How to tell people you’re not buying them Christmas presents

There are all sorts of reasons why you might want to tell people you're buying them Christmas presents. Maybe you just can’t afford it any more in these difficult financial times. Maybe you don’t have the time to go searching for the right gifts for everyone. Maybe you can’t face the stress of crowded stores or complex online purchases, where you’re never quite sure if the gift will match the descriptions on the website. Or maybe you just think the whole crazy Christmas buying frenzy has got completely out of hand and it’s time we all took a step back and called a halt to the materialistic madness. Whatever the reason, you’re left with the tricky problem of letting your friends and family know that you’re not buying Christmas presents anymore and, of course, that you don’t want receive any either. This can be tricky as you don’t want to come across as a Scrooge, or as being mean and miserable with no festive spirit. So, how do you tell people you’re not buying Christmas presents?