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?

^*two

What IS the rhyme

Something you want
Something you need
Something to wear
Something to read
That's the version I know.

Thank you. I never get him clothes for Xmas so can I just replace that line with Something that's a train and we're sorted haha

Yanbu in wanting to give your child the best Christmas ever, but Yabu if you think that this equates to volume of presents or money spent...

I have two DCs, same sex, close in age. The house is already filled with plastic that they've accrued over the last few years and still play with. Lots of toys at 2 might seem like a lovely idea, but many of them will still be around at 3, 4, 5, 6... plus the other stuff they accumulate in between.

I've found a birthday near Christmas is more of a reason to hold back, although he gets bits and pieces through the year rather than a massive glut in one week and nothing else for 51 weeks. Outdoor things, I tend to get spring/ summer when they can be used rather than in the middle of winter when they get half forgotten about.

Between church, Christmas Dinner and visiting family, there's not the time to open and explore more than a few presents anyway. Time will depend on how your day is planned- we're probably out more than most.

I found they got more excited and appreciative of Christmas at 3. 2 was nice, but really, really not worth a big blow out.

Doesn't sound as if you are over your 'hedonistic twenties' tbh

I was just thinking the same thing.

Don't go putting yourselves in debt or putting off paying debt to spend loads of money on a two year old. Work on getting out of debt and hopefully by the time your child gives a shit about Christmas you can save and do a big festive season for them.

Don't be foolish at this point. 2 yr olds really really really don't get it and don't care.

My son isn't the type to be easily overwhelmed so I'm not worried about that! He's also quite old for his age.

In that case, forget the Clangers and get him a year's subscription to the Financial Times.

You're setting yourself up for disappointment on Christmas day. Your poor DS will likely be overwhelmed by so many presents, my DS was at that age and he had nothing like 35!

In that case, forget the Clangers and get him a year's subscription to the Financial Times.

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

Are you having a fucking laugh? You wouldn't know poor if it smacked you round the chops

Your Christmas sounds absolutely soulless to me. My two get their stocking and 5 or 6 things from us. Then 3 or 4 family gifts. That’s plenty.

2 year olds need homes, pay off your debts and get out of your hedonistic 20’s!

The best 'present' we have given our DS - now a teenager - is to pay into a pension fund from the day he was born - of course it's totally dull and boring but hopefully he will apprecite it a lot more than a load of presents and tat every birthday and Christmas - we do buy him presents as well, but nothing like the sums of money spent by the OP on her DS.

Those sorts of amounts of money could be put away for his future - whether it be a pension fund, driving lessons, university costs, house deposit etc etc.

As others have pointed out, you say you are in debt from your 'hedonistic twenties' - what's changed?

Where is the OP? probably gone shopping.

What on earth are 'eve-of-the-eve-of-Christmas Eve presents'?? and also OP I shouldn't say this in case I'm wrong, but fuck me - your parents were hardly poor if they spent ONE THOUSAND POUNDS on you and your siblings each Christmas!!! What a bloody stupid stealth boast your OP is.

Parents poor yet can spend 1k on gifts per child that doesn't sound 'poor' to me! The kid is 2 not 12 he's not going to care how much you've spent you might as well enjoy it while they are like this and save your money, one or two gifts is enough they'll probably enjoy the box more anyway.

Is your child Dudley Dursley?

that I feel the onus is all on us and my mum and dad to make these occasions special for him.

But special doesn’t have to mean a million material things. Why do you have to get him all the Clangers merchandise, on top of 35 other presents? It’s over the top imo, as a mother with a 2 year old DD.

If you have to spend more money, focus on the experience you talked about rather than buying more presents.

Lmao at the Dudley Dursley comment!!!

This is joke post isn't it?

YANBU to want to give your 2 year old the best Christmas ever. All parents want to do that for your kids. However YABU to think that the quantity of presents and money spent equates to how good a Christmas you'll be giving.

In our family we prefer quality over quantity. We prefer to have Christmas as a whole experience of which receiving presents makes up a tiny fraction. Choosing presents for others and giving them is something that we spend a lot of time on and get excited about. We make Christmas food and have friends over. We make decorations together. We might see a Christmas show, watch a Christmas film every day. It's often all the free things that happen not to be presents, that make it the best Christmas ever. Presents wise, my DD gets something she really wants, things that will last her a long time but most importantly 4 or 5 things that have been chosen thoughtfully.

When I was a little girl, growing up my parents were really poor.

Being poor means having no money to be able to save to spend that amount of money on Christmas. We're not poor but we still would never be able to save that amount of money to spend that amount of money on Christmas. Being poor means no Christmas at all. I'm sorry to say if you're going to go around saying you were/are poor you should probably start making yourself more socially aware.

Do whatever it is you want to do for your child.
If you want to get just one gift or a hundred then you’re well within your right to do so, and it’s not for anyone else to tell you how you should be parenting your child.

I personally don’t buy DS (just turned 3) so many Christmas gifts, but that’s mainly because I could not begin to afford to and also because he manages to convince me most weeks to get him a toy or a magazine when we go Asda.

When I think about it however, I’ve bought him 2 big presents and 2 small presents to go with them, and his dad (we’re separated) will probably have done the same, then he has his dad’s mother and 3 sisters who will get him a toy each and my Mum and one of my sisters will probably go quite large as he’s the only grandchild, my youngest sisters are still in school will maybe get him something small if they have a spare fiver, and my own nan has already bought him a new coat and a couple of books.
So when I add all of that together he’s going to be getting an awful lot anyway.

I just recommend not posting all these gifts under the tree all over social media, as you will for sure be vilified for it if you do, because every Tom, Dick and Harry seem to think it’s OK to rip others apart these days.

As someone who once got carried away buying my then toddler a shit load of in the night garden tat I can honestly say don't bother spending a bomb on the clangers. Couple of items sure, but £150 worth, nah. Small children are a fickle bunch and he will move onto something else before long and you will have a house full of clangers shite that will piss you off just to look at it.

Also even slightly older children can be overwhelmed by lots of stuff. Enjoy the day itself together and playing with his new stuff with him. I'd stop buying now, split what you've got in half and give half for Christmas and the other half for his birthday a month later. He will still get plenty then.

Is your child Dudley Dursley?
. ROAR