How many gifts under the tree?

[Stillhopingstillhere]

Let me start by saying I don't expect the entire carpet to be covered by gifts, but I do like it to seem like there are lots of exciting presents!

Ds will be four and a half at christmas. There is only really us that buy for him (grandparents mainly give money and a small gift that they give when they see him, no one else does presents) so the only gifts under the tree will be the ones we have for him.

He will have around ten gifts under the tree - that's plenty right? I must stop this compulsion to get more more more. I know it's overwhelming really for a little one to have too many presents and yet somehow it doesn't sound much!

I think 10 is loads.

If you want it to look exciting under the tree, you could wrap up some pretend presents? Then it doesn't look all bare and sad underneath at the end of the day

Or put things like tins of biscuits or chocolates underneath? Or crackers? Will you and your dp have presents to each other under the tree? Will you be buying for anyone else?

It should be exciting to have lots of things under the tree, even if they're not all for you.

I agree with [smoked] - you can wrap up anything: sweets, biscuits, long life juice! Plus I saw a great idea here where u wrap up blown up balloons in a box - so lots of extra stuff.

Totally failed to do that cool bolding up a name thing, using the phone app - slinks off pink faced

I usually just get one or two things for dh as he usually asks for expensive things -he usually gives me the money as my christmas present and normally I don't have anything under the tree at all.

I like the idea of wrapping up biscuits etc, nice big boxes so it looks pretty. Ds still just likes to unwrap!

10 is plenty. I've read a lot of comments about little ones getting overwhelmed with too many :)

10 is loads. My dd will also have 10. DH looked at her unwrapped pile the other day and complained that it was small. However, I have bought her things that she will love and spent a reasonable amount and will not be tempted in to spending more! It isn't just about presents. X

10 is loads. In our experience if they have too many they just become blasé and actually the gifts are meaningless to them as they have a very 'next' approach to each gift. We're deliberately restricting our gifts this year for that reason...

I think what you want is the "gasp" factor, where dc is just wowing at how excited they are. You can do this other ways than tree presents, it's about putting a bit of magic into the proceedings. If you're getting him something big, maybe a bike or scooter, perhaps Father Christmas could have left a little note to day he just couldn't squeeze everything down the chimney and something has been left on the doorstep, cue jumping screaming child flinging open door to new bike with big red bow?

Your DS might start wondering why you don't have presents to open yourself! If your DH gives you money, can you maybe buy yourself something with some of it so you have something to open? And surely DH helps DS choose something for you too?

I'm basically choosing my own presents this year - not what I normally do but there's a few things I am really lusting after. Still going to wrap them for Xmas day though :o