IOU from Santa is 5 to young

[SparksFly90]

On a number of occasions I have asked DD (5). What they want for Xmas and the only 2 answer I get is barbie dream house which is way to big and she wants to go back to Ibiza last abroad holiday in 2022.
In our house you each get a present from Santa which is wrapped in red and the other presents are from us or friends and family. I already have main present from us a Furby.
So my question is from Santa do I get her something I think she would like or do I create her an IOU of a holiday for 2024. I would like to try somewhere different to 2022, but will be standard all inclusive holiday.
Any other ideas will be greatly revived, for context she already has loads of Lego, barbies and a smaller house ,sylvanian, doll and gneration doll, bike (pedal and balance) scooter etc.
Thanks

If cost isn't the issue, and it's just "too big" please just buy her the one thing she's asked for. I feel really bad for her

Honestly just get her the barbie dream house.

I think the holiday IOU idea is ridiculous. Especially as you seem to be saying you will be going on holiday anyway, so it’s not a present at all and totally inappropriate for a 5 year old

I don't get this rhetoric around ' not spoiling the kids ' ?
It's absolutely the time to spoil kids , make it magical , make memories.
All kids want the excitement of opening a pile of presents on Christmas morning .
The not making them ungrateful and entitled comes from discussing the importance of thanking the gifter , putting together gifts / boxes for charities for those less fortunate. Sending a sum of money to pay for a Sally Army meal for someone etc etc there's plenty of ways to show kids to appreciate things without virtue signalling a small pile of presents .
OP buy the dream house . She's 5 , plenty of time later to be worrying about cluttering the house , so what if it's put in the attic get it back out and pass it to someone else who will play and love it .

I’m surprised by so much negativity when you are trying to give your child the thing they actually asked for!
I think little things she can use on holiday is a great idea. Maybe pack them in a new suitcase.

I remember getting an IOU for a day trip to the seaside (this was the 70s) for my 4th birthday. I can’t remember any other presents from that young, but this stood out because it was SO exciting. It was written in fancy swirly writing like a certificate.

Of course, being 4, I couldn’t wait to use it, and said I wanted to go TODAY. And of course, my parents had predicted that would happen and the picnic was already made and the car was packed with the 70s seaside essentials of buckets and spades, stripy plastic windbreak and those funny raffia roll up mats for sitting on the sand.

Next summer is a long time for a 5 year old to wait. Could you go at Easter?

I got my daughter a Barbie castle she had seen in the local charity shop for £5 for her birthday when she was 4 - amongst other things! It has been the best toy we bought - was played with for years and is in a special place now because both girls want to keep it for their kids 😂 When I think of the amount I spent on other toys that didn’t get a fraction of the attention, I could weep!!

Get her rhe dream house! Dome toys are bulky. Suck it up. They are only wee for such a short time. Make her Christmas magical. The family holiday is not a present for a 5 year old.

I think this thread is so sad.

No that's a truly terrible idea OP
She's asked for a Barbie dream house, I don't see the problem...

If it's out of budget look on FB marketplace etc, or if having it brand new is important to you (I think that's ridiculous but I know some people are weird about it) then you can get a smaller house/apartment set for closer to £50. Or even a Barbie camper van etc

You can’t just not get her the present she wants because it’s too bulky - I won’t lie, that’s pretty awful and I do feel for her.
Kids make clutter and mess, that’s just part of the package.

Also a Barbie dream house isn't like the latest fad toy that kids play with for the day and then never again - in my experience!
I got a dream house when I was 5/6 and played with it every day almost until I was 10/11.
And if by some reason she doesn't play with it, and it's gathering dust then you sell it on.

Also as a side note - this predicament is exactly why from the beginning father Christmas only brings my children stockings and everything else is from mummy and daddy😂
That way we can say no to certain unrealistic wants.
What will you do if next year dd asks Santa for something even more extravagant and she expects to get it because that's what she's been brought up to believe?

I understand not getting the dream house. It physically wouldn’t fit in my home so I wouldn’t buy for my child. I would say that Santa says the dream house would be too large for his sleigh but there are lots of other fun barbie things … then have pictures / YouTube ready to show her eg the camper van, the smaller house etc. At 5 it should be relatively easy to have her Santa wish dictated by you without her realising that’s what’s happened.

I get the idea behind the holiday (as she asked for it) but it’s not a gift for HER. It’s a family holiday which will be months away. Even putting together holiday bits like swimsuit nice swim bag suitcase etc etc isn’t fair as it’s far too far away for her. This is only really suitable as a gift if perhaps it was summer birthday and the holiday is a few weeks away at most. Also I’d assume if you were going on holiday you’d be getting here a swimsuit anyway so it’s not really a gift to give months in advance! The main worry for me would also be setting the expectation that Santa can deliver holidays. Just image next year when she wants to go to Disney, or Lapland, or the top of Everest because she’s been doing a project on the highest mountain and wants to go herself and Santa is magic so can make that happen for her because he gave her a holiday once before….youre setting yourself up for a few issues in the next few years.

