Here is how you know who to buy Christmas gifts for: First, make a list of all your friends and relatives. Second, prioritize the list. Put the most important people at the top and work down to the least important people in your life. How important they are depends on how much you love them and how often you see them.
Put a check mark next to the names of people you are definitely going to see at Christmastime this year. If you are not sure who you will see, then ask your parents or your spouse or whoever keeps your social calendar. Ask the host or hostess of any family get togethers you will be attending who will be there and if gifts will be exchanged or not. Of course check off the friends and relatives you are planning to visit.
Call, text or email the people you checked. Ask them if they will be bringing their sons, daughters, stepkids, boyfriends, girlfriends or whoever to the Christmas party you will see them at. Get the names of whoever they are bringing along to any parties you will be attending. If there will be presents exchanged at these parties, then write these names down on your list, next to your checked person who is bringing the guests.
OK, so now you have a list of 1) all the important friends and relatives in your life, 2) all the people you are going to see at Christmas time gift-giving parties, and 3) all the guests of the people you are going to see at Christmas time gift-giving parties.
The next step is to examine your budget for Christmas presents. Yes, I said budget. All this means is the amount of money you can afford to spend on presents this year. If your family gives each other expensive presents then you probably need to set most of your budget aside to satisfy that expectation.
If you are rich then go ahead and give gifts to everyone on your list. What the heck! If you have limited finances like most of us, then you need to draw a line on your list, based on your budget. Everyone above the line gets a gift. Maybe you can make or buy little token gifts for the people on your list that are below your budget line. Homemade candy, cookies or cards are traditional token gifts at Christmas time.