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

How many gifts do your dc have under the tree?

46 replies

Sleepswithbutterflies · 28/09/2014 18:13

Ds has had too much really until now (he's 5) and I want to cut back.

I think last year he had about 20 presents under the tree (not all from us). This year I'm aiming for less than 10, which in practice means about 5 from us and then the rest will be from friends and will be token small gifts. We see family on Christmas Day so he will have more things there too.

Christmas is just starting to feel like a big materialistic extravaganza (exactly what it is I suppose), I'm tempted to actually only do stocking, main gift and maybe two small gifts.

I'm torn between wanting him to coming into the living room on christmas morning and thinking 'wow' and feeling it's all a bit excessive.

OP posts:
Smilesandpiles · 28/09/2014 18:23

12 each.

One per month. I haven't planned it that way, it's just how it's usually fallen from the start. The added bonus is I only have to buy 1 present each per month to get to that..so it's really really easy. That's including the ones from ExP.

Don't forget, relatives will also buy presents so you really don't need as many as you think before it's looks as thoguh you've gone over board.

Original poster
Sleepswithbutterflies · 28/09/2014 18:27

Our family is super tiny on my side and dh's don't buy presents (except for pil who we will see on the day) so he will only have 4-5 things extra that aren't from us under the tree and these will be from my friends who kindly buy for him. They usually get things like sweets or clothes or books rather than toys.

OP posts:
Smilesandpiles · 28/09/2014 18:32

So's mine. It's me and the kids.

10 or less sounds fine. Too many presents and it's overwhelming, it really is a case of less is more as they can focus more on the stuff they have for longer and enjoy it more.

I can't describe it but it does work. It's also less stuff that you have to find a home for, less clearing up and you can play for longer.

jamtoast12 · 28/09/2014 18:33

20 from us under the tree plus they get about 12 from other family and friends. I don't put family or friend presents under the tree as they are given directly from the giver, usually later on the day or days after. I don't think it's fair to include them in the Santa pile as they should get the credit even if we don't!

Smilesandpiles · 28/09/2014 18:35

Oooh, I lied!

Sorry, It's 13, the last one from "Santa" is a board game we all play after we've eaten our fill. It's addressed/labeled to all of us.

amyhamster · 28/09/2014 18:36

Mil always buys one big thing & then about ten little things ranging from books to socks
So we tend to just buy one big thing

Methe · 28/09/2014 18:39

Loads. I have absolutely no idea.. Perhaps 50, maybe more, maybe less.

They both have birthdays just after christmas though and they only get a few presents then.

Marmiteandjamislush · 28/09/2014 18:44

1 each from us. The rest of the family put something in the stockings and money in a savings account. We are religious so presents are not a big thing for us. They get sweets at Epiphany from DH's family when we go to Germany. They get 5 presents each from the whole family at Birthdays though.

RufusTheReindeer · 28/09/2014 18:45

15 to 20 from us

Probably about 10 + from other people

They get a book and pjs on Christmas Eve

3 presents to share on Boxing Day (DVD for example although for a few years we got WII stuff, got very cheap HUDLs last year)

Small gifts in the advent calendar (fancy rubbers, bouncy balls etc)

Have two birthdays around the same time. They usually have present fatigue by then

elQuintoConyo · 28/09/2014 19:31

Otoh my DH's family is huge so no one has money to spend on every dc: DS is the youngest of 8 dgc!

We spent €50 on him last year, including stocking (actually they were just the small presents that fitin his stocking, there were perhaps 3?), he was 2yo last year.

So far this year we've spent €45 on a second hand wendyhouse and about20 on other bits. I think another 20 for other bits I have in mind and that's it.

We'll be doing one nice daytrip somewhere which will cost around €50 for the 3 of us.

Buy quality presents you know he'll love, don't go crazy on a stocking full of tat - tat doesn't last (or at least get it from a charity shop: lego figures etc).

There will always be DC who get more than your son, and those who get less.

A handful of gifts and memories of time spent with you and family/friends are what he will remember most Thanks

RabbitSaysWoof · 28/09/2014 19:44

I've just been having a count up on my wish list for ds, and was going to start a similar thread about how much people spend, don't want to go over board but I'm adamant that ds won't get presents for the sake of it all year so dont want to be tight either, he gets 1 main gift from me on hes birthday.
My wish list was 12 normal size presents and 15 stocking fillers.

marne2 · 28/09/2014 19:44

Too many Blush, I start buying around now! I try to stick to a budget but not a limit to how many gifts I buy. This year dd1 wants a tablet and a pokemon game for her 3ds, she will probably get another 10+ other gifts which will be low price or things she needs ( onesie, slippers, bath bombs and books ), dd2 will probably get more as her main present will only cost half of what her sisters will, she likes a lot of tat rather than one big gift. They also get a stocking with about 10 gifts in, most costing under £1 each.

Some years they have had 30 presents but they don't get much from family or friends.

Olbas · 28/09/2014 20:02

One from us plus a stocking.

Lilicat1013 · 28/09/2014 20:17

The boys get ten presents, eight toys and two books. They also have various gifts from family but they aren't under the tree and I don't know how many there will be ahead of time.

FeelingTwitchery · 29/09/2014 07:42

I have a big family and so does DH, so there are about 15 people who give gifts to the DC - though they will be under at least three different trees in different family members houses, so they don't get them all on Christmas day.

Dh and I give one toy present, one "useful" present, and a stocking, and the DC also choose one present for each other.

poolomoomon · 29/09/2014 08:08

Last year was ridiculous. Must have been at least 40 presents each and they're all under four. I went a bit mad, as did my family which never happens- not sure what got into them or me last year. It was horrible, I felt horrible and really guilty seeing so many because Christmas really isn't about the presents and I desperately want the DC to know that...

