to want to give my two year old the best Christmas ever

[mancmama1614]

When I was a little girl, growing up my parents were really poor. However they saved all year for Christmas and used to spend up to £1k on each of us so we had loads of Christmas presents to open. We made loads of family Christmas memories too (Disney on ice, Christmas Eve hampers, eve-of-the-eve-of-Christmas-eve presents) and I look back on those Christmases with the fondest of memories.
Now, I am in a similar position to what my mum and dad were in when they were younger; my partner earns a good salary (I am a SAHM) however we are paying off quite hefty debts from our hedonistic twenties 🙄 so we are strictly on a tight budget.
AIBU to still go what some people would class as overboard at Christmas? So far the presents I have bought him are about 35 in total, I have spent about £350-£400 (don't count) but still want to get him all the clangers merchandise which will be another £150.
Added to this there will be visits to the santa train, Christmas parties at all the playgroups we go to and a winter wonderland trip.
His birthday is in January and we would like to have a big party for him and all his friends and also buy about 10-15 presents for that too.
Can I just add we aren't taking out any credit for this because I wouldn't be accepted for any anyway
All I see on Facebook and in the news are people only buying their kids one present, letting the grandparents pick up the slack or following that bloody soulless four gift rule.
Not buying for adults this year and me and my partner aren't buying for each other but we are buying for kids of friends.
Does anyone else do a Christmas like this when they are on a bit of a budget? Or any free trip ideas (ideally in Manchester) to add an extra special touch?

[FlowerPot1234]

He is 2 years old. 35 presents. Already spent £400. More to come.

[GreenTulips]

Glad I'm not spending Christmas at some of you grinches houses anyway!

Pity your parents didn't bother teaching you manners

[Mijkl]

As Christmas goes, this one sounds very... Unchristian?
(I'm not Christian btw. Just noting that it's not exactly the spirit of the thing)

[Porpoises]

It's not your own money though is it. You're in debt.

[vwlphb]

Glad I'm not spending Christmas at some of you grinches houses anyway!

"Immature" isn't really a lazy insult when given this charming little response.

If you think that not spending hundreds of pounds on dozens on presents for a child who will not even remember it makes someone a Grinch, then there's really no sensible discussion to be had.

[SisyphusHadItEasy]

Really poor.

I recall really poor. We relied on a charity hamper for food at Christmas, and I got one gift, from the police toy collection in our town.

£1k per child and gifts going on for days is not what I would consider really poor.

[BabyLionCub]

I've got quite a large amount of Christmas presents for my 2yo DD in my Amazon basket. The thing is, it's not just about Christmas, is it?

She'll play with them the rest of the year. I don't buy her many toys throughout the year - I mostly wait till Christmas/ birthday time. My mum did the same. And they change so much at this age that the toys she got a year ago aren't really age appropriate anymore.

So she's got quite a few new books and sticker books. Some orchard type card games. A few Peppa pig toys (playdoh, torch/ projector etc). Some new food for her kitchen. Some stuff to make her bath go fizzy. A few things for a couple of quid for the stocking - like a hatching dinosaur egg, some bubbles etc. Some cars. A dolls house, a bike and a helmet. A couple of dressing up outfits.

She won't get much from her family, and probably nothing from her dad. It's just us two this Christmas, chilling and eating and playing with her new toys. Is that really an obscene amount of toys for a kid to have? We'll make biscuits and we'll spread reindeer food outside, and leave santa a key. We'll go to the garden centre for breakfast with the big man. We'll walk around and see the lights. We've got panto tickets booked. I'm all about experiences too.

Reading this thread has made me feel like I'm going to raise a spoilt brat. I genuinely didn't realise that amount of gifts was viewed as so ridiculously excessive.

[VileyRose]

YAH I. I wouldn't scrimp all year for the sake of Christmas.

[LuchiMangsho]

Clearly there is a middle ground between one environmentally friendly gift and 400 quid on a 2 year old. But I suspect that the worst lesson your parents taught you (or didn't teach you) was about financial responsibility and the middle ground. I would much rather be comfortable all year as a family than have a ridiculous one day of the year. But hey ho, your choice. I hope for your kid's sake you teach him better financial responsibility.
PS Can you imagine saving 500 quid for 18 years? That's 9K you can give him. So much more valuable in the long run than plastic tat but I now realise that financial prudence isn't something that comes naturally to you.

[ChilliMary]

A 2 year old will not remember all of this. It's over the top. 35 presents?! Can't get my head around that.

