Christmas gifts for our children

[Searbear]

Hello I was wondering how much to spend on children for Christmas, I understand in most cases there is a budget, but what is the right price? considering how costly things are now days, it just seems to hard to feel like you have done enough

My husband has a theory on this! He reckons whatever budget we have I won't quit spending until the shops have shut! That feeling you have of never having done enough I get completely but it does disappear on christmas morning! For what its worth I usually buy one big main sort of prezzie then a quite a bit of smaller ones so for DD this year who is 7 her main prezzie as she is barmy on them is an L O L surprise thing that was 85 then maybe another 150 quids worth on craft stuff and dolls and cds and bath bombs,books ,dvds etc...for DS he is a bit older and has concert tickets for 2, clarins skincare stuff clinique aftershave and 2 nintendo switch games and chocolates n prosecco and gin,So roughly same value as DD but not as much stuff.Luckily I have been buying since June (please dont judge at my madness!)and have got discounts on most things as I bought when the sales were on,What ever you do and how ever you do it pretty sure all will be fine and this time next week the madness is more or less all over!!

This is a lighthearted reply btw.

Well the amount you spend is governed by what class you.

Lower class.... you spend a shocking amount of money buying things from a catalogue which you pay for weekly with money from the government.

Working class..... you do your best with what money you have.

Middle Class..... the smaller the pile of presents the better, 5 gifts is the norm. You wouldn’t want to be mistaken for either of the above.

Upper Class.... you spend very little on token gifts (just like our own dear Queen). The privilege your children were born with is the only gift they’ll ever need but not necessarily ever appreciate.

Or Op you use your common sense and decide for yourself.

Oh Heck now i have to decide which class I am in!!! Gonna plump for working class !!!! Done my best with spare money and don't owe anybody anything so reckon thats ok!!!! Would love to be upper class but that wouldnt go down well in our house!!Think of all the time saved trailing round the shops .I might try that next year and just give them all a jar of jam!!Do Fortnum and masons do a sale on jam round about June time do you think?!!!This could be a complete game changer!!!

I agree with Maiden.

I'm also well aware I'm middle class and do look down upon mad working class spending.

We keep it fair so spend roughly the same amount on our children but that changes year on year. Last year they both wanted new bikes. We do a lot of riding as a family and we'd seen that the old bikes had had a lot of use so it was ok.

We've given them about 5 gifts each. About £50.

We don't spend much, they have plenty and I don't make them wait for Christmas if they need things. £100 is plenty unless a specific item (now they are nearly adults we have bought phones on occasion but not really expensive ones)

@Sally..... maybe gradually introduce the family to the new regime less chance of a rebellion. I’d suggest going middle class for a couple of years. The rule is something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read plus a satsuma/sugar mouse (sugar mice are tricky to find apparently so you need to factor in availability obvs).

I tend to do number of things rather than value as mine are little-ish. So 10 stocking things and 8 tree presents.

They are the only grandchildren for both sides so it seems to rain presents from others too!

Saw a wee poem that I think helps me focus as tend to pick up things as I go then end up with loads of bits.
Something they want,
Something they need,
Something to wear,
Something to read.
Have tried to stick to that then a few wee things for their stockings.

I'm also well aware I'm middle class and do look down upon mad working class spending.

😂

A stocking of small treats, a main present from Santa, a main present from us, lots of books and some new clothes.
Main present could be anything from a Lego set, a dolly, a bike, a game, technology, a big craft bundle...

I'm also well aware I'm middle class and do look down upon mad working class spending.

She says smoothing down her Boden dress and gently touching her pearls

Something they want,
Something they need,
Something to wear,
Something to read.

So depressing.

Repressed and depressing

*Something they want,
Something they need,
Something to wear,
Something to read

So depressing*

^ Agreed.

If they NEED something then it should be bought regardless of Christmas.

I spend what I can afford, I don’t buy from catalogues. My daughter has asked for a Nintendo switch this year so that’s what she got with a few games.
She also has some other bits she has asked for such as Lego, bath bombs, a box of white Lindor chocolate and some smiggle stuff. I think that’s plenty considering the console cost £250 alone.