This year I'm getting them ten each. They always get a lot of books though but I'll wrap a lot of them up together in a bundle plus their Christmas Eve hamper and stocking. Hopefully family don't go as crazy this year... Youngest DC actually started crying last year, totally overwhelmed Sad.

vdbfamily · 29/09/2014 08:28

Ours have a stocking at bottom of bed and then from us get a book set of some description,their main present, and some new clothes such as PJ's or whatever they need. Any gifts for them from other people also go under tree so all in all they probably end up with about 10 each. I have always wondered why people allow themselves to get in so much debt over Christmas but reading this thread makes me realise what a huge amount of stuff kids are being given.What do they do with it all? In my experience they latch onto one or two favourites and some of the other stuff may still be on the lounge floor a couple of weeks later.

anyoldname76 · 29/09/2014 08:44

I like to get them 15 from us and a stocking. They will also have 4 more presents from family but are usually pj's, hats, scarves etc.

BiddyPop · 29/09/2014 08:53

I come from a large family, DH has a medium sized family, and it's DD's birthday the following day. Depending on the year, whether we are at home or travelling and whether we see wider family before or after Christmas day itself, DD may have about 4-8 things under the tree (1 from us, then other family) or up to about 20. But then, so would we.

She also gets more the following day from us, her GPs (both sides), aunts and uncles (my 5 siblings tend to do a shared present for her Birthday lots of years) and her best friend usually gives her one too.

My Dad's family tend to do presents on the day for those at dinner that day (of his siblings in the family home). But then there's a "family dinner" at some stage within the next fortnight for the whole family - most or all of the 6 siblings, 4 spouses, 9 grandchildren (ranging in age from 40 to 5 this year!), 5 spouses/partners of the adult GCs and now 4 Great Grandchildren (relative to my grandparents, who sadly both passed away in the past 4 years). Generally there are between 18 and 27 people at that dinner when you take into account those living overseas who can't get home (1 sibling, 3 GCs and 3 partners/spouses and 3 GGCs) and those who may have to travel in Ireland to see their own ILs over the period. Most of us keep the presents for those people to give at that dinner, and its chaos for about an hour with presents going up and down the table!! DD would get a few birthday and Christmas presents there.

But that's as much because we have big families. And there is not a lot then the rest of the year.

DaisyFlowerChain · 29/09/2014 08:53

Presents from others only go under the tree, any from us go on the sofa. Not admitting to the number as it's more than others but we don't do stockings as they always seem wasteful as tried one year. I buy new pjs for Christmas Eve but don't do clothes as presents as he would need them anyway.

dobedobedo · 29/09/2014 09:02

Ten or less from us. This year ds1 is getting one main present, two medium and three small.

Ds2 is a baby and he's getting four presents from us.

KiaOraOAotearoa · 29/09/2014 09:08

3 presents and a stocking from us.
Her GM goes mad enough. She gets some from relatives and friends too, so it is hardly a dickensian christmas for her.
When she was little, she used to get so many she was overwhelmed and didn't thoroughly enjoy them. Fewer makes the whole thing more precious.

VinoTime · 29/09/2014 09:35

Far too many Blush

BUT... I'm a single parent and dd's dad has never bothered his arse with her. Not so much as a birthday card - ever. So I probably end up overcompensating because of that. She's also my only child and Christmas is my favourite time of year, so I do go all out. Birthdays are strictly one big gift (previous years a bike, a trampoline, etc) and a couple of small gifts, like a dvd or doll she's been desperate for. But I have no rules at Christmas.

Dd isn't a greedy little girl by any means and all she's really asked for this year is some Sylvanian Families and some Shopkins. She puts 10 items on her list every year and it's all mostly inexpensive, fiddly little crap every mother of girls dreads hoovering up Grin

On Christmas Eve she's allowed to open a couple of wee gifts from me - new pyjamas that she wears to bed and a Christmas themed book that we read in bed. Her stocking is rammed with bits and bobs (all items £1.00 or less) and left at the end of her bed to keep her entertained for a bit in the morning so that I can get some sleep. And then Santa leaves his entire toy workshop under our tree in the living room Blush

And then we go to my parents house and do it all over again with gifts from our massive family.

erin99 · 29/09/2014 09:41

Mine get about 3 from us (one big thing, a game and a book kind of thing) and 5-8ish from extended family spread through the christmas week. But they get stockings as well, and FC brought a castle last year which, erm, didn't exactly fit in the stocking!

I am trying to cut back as it was all a bit ridiculous last year. They have their birthdays v close to Christmas too. I am constantly torn between them having far too much on one hand, but on the other I don't want them to miss out by having christmas birthdays, and they have a lot less than most of their friends anyway.

Bouttimeforwine · 29/09/2014 09:53

At least 60 from us when they were young. Probably 15 now they are older. I went for the wow factor. Sets were split up and wrapped individually. Poundland presents. Useful presents that I'd have bought them anyway but saved to wrap up. Bargains I'd found throughout the year. We didn't really do a stocking though. They'd all be sitting there in the lounge, spilling out from the sack, when they walked in on christmas morning.

Although they had a lot in quantity, the total value was @ £100 -£150 but some of that I would have spent anyway on them as they needed it. I also made a point of rarely buying them things throughout the year, to maximise the anticipation, the magic and wow factor. I dont think you can spoil them if it's only once a year.
Ds was traumatised when he realised santa didn't exist. I think I created a bit too much magic at christmas. Sad

Birthdays are a lot more restrained.