I have just read "Kids' presents", which makes me feel quite guilty as we cannot afford expensive presents. We have two children and if we spend £30.00 in total, that would be perfect. They do get toys throughout the year so they do not grow without toys and I hope they can understand it. One problem is that they often ask for useless toys. They tell us how much they want something and then after a few days the toy is forgotten.
I grew up without hardly any toys. We had a Christmas tree but never presents. I do remember getting a present for my birthday perhaps once or twice. There were three of us and our parents did not earn much. Never theless, I did not ask for presents. I was very understanding at that time. It is now that I think that they could have actually prepared something, even a tiny one.
AIBU?
I never got Christmas presents in my childhood. Did you?
ssaw2012 · 04/12/2012 13:19
It's birthdays for me. I know I had a couple of parties when I was very small, but I didn't get anything for it/allowed to have friends over after I turned 8 until my friends surprised me with one when I was 17 at a restaurant. The only exception was my 13th or 14th when my mother gleefully got me a pack of cupcakes to share with everyone and my very ill, housebound grandmother had managed to get me a book from a show we watched together (Hyacinth's Etiquette Book - she loved old British shows) and a Judaic candle (I started discussing my interest and plans to convert when I was 12, she gave it to me to show me that she loved me regardless). I still have the candle, my mother took the book at some point. My brother always got winter baseball camp (born 26/12) and my younger sister always got a major gifts and parties that I would be dragged to (she was the miracle baby).
That and their horrendous money management skills (both badly debt in a desire to keep up appearances, was once home alone when electric company came to turn the electric off), I feel that it is bad for me to want and can't really buy stuff for myself. Can buy quite a bit for the kids though. Birthdays are massive (I fill the living room floor with balloons) and I've bought tons for this Channukah 
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Grr and others I have a small savings account that I put £20 a month or so in, then if I do want to 'treat' myself I use that money. I find that makes me feel in control of the spend but also 'allows' me to treat myself. Both DH and I have struggled hard to get in a better place with money, but it's hard when you have poor role models. My DM was telling me a 'magical' Christmas story last night and it really wasn't how I remembered it at all 
Thank you everyone! I feel better after reading your posts. No, really, and thank you so much for that.
I think my parents just did not think it was important to give presents. Even my DH is not good at it even though he did get presents etc.
I forgot to say that my parents used to buy sweets to share with classmates. We did not have problems with sweets, e.g. toffies. I wish I also had my own toothbrush. Toffies + no toothbrush = very expensive dental care 
Badvocsanta, thanks for mentioning about the bath bombs. My DSs love bath bombs from Lush which we can only afford as a special treat.
that so many weren't given presents as children.
My mum left my brother and I with our (brilliant) dad when we were very young. He was heartbroken and only in his late twenties but my memories of Christmases are happy ones with lots of presents. I don't know how he did it because I know he was on the bones of his arse.
I know that Christmas isn't about 'stuff' but children don't need much to make them feel special. I don't know how some of the parents who spent money on fags/bingo etc at the expense of a small gift for their child on Christmas morning live with themselves.
as a small child most of our Chrismas presents were made by Mum. As was all the food and decorations, hardly much at all was bought ready made. My dollies got lots of clothes, and i remember she made us ragdolls one year, they were fab
i still remember the sheer delight of opening my Tiny Tears dolly one year - that was a real treat....the next year mum knitted her a new dress 
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I make fun of DH's hoarding tendencies wrt toilet roll and ketchup and other random household stuff and his family were very poor when he was growing up. Never made the connection before.
I always do him a stocking now because they never had them when they were young.
I always had presents, great ones before my parents split up and after that my mum couldn't afford much and my dad never got it right but hey!
I was brought up mainly by my father who was never very good at remembering to buy new clothes when the old ones were grown out of / worn through or toiletries like sanitary towels and deodorant etc and I was too (shy? Scared? I don't know!) to ask him for anything.
As a result my dc have the best of everything. I would go without myself if necessary to avoid them being embarrassed by their clothes etc.
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