To think that Christmas is just a nightmare for a lot of people.

Move to Austria then! Legally, every single job pays you 14 months salary instead of 12. Everyone gets double their normal salary in December that's literally called "Christmas Money" and again in June which is called "Holiday Money". That's life in a high-taxation, socialist country. Healthcare and childcare are also virtually free.

Yes. We don’t have the kind of stress and imbalance between the sexes that I see people complaining about. At Christmas or at any time. That would be a dealbreaker for me.

I’m not on a budget either…and I’m sure you can understand my point that if you needed it to go further then you most certainly could…

Im not on a budget, but im sure you take the point. It doesn’t go far.

Certainly happens! The put-upon Irish Mammy is not just a stereotype, it’s reality for a lot of women, younger & and older…

Bath bomb set in boots 6.50
socks in H&M set of 5 8.99
Clips maybe £2-3
shower gel £3-4 maybe
sponge set in primark - 4ish?

thats just about 30!

but i see you got lush bath bombs, and I’m sure they are Nike socks at 28 for the set, which is all great if that’s what said child wants but you CAN get a hell of a lot more for £100 if you want!

''@MyPithyPoster · Today 13:06
What £100 looks like for older children
Sock
Bath bombs
Shower Gel
Hair clips
Sponge things
Doesn't go far''

Unless you are shopping at Harrods or Selfridges that is nonsense.

You could get hair clips, shower gels, bath bombs and sponges from Superdrug's or Boots for about £3/£4 each or even less.

You can get socks from supermarkets and even new ones from many charity shops...

"Even more so with the poor management of a left wing government"

It's not a left wing government. It's Tory light.

This!!

How in the world is that £100 unless you buy from somewhere like Harrods? If you buy in normal high street, not even in the bargain shops, socks are £12, bath bombs £10, shower gel £4, hair clips £10, sponges £3. That’s less than £40, how did it come to £100?

Presents and a nice meal isn’t so easily done though when living in poverty and struggling to make ends meet.

Christmas is what you make it and it doesn’t have to cost loads. Some of the big supermarkets are doing 8-10p vegetables at the moment, charity shops are great for presents, loads of free and very cheap community Christmas events, free charity events, free light trails, garden centre Christmas displays, church events and family carol concerts. You don’t need to spend loads to have a good Christmas. And no I don’t think the taxpayer should fund a Christmas bonus for benefit claimers.

I only buy for my children. Stopped buying for friends and their kids and nephews and nieces and everything in between. That was the one good thing about lockdown, it made it easier to scrap all of that.

It’s ok to say let’s not do gifts….

Just scale it all back. You don't have to go to carol concerts, Christmas markets or ice skating rinks. You don't need to do elf on the shelf or Christmas Eve boxes.

Keep it simple and low key. Presents for children only. Nice meal. Done.

This

What £100 looks like for older children
Sock
Bath bombs
Shower Gel
Hair clips
Sponge things
Doesn't go far

This thread is so sad.
Ireland has always given a social welfare Christmas bonus, when we were in the depths of our recession/bailout years it wasn't the full amount but generally it is 100% of whatever the normal allowance received is.
I've never got it myself but in no way would begrudge those that do. Our pensioners get it as well.
A ten pound bonus is pathetically insulting imo.

It shouldn't be. But it is.

No. We all gwt child benefit, we all got double. Benefit claimants also got extra payments on top.

We're all fine with it. We enjoy a generous welfare bet and supports for ALL families.

That’s not a reason to withhold support from people who are struggling!

Personally I think there is a strong argument for helping people in different ways - like including a certain amount of fuel within the standing charge.

Everyone in Ireland gets child benefit.

I'm sure that left a sour taste for the people not on these benefits but struggling for food and bills, never mind Christmas.

Well you’ve clearly had an empathy bypass.

Your ignorance is astounding. Obviously it’s the people WITH money who go the most overboard at Christmas… because they have the money to be able to! Just look at social media and some of the threads on here. It is no wonder that people with financial difficulties, who may be living in poverty, aspire to this - consumerism is a massive problem but blaming the poor is not the solution.

As an aside, I find it deeply crass when people post pictures of expensive gifts and food etc all over social media.

For some people, Christmas is a nightmare...I do think families with small children are under such pressure, both financially and from social pressure regarding what an "ideal" Christmas should look like, which many can't deliver.

However, there shouldn't be UC funded gifts, that's not what financial help is for. For those really struggling, there are extras which can be sourced (eg. via food banks, free trees, Salvation Army or similar).

For others Christmas is magic, a time to get together with families without all the glitz. That tends to be when families are older, the children grown up and everyone is a bit less bothered about present buying. These days we're quite happy to decorate with greenery cut from the country lanes, and presents are as simple as cooking a batch of biscuits and wrapping prettily. So simple, no pressure....

No! For people who truly cant afford gifts there are resources to access, Dunelm do a gift tree so does Tesco i am sure there are others as well.