Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

differing opinions on presents

13 replies

superbagpuss · 20/09/2014 14:22

dh and I have different opinions on presents for our DC

I would rather get a big toy/item, plus a few things that they want and clothes etc

he would rather get a mound of tat that we can't store and won't be played with

they have lots of family so don't go short at all

am I being mean?

OP posts:
Trills · 20/09/2014 14:25

How does he express what he thinks is an appropriate number/kind of presents?

I'm sure he doesn't think of it as "a mound of tat that we can't store and won't be played with"...

SavoyCabbage · 20/09/2014 14:28

I don't think you are giving a unbiased view of what he wants!

Original poster
superbagpuss · 20/09/2014 14:33

OK, think lots of things from cheap shops that's not current and the DC don't know what it is so he has to explain it to them.

they have three remote control cars each, he picked a couple more up from a car boot sale

he goes round charity shops and jumble sales P doing up second hand stuff for the boys

OP posts:
evelynj · 20/09/2014 23:39

Set a budget-if dc want 1 thing (IMHO that's all they should get to ask for, unless they want a tub of Pringles like my ds), then let dh get the tat with whatever is leftover-fwiw I buy a lot 2nd hand & charity shops-e.g. Dh has just got a load of eBay playmobil & castle etc fot

Original poster
superbagpuss · 21/09/2014 06:44

its not that I mind it coming from charity shops as such, after all less to landfill is always good, but I want the children to have new things as well and I don't think the more presents the better. I think its about how suitable the presents are over sheer volume

OP posts:
NorksEnormous · 21/09/2014 08:25

I agree with you superbagpuss it's quality over quantity! My aunt spends all year looking for bargains in charity shops and sales and keeps it all for Christmas. She comes over on Christmas Eve with an enormous bag of presents but when I go through it it's the biggest pile of tat! She probably spends around £20, I would much Rather prefer she spent that £20 on one toy that they will play with!

poolomoomon · 21/09/2014 08:29

Agreed whole heartedly with you. Ridiculous getting 1000 presents they won't play with that will end up in landfill or being recycled rather than getting, say, 10 presents they love and use to death. Quality over quantity always.

poolomoomon · 21/09/2014 08:29

Agreed whole heartedly with you. Ridiculous getting 1000 presents they won't play with that will end up in landfill or being recycled rather than getting, say, 10 presents they love and use to death. Quality over quantity always.

fuzzpig · 21/09/2014 10:02

Yes, I'm with you. Quality over quantity is my rule for buying presents myself.

Sometimes cheap tat is absolutely brilliant, though, and my DCs get a little each year - my SIL is absolutely brilliant at choosing what she actually calls "a box of crap" :o and on the day they are often the most popular presents of course! It doesn't really matter if they are used for a week and then break or get lost because they have brought joy in that time.

However there's a difference between a little well-chosen frippery, and a mountain of ill-thought-out stuff that's bought for the sake of it.

Less is more when it comes to Xmas IMO, I've seen my DCs get overwhelmed when I've done too much shopping (blame 'The Twitch'!) and I am determined not to make that mistake again.

I'm not against second hand stuff either, I love charity shops and eBay and the DCs get the odd out-of-print game etc, but I totally get that you want them to have new things too at Xmas. My DCs are actually getting a used toy each in their stocking for the first time this year - we have a new 'tradition' of top trumps being a regular stocking filler and the ones I know they will love - Roald Dahl for DD and The Incredibles for DS - are both out of print. I am very particular about buying games though and always check they are complete etc.

I'm not really sure how you can reach a compromise with this with DH though. Can you give some examples of what you each want to buy?

Original poster
superbagpuss · 21/09/2014 12:43

I think I would want the DC to have a stocking each, a medium sized present from FC, a major present from us and a few other bits like puzzles and games as well as clothes etc so not going short but not masses

he has already emptied the bargain bin at the entertainer ( lots of stars wars plastic tiny things) as well as another doll

last year he got them lots of Olympics things 18 months after the end of the Olympics

I said about buying frozen stuff and he said it was a shame it was so popular as normally you can get it reduced once the fad has passed by. I would like the DC to have things while they are still popular

OP posts:
fuzzpig · 21/09/2014 13:00

Ah I see what you mean. Yes Olympics stuff ages after is silly unless they are still obsessed with it.

All it says, when you are given something that you were into a long time ago, but aren't anymore, is that the giver isn't listening to you!

But you know that of course. Your DH seems more interested in bargain hunting than giving. Hmm

fuzzpig · 21/09/2014 13:05

Perhaps he has a point about the current stuff being overpriced, though, IYSWIM, because a lot of 'the latest toy' type stuff often is. But what counts as a waste of money is subjective of course!

Original poster
superbagpuss · 21/09/2014 13:19

yes its over priced but they should get something that makes their eyes light up and they can't stop talking about

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page