Same mistake every year!

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

I’ve done it again. Every bloody year I get carried away with buying stocking fillers and now I’ve finished for all three of them - got the 10 pressies and reached the budget...and haven’t actually asked them what they want yet! So they will write their letters to Santa asking for their random bits and pieces and I’ve got no budget and no space in the stocking to get them anything else! Does anyone else do this? I just love doing stockings and they always ask for crap anyway!

[ChicCroissant]

No, I don't do that at all. I would wait and get what they wanted.

So they are not going to get anything they want, just because you like doing the stockings?

[AllFourOfThem]

I love doing stocking as well but always fill them with what the children want. Annoyingly kids often like crap which is why yours ask for it.

Can you give what you’ve bought elsewhere and start again?

Since you only get them ten gifts, why not just wait until you know what they want? Otherwise don’t get them to write wish lists as it’s pointless and disappointing for them as they aren’t listened to.

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

Well, stockings are the little gifts not the big gifts. I have finished their stockings and reached their stocking budget. I haven’t bought the big gifts yet and they come from us not Santa.

[XXcstatic]

Is it about what you want or what your DC want, OP?

[ChicCroissant]

As the PP suggested, can you re-use what you've bought elsewhere instead and get your children something they ask for?

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

Ok, in our house only stockings come from Santa and they are only the little gifts. So they write their letter to Santa asking for little gifts that will fit in a stocking. Big gifts they don’t ask Santa, they ask us.

They will love what they’ve been bought and I may even have bought what they’d ask for anyway (I do generally do that) but if my DD suddenly asks for something random then I’ll probably do what I usually do which is twitch, or selling stuff on local fb page so I can get the thing, or work out which stocking fillers can wait till next year! Don’t worry, I generally have delight DC on Christmas morning.

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

And they only ask for three things from Santa anyway not the entire stocking!

[purpleboy]

Can you try guiding them into asking for things you've already bought?
Like:
Ooooh how about asking for that yo-yo we saw last week (yo-yo already safely wrapped in the stocking)

[MerlinsScarf]

Oh I was with you for a minute there, I start early but I've not been in the situation you describe. I shop for smaller presents throughout the year. My DC are consistent with their lists and start thinking up ideas early so if I see something discounted I'll pick it up.

In terms of reaching your budget limit, is it a case of 'whoops' but you can find the money from another pot for anything they put on their lists? Or maybe swap a few things round so those are from you and Santa can get the list items? Or are you maxed out?

[Mrsjayy]

You know what you need to do is stop buying in blooming October im not being mean but come oncan you not put it behind you wait till the kids doa list and pick from that this is why christmas becomes hysterical just stopit

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

Need to edit my original post!

I have reached the STOCKING budget (£30) and finished buying their STOCKINGS! Because to me, stockings are the magic and surprises bit! I have not spent their entire Christmas budget on stocking fillers!

Their main presents from us. I know what they want because they tell us months in advance but I haven’t bought them yet. We have a separate stocking budget and main pressies budget.

[AllFourOfThem]

But their wish letters are to Santa for their stockings and their is no point. Can you not see that they are the kids and this is their Christmas? It’s not all about you.

[ChicCroissant]

I know this thread isn't going the way you expected OP.

It is hard for people to see the stocking as the 'magic and surprises' bit if it is not what has been asked for - especially if they are the bits they ask FC for and they haven't even had a chance to ask him yet! That really does not come across well.

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

Oh dear. This was meant to be a light-hearted ‘silly me, I’ve got carried away again thread’.

As I said previously, my DC ask for 3 small things from Santa and then the remaining seven things are surprises. That’s the way we’ve always done it and my DC love it. The things they love the most are the surprises. Are you saying that your DC tell you exactly what they want in their stocking and they get it and there are no surprises?

All I’m saying is ‘whoops, I’ve gone OTT on the surprises part’ and as I have also said, what usually happens is once they do their lists I will either end up twitching, having to sell some of the things I’ve already bought on a local FB page, or saving some of the stuff till next year. I didn’t mean that they will not get any of the stuff they ask for...I’m just kicking myself that I’ve bought too much stuff already.

[readingnc]

Not sure people realise they are on the Christmas topic op!

[ChicCroissant]

I know it's the Christmas topic, it says at the top of the page!

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

I know...I had to double check I wasn’t on AIBU! In which case IAB hugely U for surprising my DC at Christmas.

[Barbarara]

you just need to plant some subliminal messages OP

[banskuwansku]

I buy little bits throughout the year but make sure there is enough money left to buy the things kids ask from Santa.

[AllFourOfThem]

I get my children what they want and surprises. If you only get ten gifts and they only ask Santa for three, then I think you need to stop your shopping once you’ve got seven gifts.

[Barbarara]

I buy ahead too OP, and I’m very good at paying attention to what they want or envy, so stockings are always full of bits they wouldn’t have thought to ask for but are spot on. And my dc both day that they love the surprises.

However dd has now asked for a main gift (they only ask for one thing) that is over budget but that I could have afforded if I hadn’t already spent some of the budget

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

Yes thank you @AllFourOfThem, I can work that out for myself. The point of my thread is that I am admitting that I have bought too much already and am kicking myself about it.

And yes @Barbarara, I pay attention to what my DC want and what I’ve bought is spot on. It might even end up on their lists anyway but even if it doesn’t I still know they will love it.

[AllFourOfThem]

@CoffeeChocolateWine but you say that every year you get carried away so it didn’t actually sound as if you had worked it out for yourself!

[JoxerGoesToStuttgart]

What is it that prevents you learning from making the same mistake again and again? Im guessing the fact that it’s not an actual problem at all and the DCs are always happy with what’s in their stocking. Which they will be again this year so....

[stackthecats]

Stockings come from FC here and are always small gifts but always surprises! I love doing stockings and I think it's so much nicer for them to be surprise gifts. DD makes a list, but for everyone plus FC to pick ideas from. She gets one big tree present from FC (which may be something she wants, may be a surprise), and the rest are from us, relatives etc. I don't give her the expectation that she'll necessarily get the things she suggests on her list - they're just ideas to go on (though FC does make an effort, bless him :D)