Christmas....

Anonymous

Christmas....

This year, I am hoping to be more organised for Christmas and spread the financial load out across a few months. With a 6 year old and 3 year old, I feel like they are often disappointed with what they receive, with us not wanting to waste money on items that will be disregarded after a few days/weeks

While I know the answer will vary, just wondering - on average - how many gifts does Santa bring each child?

Posted in:  Parenthood Guilt, Money

15 Replies

Anonymous

We don’t have a limit on how many gifts, they have a set budget, $200 per child. Sometimes they get a lot of little gifts from their list they have written up or asked for or something they get a big gift like swing set, bike ect

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Anonymous

Generally speaking, I'd rather get my kids one really good thing than 10 things that will eventually end up in landfill, eg a bike, last year was a video came console, this year will be a decent scooter etc. And that thing is from mum and dad, santa gives the little stocking stuffers.

TL;DR version.
1 main gift and a few little odds and ends, kids don't need to be overwhelmed with stuff.

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Anonymous

We don’t budget Xmas. Our kids are pretty spoilt. They get a sack full and one main present - they ask Santa for. I have prob already spent around $600 but that’s LEGO and Sylvania families for sacks. His main present will be $800 plus postage and hers $399 plus postage. Last year it was $3800 for the monkey bars we bought. I realise that’s extreme to some but i don’t tend to put a dollar amount more a visual and I make sure I get the one thing they ask Santa for.

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Anonymous

I've been at both ends of the gift giving spectrum. One year I had $5 and got a few second hand toys from lifeline. Another year I had a great job and was well prepared so our son had $1000 worth of pressies. No one Christmas was better than the other. Try to not project your feelings onto the kids, at their age would they really be disappointed?

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Anonymous

For our kids we do something they - want, need, wear, read, watch and eat. Then they get one big present from us

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Anonymous

The idea of spoiling repulses me and my husband and I are quite strict on how many presents kids get from us. We have a moto when it comes to xmas, bdays etc "be grateful" aka "you get what you get and don't get upset".

I buy a bit during the year and then divide it between bday and Xmas presents. I look for sales and things that are practical and long-lasting. It's not about presents, it's about presence to us. Each family is different.

If kids are disappointed, then take then to do some volunteer work with the homeless etc. That's a great reality check. DON'T fall into the trap and spend more than you can afford on stuff that will be thrown out in a few months time 👌

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Anonymous

I agree.

I also think social media puts this insidious pressure on parents at Christmastime. I have a few friends on facebook who really go hard on big noting themselves about how much they spend because their kids deserve it, along side pictures of literally overflowing living rooms.
There was a few christmases that i did it tough and it made me feel like the crappiest parent.

Nowadays, i refuse to give in to that pressure and i actually pitty people who flaunt their exorbitance for validation.
I thoughtfully select gifts that i know my kids will enjoy, that are also within my budget and principles.

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Anonymous

And maybe they do the same their values and their budget - your the one that places the judgement on it. In your opinion it is exorbitant.
Also they may share it because it’s xmas morning not to flaunt it for validation.

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Anonymous

And that's their perogative...
Doesn't make my point invalid.

Some people turn Christmas into this ugly social media pissing contest, informing everyone of the exact dollar amount they went in to debt from what they spent on their kids when precicely noone asked, documenting every single gift along with it's value - come on, we all know people who do this and it really is just to show off and get a bit of public approval.

My point was that it's easy to find ourselves trying to keep up with the Jonses and it's easy to feel inadequate (even by people who aren't purposely trying to rub anyone's face in it).
We shouldn't allow ourselves to get sucked into all that.

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Anonymous

I know not one person who does this!

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Anonymous

I agree, don't buy into the pressure. We're not ALL going nuts and filling rooms and buying everything we see.
My kids get overwhelmed anyway, young kids can manage about 3 before they're bored. They feel spoilt with much less than we imagine they need - my kids prove this time and time again, they are grateful and ecstatic every single year.

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Anonymous

Santa brings a sack full of presents and the item they asked for.
There is no counting. It’s just a sack full.
We buy them a boring present ie shoes or clothes.
There is no right way to do Xmas. You do you.

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Anonymous

I bring something BIG, it could be shared, they might not have asked for it ie) trampoline, cubby, swing set, bikes. Something our house needs and this makes Christmas feel big.
I do a small stocking of small bits, game/stationary, colouring book, fun soaps, pjs, towel, headphones, hair bows, surprise eggs etc it's not much but it adds the feel of 'lots of things'. Then I do about 5 pressies each (because they have absolutely no extended family) a toy and something from santa that they've asked for on their list, and one or two special gifts from me.
I keep the budget quite low, try to make it a mix of things that they will use up and open ended play, and not many flashing light toys from toysales, but I do choose one or two to make it special for them.

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Anonymous

My son usually gets around 5 presents and a stocking. The stocking usually has things like some favourite snack foods, favourite soft drink a small puzzle type toy.
When he was 3 he was lucky if I spent more than $100. At that age he loved the unwrapping and playing with empty boxes. I’ve gradually upped the amount I spend over the years.
I found Christmas mornings were more about the ‘staging’. Christmas tree lights and walking to a magical looking room.
But if a kid has a truck load of toys anyway they aren’t going to be excited by more toys.

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Anonymous

I always spoil my kids at Christmas but I'm super stingy the rest of the year. My kids are not spoilt, they never get things just because they ask for it, if they can't wait till Christmas they have to do jobs to earn the money to buy it themselves.

This is how I do Christmas presents, the stuff I choose usually gets used most of the time, you don't have to buy exactly what they ask for, you know your child best and you know what they will play with. Your 3 year old should be so easy to please, this is the make believe age so kitchens, dolls, cubbys etc are definitely going to get used for the long term. With your 6 year old go for something that encourages an already existing interest like a musical instrument or a bike, a few things from their list and things that are the same for all of them but a bit different for each child such as books, pool toys etc.

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