Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask how much you spend on DCs christmas presents?

406 replies

Splatt34 · 02/12/2012 07:50

Just that really.

DD is 2 & have finally decided what to get her. Adds up to around £70 in total.

how about the rest of you?

OP posts:
quirrelquarrel · 03/12/2012 22:45

I was scared I'd get flamed so thanks all for being nice :)

I just think.....you're always educating and kids are always observing, even if you don't want them to! Everyone loves making presents and seeing people's faces light up, it's not some really great personal quality that only certain very unselfish people have. I mean face it, would Christmas be the same if you were the only one getting presents? Not really.
I also love the idea of a child treasuring the few things they do get so much and bonding with them and having brilliant memories of that Christmas book or that Christmas hamster. How do you treasure a DS Lite? Why would you want a child to treasure a DS Lite?

Good point though MrsDeVere. I guess we have a bit of a blind spot where sports and things are concerned. Specially since I'm Dutch and so this means that bikes are necessities, not presents Wink a blind spot I don't mind having

mrsEbruce · 03/12/2012 22:45

Well nappies, wipes baby food. Why would i spend less on her christmas than her weekly essentials?

You seen to swipe at everything im writting i get it you dont agree with any of my opinions

quirrelquarrel · 03/12/2012 22:49

^ well, probably just because the goals are different. One is a need, the other is pleasure. It's obvious that your baby's going to be worse off if they don't get their essentials. But they won't be worse off if they get a small amount of things for Christmas- just so they don't feel left out (if that's even pssible for the tinies) and you don't set a precedent which'll do no one any favours.

mrsEbruce · 03/12/2012 22:51

^wasnt meaning you swiping

im open minded i can see everyones point of view for what it is each to there own i say

PickledInAPearTree · 03/12/2012 22:55

I bought ds presents last year when he was 9 months old all things which he will use and has used. Clothes a few toys etc.

Don't see how it's a waste of money he'd have needed them anyway. Why not wrap the things up and let him open them?

He might not remember it but he enjoyed it.

BeaWheesht · 03/12/2012 22:57

I'm not sure especially because ds has his birthday just before Christmas and I don't really decide what present is for birthday or Christmas until I start wrapping. The kids both get more for Christmas than birthday though.

They also get quite big presents (£50+) from grandparents on both sides and then about £25 worth from each aunt (3) plus ds has all his birthday stuff.

I don't buy much really throughout the year though and we don't have expensive holidays or hobbies.

ThisIsMummyPig · 03/12/2012 22:59

Bumblequeen - I also never had care bears or cabbage patch dolls, or computer things. We had one week camping in the uk. I didn't get any pocket money until I got a job.

The thing is I thought that Father Christmas was magic, and could get me whatever I wanted. If I had known he was my parents I wouldn't have asked.

I am on record as asking for a yoghurt one year. An old lady gave one to my dad for me, but he sat on it on the way home!

I'm more upset by my reaction now. But by the same token I wouldn't want my kids to feel like that while they still believe

EricNorthmansFangBanger · 03/12/2012 23:04

So far we've only spent £15 on DD1 (almost 5) and £20 on DD2 (17 months). My parents have given us £150 in vouchers to use on presents for DH & I, but we will most likely use them to buy Christmas presents for DDs as we are skint. DD1 hasn't really asked for anything so trying to pick things out for her. DD2 we're thinking of getting one of those HippyChick Moover Wooden Dolls pram's.

My parents are outdoing us again this year and spending around £200 on each DD. Last year they bought DD1 an iPad 2. I've told them that one present for each DD is enough but they persist in buying too much. DDs are very lucky in this respect but it makes both DH and I feel inadequate and they're buying more stuff that we can't really fit into our house.

BooksandaCuppa · 03/12/2012 23:07

An ipad last year for a not yet four year old??? Did I read that correctly????

PickledInAPearTree · 03/12/2012 23:11

I'd have kept that I pad for me Grin

quirrelquarrel · 03/12/2012 23:11

Books are you new on MN Grin this is practically par for the course!

MrsDeVere · 03/12/2012 23:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BooksandaCuppa · 03/12/2012 23:15

Not really and in rl I've been shocked but I haven't heard of an ipad for a three year old here or there before...

BooksandaCuppa · 03/12/2012 23:16

Hear hear MrsDeVere.

TellMeLater · 03/12/2012 23:19

Normally we spend around £150 each, this year a bit more for a big gift thy needed.

quirrelquarrel · 03/12/2012 23:20

Yeah, but there's also a pattern which is more well known than the "unspoilt kid=despite this, horrible adult" one. I don't know why you wouldn't do all you could do get on the right side of it......

