When I had my family, they are all late now, we never expected gifts. My parents might gift me at Xmas, or might not. It depended on the financial climate. What was more important were the day-to-day living issues. For example, I helped support my elderly parents for 10 years. They would help me out of a financial issue or whatever years and years ago, if really bad.
I certainly did not gift friends, unless they were super special and never extended family. This was an accepted thing for ‘us’ and many of us were cash-strapped. Christmas was seen as a kids thing and kids get gifts.
Oftentimes just making a meal and extending your love and good wishes cost money time and effort. (Whether you like it or not).
My SO is very much caught in a trade-off gift situation, where his family (extended) and parents expect gifts and return crappy gifts that most times I don’t want and end up being given to charity or dumped. I find it stressful as we are battling financially. Last year my partner and I did not exchange gifts as we decided the family and extended family were to receive gifts instead.
I’m not a big Xmas person feeling it can be a farce in many ways, but there is something magical about a tree with gifts under it!! So, there is a time and a place for it I suppose.
No I don’t expect a gift from my child at all, he’s 36.