Ever get tired of christmas shopping & How much do you spend?

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With all of the job lay offs and rising prices on a few select items and services, and people cutting back on their spending, will it affect how you spend money on christmas this year? I know that I've been trying to save every penny that I have for the last couple of months. I'm not trying to sound like a scrooge, but I don't really care for the whole gift giving thing like I used to. To me it's more for the kids. The only thing important to me on christmas is that my family is alive and well. There's nothing wrong with presents. I usually by gifts for certain people every year anyway, since it is a tradition. But I'm at the point that I really don't need or want anything. I know my parents are going to ge me cologne every year, which is all that I really need, But it's something that I can buy myslef. I never know what to get someone, and it defeats the whole purpose to ask people what they want for christmas and then buying it for them. I go christmas shopping with a buddy of mine every year. His philosophy is that he doesn't want to spend too much money, but then at the same time it's only one time out of the year. I look at the people that he shops for, and I wonder what the hell he's doing. He has his select group of women that he deals with that he shops for. To me if it's not someone you are dating or your girlfriend, you shouldn't be wasting your time tryng to get gifts for all of them. Then there is his mother. His parents are divorced and it's just the 2 of them. I guess I'm used to my parents telling me that I don't have to spend much on gifts. But my pal spends a ton of money on his mother every year, including birthday gifts. We 'went to a coat store one year and he was trying to figure out if he was going to get this wool coat for her. Then he's trying to figure out what else he's gonna get, and he has to get a card, plus he has to do shopping for other people. I told him "it's just your mother, our parents don't expect theur children to spend a ton of money on them every year". It kills me to see the amount of time and money he spends on gifts. Then I stopped by his mothers last year for christmas dinner, and I watched them exchange gifts. I was a little surprised by the amount of money that the 3 of them spend on each other. They spent at least $500 or more on the 2 of them. It's almost like they compete to see who spends more money on each other. But like I said it's just the 2 of them, so I guess I understand, but it's a little crazy to see adult family members go broke shopping for eac other on christmas. I don't hink there's anything wrong with it, but when you are getting gifts for other people as well, it has to take a big hit on you financially. I mean all that money being spennt on your mother is one thing, but then you are buying gifts for several other so called women that you may or may not be dating in the future every year is stupid. When it comes to my friend and his mom, it seems like they are veri high maintenece people when it comes to gifts. But at the same time his mother works for one of those companies where she recieves a $8,000 bonus check/christmas gift from her boss. So she has the luxury of spending money like that.