Christmas Gift "Rules"

I don't know about you, but I have such a hard time knowing when Christmas shopping is over.

How much is "enough", not that gifts are what it is all about, but Christmas is a time that I like to splurge and get things for people that they honestly need or would really use.

{and by need - I do mean need, my brothers get nice body wash, shampoo and a shower loofa from me every year in addition to whatever else we get them!}

So what's the magic number that says "okay, you're done shopping for that person".

Then, to make it even more complicated, I got married.

And of course I love buying things for my husband.

Last year I did a better job of purchasing Christmas gifts throughout the year (something I'm now wishing I had done this year), so by the time Christmas came, it looked like Santa's bag had thrown up under our tree!

Since both Johns' and my birthday and our anniversary fall in January, having an overly extravagant Christmas can be very costly and painful in the following month. 

I think we have agreed on a solution to our problem! Pinterest (and our friend Sonya) have saved the day!

I was bumming around on Pinterest and John saw me pinning this.

We talked about how we really liked a variation of this idea for when we have children one day.

Then, I was dropping something off at Sonyas house and she was telling me about their Christmas gifts for the kiddos and her ideas fell right into place with what we had just been talking about.

For our family, we've decided that our Christmas Gift "rules" will be

I want...

I need...

I'll wear...

& $15 each in stocking stuffers

Okay, so it isn't nearly as cute and the socking stuffers totally ruins the rhyme, but I think it's quite effective!

We decided on a budget that each of us will spend on our "big ticket" item for each other, and it can fit into the Want, Need or Wear category based on that years Wishlist. Then for the rest of it, we set a general monetary guideline.

I guess in some ways it takes the surprise out of it all, but I think it makes my life so much easier!

As kids we both received pajamas on Christmas Eve every year, we think we'll add that in once we have kiddos to shop for as well.

Do you have a Gift "Rule"? How do you manage to keep Christmas shopping under control?