At least four local families don't think their Christmas giving will be dampened by the recession.
But Tony Ellis, a dairy farmer in Otego, said ``measly'' milk prices have put him more on the receiving end than the giving end of the season.
``With the economy the way it is, we're not going to be doing a lot,'' he said this week.
The recession started in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. In recent months, some economic experts have pointed to signs they think indicate the recession may be ending. Others said depressed spending could persist for several years amid stubbornly high levels of unemployment, which is now at 10.2 percent, the highest in 26 years, The Associated Press reported.
Locally, several residents said they plan Christmas gift exchanges as usual, though presents may be homemade, based on need or purchased on discounts.
With holiday sales accounting for up
to 40 percent of many retailers' annual sales, analysts will be studying receipts to see
how deal-driven shoppers are and whether
See SHOPPING on Page A4
they're leaning toward small-ticket items, the AP said. Consumer behavior during the holidays and beyond will be key to how strongly the economy rebounds from the worst recession since the 1930s.
Recently, 93 percent of consumers surveyed say they will spend less or about the same as last year, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. The poll involved interviews with 1,006 adults and was conducted Nov. 5 to 9. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
A survey released Monday of 5,000 U.S. households conducted by The Conference Board, a private research group, found that families plan to spend $390 on Christmas gifts this season, down from last year's $418.
This week, some area residents shared expectations about this year's visit by Santa Claus and gift-giving:
Ronald Wamsley, firefighter, Oneonta
Ronald Wamsley will reach his 10th anniversary as an Oneonta firefighter on Christmas Eve. But this year, he isn't scheduled to work that night.
To prepare for Christmas, Wamsley said he and his wife, Marisa, will make their traditional shopping trip to Binghamton, using wish lists from their four boys _ Dakotah Smith, 13, Cody, 11, Jordan, 7, and Aiden, 5 months. They also give gifts to eight nieces and nephews.
Wamsley said money he earned as a soccer referee will go toward Christmas gifts. He didn't referee as many games this year as he typically did other years, he said, and his wife cut back her work hours because Aiden was born.
Wamsley said the gift budget this year probably will be less than the typical $900 to $1,000. To make the adjustment, the gift list, which might include books and computer games and some toys, is being shared more with in-laws, he said. But the recession won't have a negative impact on Christmas.
``It's going to be good,'' he said.
Jane Brown, restaurant manager, Davenport Center
With seven children, 15 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, Jane Brown has a long Christmas gift list.
The recession isn't curtailing her gift-giving, she said, because she has been working on it all year. Each January, she starts finding gifts for relatives, then wraps them and keeps track of her progress on a paper pad. Brown, a seamstress, makes many gifts for the children. She estimated her budget at about $2,000 for gifts and supplies.
Brown, manager at Denny's Restaurant on Southside Oneonta, said this year she has taken four of the 50 names from the Angel Tree in the restaurant to make Christmas happier for some local children in need.
Tony Ellis, dairy farmer, Otego
Tony Ellis and his wife, Marie, have two sons: Christopher, 5, and Alexander, 3. Ellis said they started a 50-cow dairy farm about 31/2 years ago.
The family, in a tradition that includes Marie's relatives, creates a fund and identifies local groups or people as recipients, depending on needs, Ellis said. One year, $1,000 to $2,000 was given to another farm family that lost a barn in a fire, he said. Traditionally, relatives might exchange small gifts.
``We don't like to go out and buy each other big, expensive gifts as far as family members go,'' Ellis said.
The family usually discusses gift-giving over Thanksgiving, Ellis said. This year, the family received a Thanksgiving food basket from Opportunities for Otsego, a gift that will help feed the family for days, he said.
``I'm more on the receiving end than the giving end,'' he said. The recession and low prices for milk received by dairy farmers are putting economic pressure on the family, he said, but the commercialization of Christmas misses the mark.
``People forget what it's actually about,'' Ellis said. ``It means more for everyone to get together and share time with each other.''
Tracey Grippe, hairstylist, Unadilla
The recession isn't cramping Tracey Grippe's style of Christmas gift-giving.
Tracey Grippe, owner of Tina Marie Salon at 167 Main St. in Oneonta, said she saves money for gifts during the year. Usually she spends $30 to $45 for each of the 10 or 12 people on her list, she said.
``I don't go into debt for it _ I pay cash,'' Grippe said. Salon clients may have been in for fewer haircuts because of the recession, she said, but they haven't cut back on tips.
In addition to budgeting, Grippe said, she follows a tradition her mother set years ago of exchanging gifts on New Year's Day and taking advantage of post-Christmas discounts to buy presents. The sales are ``awesome,'' she said.
But key to Christmas is ``keeping loved ones close,'' Grippe said.
``It's just important to be with family,'' she said. ``I always look forward to Christmas. It will be good.''
Marlene Heath, office manager, Morris
Marlene Heath said she has tended toward giving practical gifts, such as flannel sheets and pajamas, over the years. But with the family grown, relatives have shifted toward giving each other gifts of their company and time to visit, she said.
The family provides gifts for children, she said, but the approach for adults is ``don't buy a gift just to buy a gift,'' said Heath, office manager for Child and Adolescent Healthcare Associates at FoxCare Center in Oneonta. She is one of five siblings, she said, and her grown daughters are starting their own households.
This year, relatives are collecting family recipes to publish in a cookbook and give to each other, she said. The family will gather at her brother's in Broadalbin.
``It's just a great time to get together with the whole family,'' she said, ``and share and laugh and have a good time.''
