To not buy Christmas presents for DC

yeah but insurance needs to be paid annually, not just a one off when buying the car,it's thousands every year. Ok so it's not a wrappable gift, but having it paid for him is still a gift.

going on school trips isn't a wrappable gift either, but most are saying at 14/16 it's a gift that they chose over wrappable gifts.

DD is going on an overseas trip in Feb not as pricey as yours though. As it's only ever the two of us that travel together we normally use our big family sized suitcase so I've bought her, her own smaller suitcase, packing cubes, travel toiletries, some clothes bits she'll need over there, neck pillow, Euros, etc will wrap it all up individually within the suitcase.

She knows the trip is part of her Christmas present and it's stuff I would have bought anyway so seems daft not to wrap it up as a Christmas gift.

Other cheaper gifts, I'm making her a bundle of ramen and nice ramen bowl spoon chopsticks set.
Another bundle of flavoured Nescafé coffees and a nice travel cup.

Do they get gifts to open from other people - grandparents or whatever? If they do, I'd keep it minimal, with a (cheap, consumable) stocking and a book and chocolates under the tree. If they don't, I'd want them to have a few things to open, so would find a bit more on Vinted or charity shops, including some things that I might otherwise have just bought as a general family things (eg a Christmas jigsaw for one DC, a new card game for the other).

My 18 year old isn't getting much for Xmas- I wrote off some of his debt to me instead! Just a few bits to open. They should be able to understand the concept of money as they get older.

@Enko the rubix cube was from Primark.
I actually got Kuromi but I think they had Hello Kitty too.
There's a whole range of Hello Kitty/Sanrio stuff 🙂

Insurance is part and parcel with a car. No presents obviously means all the other kinds of gifts – trainers, gadgets, console games, etc etc.

I think that’s absolutely fine, especially as they asked for the trios instead of presents. If you wanted to give them a bit more on the day, could you scale down on the cost of the pjs and selection box (£50 seems a lot for this?) and use that £50 for cheaper pjs and a couple of other bits, so they have some things to open on the day? Even just nice toiletries?

This

Not so expensive but my daughter did several trips in school as they were relevent to her now career (sports' teacher). Knowing that it would be difficult for her to actually find herself without gifts and Christmas and birthday (quite close to Christmas) I bought her things relevant for the trip. eg for a ski trip I bought her a set of lessons at the local snow dome for her birthday, so she could see if she really liked it and not waste the actual trip in the ski school (got my DM to pay for some of the lessons) and bought her all the clothing needed for Christmas.
However she did save up for her spending money and did offer to contribute to the trip. Also her trips were relevant to her now career - sports teacher so I saw them as an investment!

Dear lord – it’s the first of December. Quick, ring a bell. No one is allowed to post about expensive items bought above the sum of … whatever you arbitrarily decide that sum should be.

The subject is big ticket presents that replace other gift buying, whether it be £14k second hand cars £3k or ski trips.

Once again, that poster was making clear the price of the car replaced MULTIPLE years of gifts.

Please don't do this.

Rather than PJs, unless they really need or want them, I would do a cheapish stocking and a couple of small under the tree presents related to where they are going on their school trips - maybe some of the kit you will need to buy anyway - hiking socks, mosquito spray etc.

I've found some lovely presents for £10 or under that will look lovely on Christmas Day - like the Monty Bojangles cat shaped tins of chocolates, some beautifully presented solid shampoo and conditioner bars on Amazon that come in a little bamboo rice steamer storage jar (about £7), so not exactly tat as they will get used. And Primark is good for super soft socks and ultra cheap but brilliant quality PJs.

Can't help feeling sorry for kids whose parents couldn't afford such an expensive school trip.

Remind them what a big thing you've given them.

Little presents will be fine.

Why is that wtf?

Seems perfectly reasonable to me!

I’d get spending money in the currency and pop it in a box for them to open.

If you can afford to do both, then that's great.

For many people, including me, high value gifts and school trips (which are very expensive) would mean cutting back in other areas. I think it's absolutely appropriate to get token gifts for birthday/Christmas on the understanding that the trip experience costs a lot and is an incredible gift (and privilege) in itself. And this would be normal among people I know.

My DS expressed an interest in a school trip that cost £3k, and I said it was an experience I could only afford as a family holiday if we had no other holiday for several years, but I'd love him to do it. The deal was that he would do that instead of a family holiday. DD and I would have a staycation while he was away, and she was totally onboard with having me to herself for two weeks as a treat. And then she would get the same opportunity instead of a family holiday in the future. He decided not to go in the end because his best mate wasn't going 🙄 I still think it's a shame.

Not everyone can afford to see a £3k trip as a "functional" item and also casually spend another £100 on a Christmas present.

I think that's fine but I'd still get a token gift like a book or something

What about mini toiletries for the trips? You can get cheap sets in savers/B&m which look nice but dont cost the earth. Will they need socks, hats, neck warmers, gloves etc? Would get those type bits for under the tree but don’t go over board, they are old enough to understand.

If you can afford it, why not buy them a few gifts ?? I know I certainly would. If you can’t afford it, then don’t.

I would get them a few presents if you can afford. Christmas is for excess and frivolity rather than learning life lessons.

I wouldn’t do big presents but would stick with their usual stockings and a couple of small presents under the tree.

@Needmorelego where did you get the Hello Kitty Rubix cube? Dd2 would love that 😊

NO Presents??

I guess you don't have teens that drive? He's getting his insurance paid for annually, that mega ££££

I think if I came from a family that can afford to buy me a £14,000 car when I was a teenager I would be a bit disappointed if at future Christmas's my gift was to pay my car insurance - useful but not heart warming.

My ds has had several trips in the past year and another 2 coming up in the next few months and it was very clear when signing up that these would be part of his birthday / Christmas gifts, he is well aware and accepting of this. I have got him smaller gifts such as clothes, trainers and books but that is it. I have had to reign myself in a bit as I want to teach him that money does not grow on trees.

We always “send” our kids Santa letters by burning them…the sparks are them flying up to Santa… This is the first year my daughter doesn’t want any toys (so ergo, nothing from Santa) but I decided we’d still write letters, thanking Santa for the years of presents but also saying something we’re grateful for this year. Both kids mentioned trips we’ve taken, how much fun they were etc, not a word about material things (apart from my son mentioning his comfy bed! 😆) and this reinforced my stance that, now they’re older, experiences are valid gifts, which they will really appreciate . Merry Christmas!