To think this was really cheeky of my friend!

[BreezyFish]

So my friend has just told me that she’s “only gonna spend a cutla quid” (her words, not mine ) on my DS this Christmas because she’s “saving for Center Parcs next year.”

Now, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but a cutla quid?? I actually thought she was joking at first. My DS is 7, not some random kid from school you pick up a selection box for. I always spend properly on her DD with last year it was a LEGO set, a book, and one of those slime-making kits that exploded glitter everywhere. Easily £25+.

So I said, “Oh right, just a couple of quid?” and she said, dead serious, “Yeah hun, can’t go mad this year, Center Parcs isn’t cheap.”

Sorry but since when did her holiday mean my son gets shortchanged?! It’s not my fault she wants to go be in a beige lodge with a swimming pool.

She’s now acting like I’m the unreasonable one for being “materialistic.” But surely it’s just basic decency to reciprocate roughly what someone else spends?

Would I be unreasonable to get her DD something from the pound shop this year and see how she likes it?

Some people like WH Smith.

You sound like you don’t like her very much at all so I don’t know why you even bother

I mean you’re still here?

^ This 100%. So what if it’s ’traditional’? Clearly, this ‘tradition’ is more of a thing for her than for you. It really is OTT to spend so much money on her DD, especially as you obviously don’t really like her.

Good for them, but I took my DS in there and the only thing he was interested in was the Bic coloured biros and a notebook. That was all a boy his age wants if they go to WHSmith. Meanwhile if he had a voucher for Smyths…

As many others have said, it’s far easier to just not buy gifts this year for each others DC. Tradition Schmition, who cares.

Another batshit OP
Who says cutla quid? Surely at least it would be cupla quid?? Where did the t come from?

Then get her kids the £2 Lindt bear/reindeer—the small one. Job done—it’s a couple of quid, and is “real chocolate.”

Sounds like you need to both re-evaluate this friendship and the gift giving for every event in the calendar.

So ungrateful!!

I think we’re all hanging on to find out what cutla means!!!

Lucky OP.

It sounds horrid.

Well what would you buy from WHsmith if you had a voucher for there?

🤣🤣🤣

A book? Stationary? Art and craft supplies? Chocolate?

Is it really a thing people say? The OP said it with such conviction I thought it was.

1)My DS only reads for school not pleasure
2) he’s got plenty of stationary
3) he doesn’t do art
4) he doesn’t like chocolate

It’s becoming wildly obvious that this is a wind up 🤣

I'd view it as a heads-up so that you can match her spending limit. Obviously you don't buy an expensive gift for her child when she's spending little, but there's no reason to be annoyed unless she's expecting you to spend more.

But after reading everything else, I wonder why you're even friends. She seems to annoy you, so maybe cooling things would be best, or at least stopping the gift exchanges. It's a tradition? Well, all things must come to an end, so why not this? Either the kids are young, in which case the tradition can't be long-standing, or the kids are getting older, so it's a good time to stop. They won't be exchanging gifts (via you and your friend) into their 20s, will they? I'd end the nonsense now.

It means OP is poor at grammar and no doubt says "I think" as "I fink".

You know nuffink about my education!!

YABVU

of course her family holiday is more important

just scale back on what you spend or better yet agree not to buy for each others kids

"I spend properly.." 🤢 Ugh. How tiresome and ick. Worse than "cutla". Materialistic clap trap.

Just say let’s not buy this year.

We normally get my friends children gifts. This year we are skint due to some large unexpected expenses. So we have agreed not to exchange gifts. I will however make them cookies or fudge as a token gift.

I’ve never heard ‘cutla’ instead of, presumably, ‘couple of’. Is it regional slang?

I honestly haven't heard "cutla" before - do you mean "couple a"? Iike a couple of quid?
Just take this as your opportunity to tell her not to worry about getting your child anything, you don't get her child a present either, you and she presumably don't buy presents for each other anyway (?) then it's clear and simple.