Are you one of the 50 per cent of us who will be forgotten this Christmas?

What better way to spend Christmas day than with your family, sitting down to a lovely lunch filled with laughter and excitement as the time to exchange gifts approaches? With a sinking feeling you try to ignore the fact that your daughter or son-in-law has forgotten to get you anything, not even a card. It makes you think, when did I become someone to be forgotten?

If this has happened to you, you’re not alone. A study reveals that a staggering 51 per cent of mother-in-laws will be overlooked this Christmas with most not receiving a gift or even a season’s greeting from their son or daughters partner. A further 21 per cent of mother-in-laws will be given gifts that cost less than $42 which in today’s economy doesn’t stretch nearly as far as it used to.

It’s not that we expect much, as the report by Debenhams shows, most people care less about the cost of the gift and more about the thought behind it. Christmas should be about family and not the gifts but who says you can’t have both?

In Australia, a study found that 96 per cent of us celebrate Christmas on Christmas day and with 65 per cent agreeing that Christmas is a time to indulge loved ones. Fairfax Media reveals that only 52 per cent of people purchase gifts for “other family members”.

Have you ever found yourself being surrounded by your family at Christmas but somehow still over looked when it comes to gifts or even a simple season’s greeting? Does it secretly bother you or do you brush it off?