BegoniaBampot · 03/12/2012 23:25

I would like to see Christmas less commercialised and less money spent on possesions. It does depress me a bit the way it's all gotten out of hand, especially for those who are stuggling - Christmas must be a nightmare especially when they read threads like this. my kids don't even believe in God or Jesus or unfortunately even Santa any more (even the 7 yr old is so cynical) but will still get some expensive presents. Still will overspend though even if we can afford it, caught up in not disappointing the kids and the peer pressure or having to keep up to a degree with what's the norm and expected.

MrsDeVere · 03/12/2012 23:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

losingtrust · 03/12/2012 23:39

I have spent about £70 on each including stocking fillers (8 and 12) but they know we are going on two foreign holidays this year and will also get pressies from their Dad and their grandparents. Actually they have not really asked for much.

CanonFodder · 03/12/2012 23:54

I always tell myself it'll be £100 each, but it usually ends up at about £150, though my DGIL sends us £100 as a family usually midyear and this is put aside for xmas oressies for the kids. I had all their presents by the end of October this year so i spread the cost, and ususally buy smaller things as part of the weekly food shop which helps me get the extra little things without hitting our budget too hard. They have both got clothes too this year. One outfit for DD (8) and two for ds (2) as he has hardly anything chosen by me and not handed on by friends. I also spend roughly £50 on their joint Xmas eve elf basket, which includes new pjs for each of them, a DVD, a new christmas book each, popcorn, chocolate for hot choc, and some lovely bath things for that night.

In addition my DM usually spends in the region of £75 on each of them, an aunt spends about £20 each and my mil will send us some money which helps go towards their out of school activities during the year. My DDad gets them a present each too.

They very, very rarely get presens outside of Christmas and birthdays, DD saves pocket money if there is anything she wants. (With the exception of books, I'll always buy any of those she fancies.) I feel this amount is right for us. Fits our budget and they don't have so many things that they get blasé. I would never in a million years go into debt for them. If we are poorer next year, they'll just get less, but tbh so far they are very good about Xmas and actually ask for very little.

CanonFodder · 04/12/2012 00:00

'As a grown up I only get a couple of modest christmas presents and that is fine by me. My big pressie is getting all the stuff for the kids.'

Absolutely with you there MrsDeVere! DH and I have spent £30 on one another this year, and that was more than we intended. My kids will be kids for such a short space of time, and I love and remember so well the excitement at a pile of presents under the tree. To me that's what gives Christmas it's buzz, re living that feeling through them.

EricNorthmansFangBanger · 04/12/2012 00:03

I didn't say I was happy about her getting the iPad. I had told them more than once to not get her it. In fact, we were trying to get her a leap pad ourselves as her Christmas present so that ballsed that up. She was 3 weeks away from turning 4, so yes she was still 3. She was very very grateful to get it and she has taken great care of it. By no means is she spoilt, that was pretty much her main present and it wasn't even from us.

GoodKingWenSOLOslas · 04/12/2012 00:23

I have bought Ds a few books so far and Dd a pair of second hand inline skates from the Church bazaar.

Having just found out that I'm nearly a grand over drawn (and as yet, I have no idea how!), I doubt they'll be getting very much else at all :( but they will just have to accept it.

Morloth · 04/12/2012 00:35

I am getting a ceiling fan this year and a hose reel. I know what they are because I chose which ones I wanted.

Very excited!

I did not mean to imply that sports/travelling stuff was more worthy, just that we were going to buy those things anyway, so they might as well double up as pressies.

bluecarrot · 04/12/2012 00:41

So far, £27. And it's her birthday in a few days. That totalled £14 ( pjs and slippers) Almost all of it is stuff she needs, but a slightly "better" ( in her eyes) version- moshi toothpaste/bodywash instead of the regular stuff, character pjs instead of non branded ones- that sort of thing. I think it'll be her last year of believing ( she is 10 in 2 days) so I pushed the boat out and spent £3 on zhu zhu pet things she KNOWS I wouldn't buy for her even if they were a penny each. ;) tbh, if they weren't £3 she wouldn't have got them... Wishing I'd stocked up to sell on now!

However, we are getting a family PC.. Not that that's taken away from her birthday/christmad budget, she just doesn't really need anything else... Advent is lots of Christmas /winter themed activities. Most are free and most expensive is £5 budget x 2 days one to to buy shopping for the local food bank, and the other for the giving tree. I wouldn't add those though as we do it anyway...

DP and I are going away for a night for our anniversary in jan and that's a joint anniversary/Xmas gift to eachother as we want to upgrade to somewhere a bit fancier ( than premier inn ;) )