How much do you spend on your children at Christmas?

[HuckleberryBlackcurrant]

Just wondering what is normal these days. I would say we spend about £60 per child. We have 3 children.

How about we don’t use “council estate” as an insult or shorthand for tacky, it’s not pleasant

My original shopping list for my 2 year old was coming to €440 but thanks to Black Friday and getting lucky with a couple things popping up on Facebook marketplace it's down to €325. It's mostly due to one big gift which was €190.

I think it's a lot but he's at an age where he's outgrowing most of his old toys and beginning to show a lot of new interests. Also, we have a new baby on the way who'll get use out of them in a couple years too.

I can’t imagine what I could get for £60 because a decent bottle of aftershave alone costs more than this- example for my 20 year old ds.

I also have a 12 year old dd. She starts her lists in the summer and they change frequently. They are both autistic and ds asks for nothing but dd asks for everything! He works part time and earns very well for what he does but doesn’t like to spend money on himself.

We usually spend around £1000 each on them and ds gets presents from his dad too. DD’s dad lives with us.

This year dd has started to collect Sylvanian Families which have cost £££ but it makes her happy
She also collects Oodies and Oodie products, it all adds up! . Ds will be getting Tom Ford and Chanel aftershaves ( he collects these ) and trainers and clothes plus money.

we don’t do stockings with bits in cos they don’t use any of the stuff so we do treat stockings instead.

Around £100 and £20ish on stocking on DS 3.

I imagine it will increase when he hits teen years! But for now I don't want to spoil him with loads of gifts at such a young age. Plus he gets alot from family.

Yes, you're absolutely right, that was uncalled for.

Posts are definitely a piss take, I wouldn’t waste your time responding

£350 each. 3 kids

Depends whether they need a new big ticket item like a bike, iPad, something like that. This year will be around £1k, some years have been less, occasionally more. It is relative to income though and how you individually celebrate Christmas.

What I’m realising reading this is that I spend a lot on Christmas but that my kids are older now (12 and 9) and the things they want and also need are more expensive. At this age they enjoy receiving clothes. At 3 they didn’t so I wouldn’t have put that as a present.

we spend approx £250-300 per child and that will include 1 main present (usually one, sometimes 2 depending on price) and then a smaller but still big ish thing eg fit bit, then a book or two, clothes (that they need anyway) and then stocking fillers and one or two games / crafts / smaller things. Approx 10 presents plus a stocking. Eldest is getting £140 Lego set, younger one a camera as main gift this year. I’ve cut back on xmas experiences - we used to to all the Santa trains etc and now we are just doing a cinema trip and one meal out. Kids aren’t bothered now and they’re expensive and I feel we do enough with school shows etc which are free.

On my family outside of this we spend £100 each (secret Santa) total and DH and I cap our spend on eachother usually at £100/200. So all in all I suppose I spend a lot on my kids but not others. We provide Xmas day for our family (food etc) and that’s my gift and they don’t want gifts anyway. Total xmas spend will be approx £1000.

Ok we are retired and give all the adult children, their spouses and the adult grandchildren £100'each and "something to open" The younger grandchildren get just over £100 worth of presents. Same for birthdays and sometimes we spend money on holidays, trips etc. All kids had weddings and house deposits.
We haven't always been this well off.

Not much. £100 or so. Eg An x box game, or one year, years ago, Dh bought them an unused x box for £175 for them to share, they were delighted. Plus a few tiny bits. Low key but nice.

Just ordered the kids' presents....

DS 6
Top trumps game
Slippers
Elastic band gun
Tintin book
Lego set
Hot wheels car

DS 4

Puzzle
Slippers
Elastic band gun
Tintin book
Lego set
Hot wheels car

Calendar for their shared bedroom

All comes to just over £120.

I'll add some sweets and then we are at my Mum's for Christmas so they'll be getting stuff from her in their stockings.

Would this be considered stingy?

Not buying anything for DD 4 mths. No point.

Will your other kids not ask why Santa forgot the baby?

@Sugarfree23

We don't do Santa. We talk about the real St Nicholas but I've never told my kids to believe in Santa. I think my DS 6 does believe.

But you do make a good point, that might seem really unfair to them. I'll get her a stuffed animal or two.

You must have loads of baby stuff, so I do get not wanting to buy more.
Personal things teddy's, bibs, dummys, plate set, teethers, couple of books.

Around £200 each. They are 7 and almost 3.

@Sugarfree23

Some good ideas there. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get a few small things, all my stuff is boyish and is pretty battered. Now thinking of how excited my sons will be to help her open her gifts, I'm glad you commented.

Glad to be of help, my DC2 was a Christmas Eve baby and I knew DC1 who was 5 would have ask awkward questions why baby didn't have anything. I'm not even sure if DH put baby's name on them or if they were just "baby"
It doesn't need to be massive just some things that you'd probably be buying anyway.

I think it will come in at around £1,000 for our 17 year old. Things get v expensive as they get older. So far all we've bought her is a shark hair wrap & a Tom Ford perfume & that's a big chunk of the budget gone already!
But we love Christmas & is our only child & we're coming towards her becoming am adult when things will change again

We've always really pushed the boat out at Christmas.

To answer your original question of what is normal, I would say most children I know choose/ ask for one present from Santa. They know that the rest is from mum/ dad but that the special thing is their choice. So I would say as long as they are choosing the one special thing (whether you talk about Santa or not) is the most important thing if you are worried about what other people are doing.