Presents under the tree does it make you feel sickend

[5490t]

Just done our yearly tradition of putting the presents under the tree ready(Santa brings our stockings )
As always we said we weren't going mad! but I think roughly we've spent £1000 for me husband and 2 kids 9 and 12 I actually feel sickened trying to think what we've got for each other
Is anyone else feeling like this?

I still can’t tell if you are being satirical!

Genuinely, I wish you a very merry Christmas regardless of whether you intend to sit in the dark with a slice of toast or engage in the festivities with joy. I hope you enjoy whatever you do. 🎄☃️🎅🏼❄️

simple solution
set a limit

I feel the same looking at the pile. Said last year it wouldn't happen again but it has. I grew up with nothing and xmas morning was spent with nothing to open or eat. I really struggle with it, The good thing is my kids do appreciate it and don't take anything for granted.

Aren’t you a delight.

I’m more shocked at 50 presents each than the cost. Where do you put it all?

Don’t spend so much - my dc never got so much spent unless a specific item they needed eg replacement laptop

No I don’t feel sickened either, my kids are appreciative of what they get and I enjoy buying for them. They’re growing into thoroughly decent people and are caring and generous with others. They aren’t spoiled by any means so watching their excitement at their gifts at Christmas is really lovely. They don’t have 50 between them though much less 50 each.

£1000 between four is not that much . Money doesn’t go far anymore .

Why do you spend so much if it sickens you?

Ours looked a lot in quantity but when I thought about all the books, annuals, colouring stuff etc I thought it wasn’t too excessive and as a child I would have used every single thing. I think for next year the trick is to know they’ll get something out of each thing instead of adding to bulk out a stash!

50 presents each is a bit mental even if they are small. Maybe set a budget and work out a maximum number of presents.

I grew up in a family with very big Christmases and lots of presents. I just can’t see the point of it anymore. Other family members think I’m a bit mean but money situation isn’t perfect and I’d rather spend money on going out and holidays. We only have a small house and I really don’t need more things. Nice food and spending time together is more important.

Your second stealth brag (50
presents each) is even better than first first stealth brag (£1000 spent).

way to go @5490t

not being satirical.

And i have had that experience of only toast for supper as that was all there was with no money left at that time of my life. People have different experiences including ex partners cancelling Christmas and going out and getting drunk rather than celebrating with their children. It really was pound shop gifts that year - no money due to financial abuse. Not meant to be a pity post, just illustrating why I find the over indulgence hard.

Today, life is different. I have my adult children with me and we are set up to have a wonderful time. We swapped presents last night and we are really looking forward to having our dinner and all the wine and chocs.

No because we don't go crazy.

We live frugal lives full of compromise and making do. I try very hard to get my children what they want most at Christmas.

some years I’ve spent a lot, some years less as what they’ve asked for isn’t as expensive.

I guess if you’re buying for buyings sake it might make you boak a bit. So don’t do that.

Kids wont remember the gifts they got in years to come but they will remember being Christmas as either being a happy or a horrible time and it’s nothing to do with gifts .

No. We use the much hated poem so all is well here.

Fifty presents each and from Temu..... I'm not surprised OP feels sickened now she's explained further. Her brain is trying to tell her something and I'd feel sick too!

Spare me.

I had abusive parents. One is an alcoholic. The other one married a man who abused me.

My birthdays went entirely unmarked and at Christmas sometimes I would have a lump of coal in my stocking while my siblings received presents - while I was still young enough to believe in Santa - and I was told that Santa had decided I didn’t deserve presents from him as well as none from my family.

So you can take your patronising, condescending presumptions about me somewhere else. I ensure my children have a wonderful childhood that is the opposite of mine and if I choose to be very generous to them at Christmas I do not care whether people like you judge that to be “indulgent” or “gluttonous”. 🙄😒

My children are lovely, kind, generous little people themselves who put great thought into choosing very sweet and personal gifts for others precisely because they have been treated kindly themselves and had this thoughtful behaviour around gifts modelled to them. They are already much more empathetic and kind people than many people posting on this thread and they are both aged under 10.

Why don’t you stop judging other people’s choices which affect you in no way whatsoever?

As a child who frequently received none, and had to field the questions at school about “what I got for Christmas”, I beg to differ.

Why on earth did you end up with 50 as the number of presents to give your children? That’s ridiculous.

buy them stuff they actually want not temu forced labour shite.

yes your situation is sickening.

I probably spent roughly £1k on each child yesterday. And you know what? They both were so thankful and recognised unprompted that many children don’t get this much, and have both saved up part of their allowance all year out of choice to give to a charity of their choice at New Year - their idea, not mine, because they understand how lucky they are.

They were grateful for every single present I gave to them yesterday because none of it was “tat”: their presents were all things that brought them a lot of joy and they will very much enjoy playing with all of it. Lego is expensive and that made up a good chunk of it!

I feel no guilt or “sickness” about it whatsoever and nor should I. I have wonderful children who appreciate their happy life and how much they are loved and being generous to them at Christmas is just one of the many ways that is expressed to them. If you choose not to do that with your family, fine, but your judgement of others is really unpleasant.

I'm sorry you had that experience; no one should go through that. I'm sorry that you feel that in some way I have made judgements about you. My posts were not aimed at you and I'm puzzled why you thought they were. Thanks for your understanding on mine (sarcasm, in case you are wondering).

The OP asked for opinion on whether others felt sick about "too many presents under the tree". I gave mine that I don't do that based on my own experiences and that over indulgence makes me feel queasy. It wasn't about you.

Happy New Year.

£1000 between 4 family members may be top end but not excessive ( we ll see much more spent in the media shortly). Enjoy your day and set a lower budget next year .