How many presents without inc lists have your dc got.

[MincedMuffPies]

Mine have about 35 each 10 of those are stocking fillers of things around a pound nothing more then a fiver.

I haven't spent loads but as they're older and its things like dvds and ps3 games it really doesn't look like much compared to previous years of bikes and large similar presents.

[sittingbythefairylights]

I was worried that I'd over done it, but I think know they have 5 each, plus stockings.

Ds2, aged 6, has 1 main present (Lego set), couple of books, joke set and a Jelly beans machine.

Actually, when I write it down, it doesn't sound too much.

[working9while5]

I think how people turn out is really nothing at all to do with parental choice in this regard.

I am one of two. I am personally very non-materialistic for myself. Four pairs of shoes, two coats, no music or expensive skincare/make up, no awareness of designer
brands in clothes or handbags, no awareness of cars, nothing fancy really. My money goes on books and hobbies during the year, choir and sewing. Ultra sedate. My sister won't look at a dress if it's not Prada, drives a gas guzzler, has whole wardrobes of shoes and designer bags etc. We had the same sort of Christmas as children and similar household incomes as adults though I possibly earn more. I don't know how she pays for it but if I won lotto tomorrow I just don't have much interest in that stuff. Dh is one of three and one sib is a high roller with the best of everything, the other is a doctor who shops only at Aldi and has never had a new car. He's sort of inbetween. Envies flash cars and spends a fortune on his interests but all his clothes are years old and falling apart and he doesn't buy much. They had very minimal presents as kids.

Honestly? The people I know in high pressure City jobs etc are all massively consumerist and many of us who aren't pushed by stuff are in solid boring professional jobs in modest homes saving for the things that are of personal interest and value. There's just no correlation and neither are consumerist friends morality free fiends living off Moet with others sandal wearing professional do-gooders living in shacks and eating the Guardian. I very much doubt anyone's life course is dictated by how big or small a pile they got at Christmas in any predictable way.

[masquerade]

I've just wrote a list and my daughter (age 10) has 15 presents to unwrap from me, then a stocking with another 5-6 small gifts - pens, hair bow, science putty etc and some chocolate. Her presents mostly cost £2-20 apart from a zoo keeper experience which was £70 (I'm going to wrap this in lots of boxes, because it's her main present but to open is just an envelope). She'll also have another 5-6 presents from my mum and 3 from friends to open on Christmas morning. Another 15-20 (depending on how they're wrapped) from other family during the day. And more from her dad a couple of days later.

Not bad for the girl who didn't really want anything (apart from books - and she has got all of the books she wanted and more)!

[SquirrelNuts]

I just counted mine from my list and DD has 13 less present than DS, glad they're too young to realise!

[ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO]

Great post working

[ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO]

I got our books off Amazon, the globe was 20 and the other big was 35, everything else has been very cheap.

[iheartdusty]

I feel content with the choices I have made, and I think the DC will be very happy. Each DC has one big-price gift they asked for, from us, plus a 'wow' surprise from Santa - total cost for those four things is about £300 for both children but I have used vouchers and bargain hunted so it has come in at less.

Then they have a stocking each, a big box of books to share, and 2 smaller items each from us, in the £10-£20 range. TBH I probably could have done the stockings more cheaply - they include choc coins, pens, erasers and notebooks, but also a couple of little things that were £8-£10 and they do add up.

This year I haven't done presents from each DC to the other. If they ask I will take them to poundland or something similar.

[Luggage16]

have just been through the whole list of bits we have again and split them between stocking style gifts (

[TikkaTurkey]

I haven't counted. I don't think we've got them loads, but when you count up everything in the stocking, and then the main present, and the amount of presents they'll get from great grandparents/grandparents/aunties/uncles, they'll end up with a lot!

[dashoflime]

11
2 from me
4 from DHs mum and Dad
2 from my mum and Dad
2 from other relatives
1 from his childminder

He is 18 months old. It is ridiculous. DM is visiting and has pointed out that I got 1 present at the same age. Am a wee bit

[MoominsYonisAreScary]

Dash looking at my I'm on list your post comes up as 112 presents!

[AnneWentworth]

We don't do stockings either. We have books, socks etc all under the tree but it still totals 9.

I think everyone's Christmas sounds lovely and as mentioned before each to their own.

[MoominsYonisAreScary]

I haven't counted the little ones presents, the youngest is 10 months , his birthday is the beginning of feb (all 4 are in feb) we don't tend to buy things later in the year so they have some presents that they will grow into. The 10 month old has a push along walker and the 2 year old has a balance bike and scooter that he will probably get more use out of in the summer.

[working9while5]

My point was there is no correlation or morality to it. I wasn't judging millionaires as immoral, just stating most people I know drawn to high end high pressure jobs tend to enjoy consumerism and perhaps have chosen high paying jobs to facilitate. Bill Gates clearly doesn't fit this bill though.

