Childminder's Club: Is there a polite way to say.......

[katymac]

That we got 17 boxes of chocolates/biscuits last christmas...and could we have tesco's vouchers instead

I say it's too cheeky - but DH says that even we can't reasonably be expected to eat that much chocolate..........so is it polite to ask for something else as a Christmac present or are we being rude?

We really don't want smellies (I'm allegic) and neither of us drink

What should we do?

I'm not a cm but I think it would be incredibly cheeky to ask for particular things as Christmas presents. Your dh might be right that you can't be expected to eat that much chocolate, but the parents of your mindees can't be expected to give you presents to order.

I agree that they could perhaps be a bit more imaginative, but I think it's unreasonable to ask for anything specific.

That's what I said

But DH had to munch his way thro' all that choclate (because you cannot give away something you have received as a present)

Oh dear

No you can't ask for something else. Unless mindee-parent asks what you would like for Christmas, in which case you say "anything except chocolate or smellies" (me, I'd ask for wine )

Your poor dh, being forced to eat his way through all that chocolate; must have been hell

Could you donate it to a local hospital or old peoples' home if you get too much this year (because yes, you are allowed to give presents away!).

If we got ELC vouchers we'd buy the playroom something

Never mind - we will just have to say thank you and smile

DH won't allow presents to be given away - he's funny like that

You want to be grateful to have received anything last year I didnt even get a card from ANY of my mindees or their families!

I would have no problem with my cm saying she got so many chocolates last year please get .... I always spend ages trying to think what to get her because I think chocolates are so predictable!!

i sold all my chocolate on ebay last year! There was one woman in Brighton who bought loads! including 7 chocolate oranges!

Wow highlight - I'm very impressed (however I think DH would count that as giving them away)

You wouldn't beleive how long it has taken me to get rid of some wedding presents (we've been married nearly 12 yrs) Incl a deep fat fryer that we used for 10 yrs broke and couldn't be fixed "well so & so bought it for us and we shouldn't just throw it away" - well what could you do with it??

I got a great set of elephant bookends last year & 17 boses of chocs

I do not have any expectation of getting pressies (even though I always get something!) Unfortunately, all my parents know that I only use Body Shop products, and that Galaxy solves every problem under the sun, so I'm usually pretty happy at Christmas.