You aren’t going to “spoil” her by giving her one reasonable gift from Santa.

Couldn't you just give her the Furby from FC?

You asked her what she'd like from Santa and she told you two things.
The holiday is ridiculous, not only because an IOU for a holiday you'd be having regardless is cheeky but also because you don't even want to go where she's asked to go!
She's asked for the dream house thing but you deem it unnecessary and too bulky. So don't ask her what she'd like if you don't want to at least gift one of them!!!!

Get her the Dream House! The look on her face will be one of your best memories ever.

She’s repeatedly asking for a Barbie Dream House and you’re repeatedly refusing. Thats what she’d like. So get it. It’ll be in your lives for a couple of years and then you can sell it.

Why waste money on other stuff she doesn’t want?

And no, you can’t give a kid an IOU for Christmas.

You can afford something she really wants but won’t get it because it’s clutter? And her other present is something the entire family also will enjoy? I hope she doesn’t have siblings who are getting a proper Santa gift.

@OneMoreStepAlongTheRoadIGo
Agreed!

@AdventCaroline The child asked for a barbie dream house and a holiday to ibiza. The op wont buy the dream house and doesnt want to go to ibiza.

how is the op getting the child what she asked for?

How on earth is a holiday 'from santa'?

Like logically how does that make ANY sense.

Gifting a family holiday you will have anyway sounds like a right cop out too, just get her the barbie doll house (although thats still massive for a gift FROM Santa).

You want memories?

I didn't even like barbies or dolls but I remember the dream house I got, it stood on the dress in my tiny box room for years.

My favorite thing was the tiny tv that actually lit up.

What I don't remember is any swimming costume I was ever bought.

You really making this whole thing so soul suckingly joy less. Shes a little kid not a 30 year old woman who wants practical presents.

Also I don't want to shit on your present because theres nothing wrong with a Furby in general (I did know someone whose kid asked for one and they had to search high and low to find one... then he went straight off it lol) but... did she ask for one?

They are very disappointing toys, I hated mine as did many people I know. If its not something she asked for it will seem like a very odd slightly crap retro toy. Especially if thats all shes really getting amid clothes and books.

Thankyou for your very up lifting comments.
I would first like to point out my original post was to ask other mums in similar situation for ideas on suitable presents for a 5 year old. However it does not seem anyone has been able to offer anything so guess we all have no clue what to get our children on similar ages.
All family and friends comment on how fortunate my child is to have such a selection of toys, and experiences trips. As mentioned in original post she does already have a barbie house or 2 so please don’t think I say no to all bulky items.
I have asked her this evening what she likes best about Christmas and she has said family, how the magically elves put the tree up and they read stories to her teddies. So yes Christmas is magical to her in a non materialistic way.
I had a cindy house as a child and yes I loved it for a few years but I can remember asking my parents for ages to get it out of my room as it took up to much space. Guess we are all different.
Finally I wanted to use mums net as I understood this to be a supportive network but how wrong was I.

OP, if you've got the money to buy her a dream house, do it.

As a PP said, Christmas is the time to spoil your kids (within your budget I might add).

I would have been gutted opening a swimsuit for Christmas at 5. We all got gifted at least one thing from our list and stocking items. We also made shoeboxes of gifts for the children who weren't so fortunate and we always knew how lucky we were.

By the sounds of it, the kids don't help you do the Christmas tree either as you say the "magical elves" do it, again, this is something that was so exciting to us as children, putting the tree and decorations up.

Giving an IOU from Father Christmas is a ridiculous idea to be honest, a 5 year old doesn't understand and doesn't understand that a holiday costs a lot of money either. If you're already planning on going abroad, it's not even a trip especially for her.

I don't like the sound of Christmas in your house if I'm honest, to me, it's all about the excitement of the children, the decorations and the magic of it for them.

I felt exactly the same as you with the Dream House and went back and forth for ages on it.

I bought it, and it was played with daily over and over again until I sold it last month. It was one of the best gifts my daughter has ever had when you look at cost per use and the hours of imaginative play it gave her.

I would buy it - it’s her dream gift, I still remember getting my dream house and I’m nearly 40! It’s your decision obviously, just my two pence worth.

I would first like to point out my original post was to ask other mums in similar situation for ideas on suitable presents for a 5 year old. However it does not seem anyone has been able to offer anything so guess we all have no clue what to get our children on similar ages.

There was no need to suggest anything as your daughter has already told you what she would like for Christmas. You just don't want to buy it because it will take up too much room.

I find it incredibly sad that despite having a cindy house as a child, and having years of play and enjoyment from it, you're refusing to buy her the one gift she wants.