The grand point was actually that it has nothing to do with life skills or outcomes whatsoever. Kids who get loads don't up ipso facto end up demanding little buggers, kids without massive piles don't feel unloved. It's all a load of fuss over nothing and really not a big deal how you choose to do it.

[Marne]

My dh doesn't have a high end job (far from it) but we go OTT at Christmas, we know people who have a lot of money but only buy their dc's 1 or 2 gifts (though their children get other things we could not afford such as private schooling and riding lessons).

To the people who only buy a couple of gifts for their dc's, what do your dc's play with throughout the year (not being nasty, just nosey)? do they get a lot of gifts from family? If I only bought my dd's 1 or 2 toys they would not have anything to do all year (one toy might get broken or they might get fed up with it ). I try and buy things that will last all year (craft items, playdough for rainy days, musical instruments and play sets as well as useful items), every item is thought out carefully and is not tat. I wouldn't mind buying less if I knew they were getting more from family but our family doesn't really bother too much and they never ask 'what sort of things do the dd's like?' so mainly give cash or clothes.

[msmiggins]

Good point Marne. My children only get gifts at christmas and birthdays- no other times of the year.

Children do benefit from toys- if they only get 2 or 3 gifts at christmas then when do they get baking sets, trampolines, books, jigsaws, craft items, bicycles, dressing up clothes, gardening sets etc?

As Marne says all these things are life enhancing for children, do the kids that get only one or two gifts have to do without all these things?

I'm not a tat buyer either but I like to shower my children with things they will enjoy/stimulate creativity.

[Branunion]

Mine have never had a trampoline. Bikes have been given for birthdays. I do buy the odd thing through the year. They get about 8 gifts each at Xmas.

[Marne]

Do they get gifts from family and friends though Branunion?

We did buy a trampoline a couple years ago (not for birthdays or Christmas) but other than that we don't really buy them anything, sometimes they get money from grandparents (when we visit) so then they can buy themselves something and sometimes they pick things up at a boot sale but other than that Christmas is when they get good toys, birthdays they get one toy (and maybe some books). Dd2 gets through quite a lot of art stuff and playdough so I buy a load for Christmas, once she has opened her presents some bits are put back for later in the year. Last year the dd's had a trike as a joint present (as they are not keen enough to have one each), they both have co ordination problems so cant ride a normal bike, this was the most I have spent on birthdays.

[MincedMuffPies]

I always use christmas to stock up on pens, pencils, glitter, glue, paints, paper, sketch books, baking stuff, outdoor stuff ect ect. I buy toys for the year ahead.

I can never get into my head how some people can be so smug about a small christmas but buy their dc toys all through out the year. My dc don't even ask me for stuff through out the year as they know it will be a no.

[cantheyseeme]

I dont buy toys through the year but when the weather is better we do things like days out lots so they wont be bored, but then i suppose when we go into town and dd wants a £1 colouring book i dont class that as toys.

[feathermucker]

D'you know what - buy what you want and spend what you want.

It does NOT make you a better/worse parent if you get them more/less. If someone wants to buy their son an iPhone 5, what does that have to do with anyone else?! Similarly, if someone can only afford a few bits, it does NOT make their children/s Christmas boring or otherwise.

My son has...

Mad Gear Pro Scooter (2nd hand)
Battleship
Helmet
Guinness Book of Records
Domino Express
Remote Control Helicopter
Hexbug Nano V2
Stocking full of Poundland/99p store bits

Christmas, what it means etc is very personal to each and every person on here. Personally, I LOVE seeing him opening presents. I spend what I can afford - if I can afford a lot, I spend it

Generally, I can't lol

[dashoflime]

Moomins I would have won!

[Belgianchox]

Mine each have 1 main (lego set), one board game each, couple of books/annuals, clothes, dvd set + pop corn to share, and stockings. They have a about 9 parcels each, including gifts from dgp. I keep veering from thinking it's far too much, to is it enough? I know it is enough, of course, wish i could convince myself it's not too much. Doesn't help having a dp who declines all responsibility for Christmas, but at the same time thinks the dc should really only open 1 present under the tree from us. I grew up with z big pile (albeit full of smallish stuff) and sometimes a big present, depending on the year/needs etc. It's such a minefield.

[Marne]

When I was a child I got a sack of presents but my parents cheated a little and put all the presents from family in the sack, Santa gave us one large gift ( around £30 ) and several smaller gifts which were things like felt tip pens, colouring books, socks, pants and some chocolate ( remember those plastic money boxes full of chocolate balls?). as we go older the presents got less, when I was 10/11 we stopped having sacks and just had a couple of gifts under the tree. We didn't have a lot of toys, spent most of our time playing in the garden or out on our bikes sadly things have changed.