Gift Overkill--advice, please

Life&Gwen

The inlaws always go overload with gifts for Christmas.  As in, we sheepishly asked for a futon or guest bed last year, we knew we were asking for a large gift ($300-$400) but we asked for it in August, since were about to move into our first house, and they wanted to give us a housewarming gift... we asked for it as a combo-housewarming/christmas gift. 

They got us a guest bed, and a new Wii and a giant flat screen television.  (still in box...) How do you express to your parents/in laws that your lifestyle isn't as plugged in as theirs, that your choice of smaller house/smaller living isn't able to accommodate large gifts, and that you really don't want anything but to spend time together and enjoy a nice meal on a holiday? I guess I'm afraid that we'll be heard as saying: "we don't 'do' electronics, please don't give us things you would like but we don't"  yikes.

CDMay2006

Can you talk to them about "experience" gifts?  You could tell them you'd enjoy theater tickets, travel, dining out gift cards, etc.  Then if they choose that you can gush about how great the gift was, how great the experience/food/etc. was, and go from there.

WendyGR

Have your DH bring it up to them next summer, and next year provide more ideas that are more in line with what you would like. Sometimes, though, it's a losing battle. Like my MIL who insists that more is more and gets us all kinds of crazy stuff that usually ends up regifted or donated.(think Christmas night lights - we don't have kids - As Seen on TV, etc.)

Life&Gwen

That's what we're hoping for- we bought a living social special for a 2 hour private flying lesson as a birthday gift for him, and made a big deal about it with his parents there afterwards to see the pictures we'd taken and everything.  I think that planted the seed, I hope they took him seriously when he asked them during october for anything that we could do together, or with them.  (They're cool to hang out with, so maybe we'll all go see a play together.)  Thanks for the encouragement, we'll try sticking to this!