Maiden i love that

I spend around £80 on presents for my 2 DC. That's £80 altogether, not each. They are 2 and 4 and have everything they 'need' already. It's nice to see their faces on Christmas morning when they get what they've asked for. Mine get one big present each around £20/£25 And then stocking fillers. If you start small then that's all they know. We don't have a lot of spare cash, and we have large families who buy gifts for them too.

We are doing 'want, need, wear, read', I don't think it's depressing.
They 'need' new bikes, they 'want' lego, they're getting some clothes with their favourite characters on and a personalised book plus a stocking. I think they're getting a nice amount of presents. Obviously we buy them what else they 'need' during the year. They are overwhelmed with gifts from relatives (not complaining) so I don't want to buy too much. We don't have the space or the money to do so. I think it's how you interpret it really.

We do the “want, need, wear, read” but just seems to be that they want quite a lot...
Seriously though there isn’t a rule on how much you should spend. Spend what you want to and what you can afford. My kids know that their Xmas list is just suggestions for Santa to choose from and they never get everything they ask for

Our budget is £50 per child main present and £20 per child stocking. DH and I were talking last night about it and agreed that most people we know spend a lot more, but the DCs have generous grandparents and aren't hard done by. I don't want to go buying stuff just for the hell of it which will get wasted or not appreciated.

Usually I aim for £30 main present and £25 on stockings and when they were little that was easy to stick to but it gets harder as they get older- it's been more like £40 main present, £40 stockings this year and I feel like they've been really spoilt - I can't believe people spend over £100 though unless you're buying a bike or something

They get a stocking with 15-20 bits in it but ‘a thing’ might be a pack of match attax or chocolate coins or a paperback and there’s some needs mixed in too ( pyjamas, pants, hockey gum shield etc). I’m going to start dialling that down next year as neither of them are believers now. We don’t do big presents from Santa. Main present from us is a PS4 between them ( and DH) and dd is also getting a skateboard and ds a Lego set. We don’t have a big family but GPs and my dsis will also get them something.

I’ve gone totally over board with our 2 year old DS this year because I keep seeing things I know he’d like. Once it’s opened some of it will be packed away and brought out through the year, his birthday is September so it’s got to last until then and some of it has to be appropriate for a bit older than he is now. He has a stack of books, too many puzzles, a wooden garage, level crossing for his trainset then a stocking with fun bits. From family he has a doll, buggy, puzzle board and more puzzles. It wasn’t hugely expensive, maybe £150 total from us but looks loads and I’m more worried about him being overwhelmed that the cost.
Judging by the PP my family are from a solidly working class background and haven’t shaken that off despite being firmly middle class in other ways. DHs family are upper middle and vaguely horrified at how OTT I go. I think their Christmas’s are generally pretty sparten though and not much fun and DH just humours me now!

There is no 'right' way. Much depends on what you can afford, how much your kids get through the year, your approach to Christmas.

The poem is twee as fuck and also totally unhelpful for my preschool boys ignore it

DrWhy I'm in exactly the same position as you.

Memories of my (fab) working class christmases die hard and I want to recreate the same for my sons, even though they already have far more than I ever did.

DH was appalled at what I thought was quite a restrained pile this year.

It's all well chosen stuff that they'll get a lot out of though. Apart from some PJ masks tat that i impulse bought in Lidl

I make a lot of fuss / spending on birthdays for DD overs the years than Christmas, maybe because DD has never been excited about Christmas.

Tbh its always been about £50-£75, and never put anything in stockings other than sweets. Once when she was 14 I spent £200 on a cell phone.

However she has also received pretty generous sums of money from her grandparents.

Really, people can’t believe people spend over £100???
My sons Lego cost £75. The crappiest toys cost £15. On average I’d say about £25/30 per toy.
I think people are being deliberately obtuse. Of course it’s easy to spend £100 unless you do the ‘poem’ and only get 4 presents.

Mine have had roughly £300 each, I have an app on my phone for keeping track so I know one of them has 19 presents and the other 26 but that’s including things that cost £1-5 such as stocking fillers, So don’t have that many actual presents under the tree.