hand... 

I can't decide which is the better of the bad: the year of the pancake batter ladle, or the year of the potholder. 

Wait... you all got gifts? *sorry2* lol. My SD never gets me gifts for birthday, christmas, etc. But always gets her dad something. well... BM gets them for her to give to him. This year SD had snapped me saying she was wrapping my christmas gifts, and then we get her late Christmas night and they were gifts for her dad. Every gift she opened from us, was a "Thanks dad!" but no thanks to me(I am the one who does all of the shopping, planning and wrapping). I don't care about receiving gifts, never expected it, but a thank you can go a long way. The joys of having a mini wife for an SD*dash1* 

So one year about 6 or 7 years ago, I received the perfume that BM wears from bath and body works.   I know that BM wore this scent because every time SD was with us shopping at Bath and Body she told us.  Now BM having been with my DH knows he has this scent smell thing going on, gave the perfume to SD so that I would wear it and remind DH of her.  

It backfired because I took it and donated it to charity.  I don't like the scent and was totally on to it!!!

SD15 got Husband and I something for Christmas this year!!!!

And Sd22 got something for dad. Dad gave her cash $100.00.

But I got a kitchen rehab including a new sink and new stove and new microwave. New tile and new flooring.

Every year me and hubby would holiday for a mini getaway demanded daddy take him and his sisters on holiday (alone, all expenses paid by daddy) and me and my 2 kids with hubby expected to be left at home (they were 1 & 2.5). That was our wedding anniversary present.

hubby went one further for that anniversary and told me from work to book our wedding anniversary weekend and tickets, accommodations for us and skids. 
 

oh did i lose my shit about that. I saw that as skids trying to shit all over our wedding anniversary celebrations so daddy could prove they are still is first and only real family.

They worked us in their schedule December 23 and came to our house for dinner. I made things I knew they ate (because in general it's junk food) I made broccoli casserole at hubby's request, homemade mac and cheese, honey baked ham, rolls, veggies and dip, jello-pretzel salad, oreo balls, corn casserole brought by DIL at hubbys request. Before they came SS took the family to Dairy Queen and they all had Blizzards before our dinner. We were leaving for my son's house the next day so I had all these 13x9 casserole size dishes barely touched to throw away, and the expensive ham.  DH said he was going to make them sit and wait to open packages until every last dish was washed! We got 2 gifts each I think. Mine was a stretch  bracelet and knit poncho that got picks in it the first time I wore it.  We spend a lot of time picking out nice gifts for them and we are just an obligation and not even treated polite enough to eat dinner. The visit lasted 2 hours and then they were out of there with all their loot. Every year I swear I won't get my feelings hurt but I do. Every year I say I won't try as hard, but I do.