[GreenTulips]

We always aimed for around 15

This included PKs socks vests crafts book new shoes etc
A toy they wanted and a few other bits they needed.

Nothing more than £80 each they didn't go without and were quite lucky compared to some

I'd rather the money went on a family holiday or panto or other outings in the year

[Jasminedes]

Have not rtft. Make christmas special every year by not getting stressed, playing with his new things with him, crisp December walks to the park, being excited, lots of glitter and sparkle. That's what he will remember. Imagine you throw losts of money at it year after year and then end up with an ungrateful 16 year old, and realise you got it wrong? Do the in between thing. And remember he will be excited about giving too. Have a lovely christmas OP, for yourself too.

[FlowerPot1234]

Is this thread here? I cannot believe this is not a terrible, parody-of-society joke, surely?

[FlowerPot1234]

Oops, I meant still here

[Ssdw]

"Is this thread here? I cannot believe this is not a terrible, parody-of-society joke, surely?"

Im on the fence too. It starts like a bedtime story... when i was a little girl my parents were very poor. But we didnt live in poverty because by not spending money on themselves they saved up several thousand every single year. Yeah, right. ( sounds like the guy who said that millenials could afford a deposit if they stopped eating avocado toast) They always gave me everything i ever dreamed of so i grew up thinking that life is like that. And when i couldnt afford what i wanted then i got into debt. So much so that my credit rating is so bad i wouldnt be able to get anymore credit. But paying it off is not my priority. I will come on mumsnet and ask if im bu and when i get told that i am i will tell them they are being bullies and that i dont care and will carry on as i am..
I will also make fun of the ones who warned me about the environmental effects of all that plastic..
Because of course i didnt really come on mumsnet to ask if i am being over the top, i came here to gloat.
Either that or this person is incredibly out of touch with reality to look at a pile of 35!! presents and think it is small..

[runsmidgeOMG]

Ssdw perfect summary right there 👌🏻

[ArcheryAnnie]

Yay go 4 it hun! Whu Carez what the haterz think, he'll luv it!

ChameNangerRanger' if you too are going to buy more than 35 presents for your own child, may I respectfully suggest at least one of them is a book? With actual words in, not a picture book.

[ButchyRestingFace]

Yay go 4 it hun! Whu Carez what the haterz think, he'll luv it!

ChameNangerRanger' if you too are going to buy more than 35 presents for your own child, may I respectfully suggest at least one of them is a book? With actual words in, not a picture book.

Ironee ain't just a little bitty place outside Wisconsin, you know...

[randomer]

If any of this guff is true I have visions of the over excited two year old either falling asleep after present number 6 and/or having a massive meltdown

[Pinkvoid]

My DM spent hundreds on our presents every year but honestly most of them were absolute junk. We rarely had chance to appreciate them because we were totally overwhelmed and all of those gifts she spent so much money on are laying on a landfill.

I think fewer more thoughtful gifts are better. Plus it’s always worthwhile investing in experiences rather than ‘stuff’.

[Raisedbyguineapigs]

It does sound like a version of the annual 'Lets stare disapprovingly at the feckless poor with the presents as high as the Christmas tree' story that's always in the news. I wonder if OP is hoping for a call from the Daily Mail?

[Jaffalong]

Well if you save £250 of the £500 you intend to spend on him for Christmas for the next 18 years you'll have £4500 put away to give him for his 21st birthday. He will definitely love you for that & not for wasting nearly 5 grand on plastic tat lying in landfill.

Seriously, put the extra money away in a long term deposit account or premium bonds. Then split the pile of 35 gifts bought so far between Xmas & his birthday. Passes for the zoo, soft play, national trust etc so you can have days out through the year is good for his age.

There is no point in spending all that money for one day and not being able to do anything else for the year because you're skint.

[dotdotdotmustdash]

Both of my DC (now grown up) were January birthdays. I used to overshop for them at Christmas, although not to the extent you do, and buy about 15 gifts each. Every year without fail I would start wrapping the gifts and realise that there were too many. At that point I would choose a small, medium and largish item for each and put them back in the cupboard until their birthdays. It helped the budget enormously!

How about he gets a Clangers birthday instead of Christmas?

[thelastredwinegum]

Not RTFT but

1. I wish my parents were as poor as yours when I was a kid!
   
2. The first Christmas I actually remember would probably be about 6-7 years old (and I remember getting a pair of gloves )

[poooooooop]

www.becomingminimalist.com/why-fewer-toys-will-actually-benefit-your-kids/

Just going to leave this for you op