I never got Christmas presents in my childhood. Did you?

[ssaw2012]

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.

[Janeatthebarre]

We always got presents at Christmas. A lot of them were second hand things bought at sales of work eg old annuals or a bike that my parents resprayed and looked like new - it didn't matter to us, we were really excited that Santa had remembered to come. Once, when I was very small my parents were totally broke and my mum just knitted me a jumper with a reindeer on the front and she said I was absolutely thrilled. We did get new stuff as well but this is my first Christmas without my father who died during the year, and it is the thought of him scouring sales of works for books and Bunty annuals that he knew we'd like, or painting an old bike himself so we would think Santa had bought us a new one, that really brings tears to my eyes.

[takataka]

just got some great stuff from our local pound shops ssaw; Moshi Monster/ spiderman/ hello kitty bubble baths...

[SantasLittleHo]

We got lots of presents when my dad was alive, minimum when Mum was single and working 4 jobs, the first christmas with my alkie step dad was amazing. We'd never seen so many presents. The years after were very lean. One year we got no presents, no tree, no dinner... just the 4 of us sat huddled watching christmas tv while our parents recovered from a hangover. The year after I got a weekend job just so I could buy my siblings a gift to open. They thought they'd been bad. :(

[BeaWheesht]

We were all overrun with presents as Christmas and my kids are the same although i spend less because I trawl car boots and second hand sites.

I'm really shocked how many people got nothing - afaik all of my friends at school got stuff. One friend in particular got a present every day in December - not a wee thing either - I remember her getting computer games and designer clothes and jewellery for her 'advent calndar'

[butterfingerz]

We were poor but always had Christmas presents, even when my dad was made redundant. They weren't expensive, they seemed to go for quantity over quality! Which I guess is what small kids want. My mum got us involved in Christmas cooking, mince pies, puddings and cakes. My dad was a perfectionist when it came to decorating the house in lots of foil garlands and tinsel and strings of Xmas cards. And lots of nice but probably cheap food. Yes, poor but happy!

[BelinaTheChicken]

OP if your boys love bath bombs you can make them pretty cheaply

www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk/recipe_bath_bomb.htm

Not as good as lush, but still good

[ssaw2012]

Thanks Belina. I really like it. Looks so simple.