Are we being stingy?

[Lones80]

DS will be 3 in a couple of weeks, DD is 1 shortly after and then there are only three weeks until Christmas. We expect that between them they will get a mountain of toys from family and friends.

We're planning on getting DS a Knights' castle for his birthday and a balance bike plus stocking filler for Christmas and DD a Fisher Price door for her birthday and a trike plus stocking fillers for Christmas. Both will get PJs for Christmas Eve.

However, I've been to the other parenting website for the first time today. There's a thread where people have taken photos of all the gifts for their DC and the number of gifts some people have bought is staggering to me.

As they both have winter birthdays we buy small toys and gifts throughout the year. We are trying not to spoil them, but are we being too stingy?

seechoojimmy

Here you go here's my photo but your have to use your imagination whats in the boxes as I've already wrapped the presents before hiding them in boxes

Helium balloon threads are usually only matched by towel washing threads. I'm killing the babies because I don't like using mucky towels!

Helium balloon threads

I must have missed H balloons threads, whats the low down? No problem with helium is there

Did you not see the helium balloon thread jimmy? It was a wild one.

No!! I missed it and feel like I have massively missed out. Threads that go wild over the simplest things are always the best.

Helium is a finite resource used medically. I emailed a balloon company and they assured me non medical grade was used.

I became over invested

Oh I remember helium balloons thread.

Basically, the op wanted to buy helium balloons for a birthday party or something. Lots of recommendations for where to get them. Then some posters went off on one about helium being a finite resource and we shouldn't be buying them at all, as the helium is needed to cool down MRI scanners. People in hospitals will die if we squander helium on balloon. Global warming, the earth will die etc etc.

Then some posters pointed out that the helium used for balloons is secondhand/recycled.

It was very heated and over the top.

I thought you lot were joking about the Helium thread!! :-/ x

A joke?! Laura, helium in no laughing matter here.

*is, obviously. My autocorrect isn't my friend today.

I'm off to take pics im going to brave a picture thread

To be honest not much is a laughing matter on MN at the moment!

What happened to the AIBU thread, it's gone from my TIO.

Oh! Thanks enourmouse I can well imagine that , well for DD last party I went wild with them must of had at least 15.

I emailed a balloon company and they assured me non medical grade was used.

Interesting to know though should anyone ever challenge me in future on excess balloons...

my goodness! I'm definitely bound to put my foot in it then!

Look forward to the picture stash!

The AIBU thread was removed as it wasn't Christmas spirit x

Hi i have made a craft hamper for my 3 kids, and yes it does contain 4 tubs of play doh.

Looking forward to seeing pictures, not sure I am brave enough to add mine I have far more than I realise. If a thread is started about Christmas wine racks i would be the talk of the Internet, oh the clinking delivieries last year. I am on a borrowed ipad as I have escaped home for the night, don't have my specs on so probably typing drivel

BrendaBlackhead

the holier than thou people who advocate giving dcs one wooden toy each, preferably hewn by hand or from the charity shop, always speak from the position of having one three year old and a foetus. They have no idea that one day such things as Abercrombie or Hollister may appear on Father Christmas's list

So agree

laura and dot your thread is lovely and I'm really not seeing conspicuous amounts of "tat" anywhere on it. I remember being an 80s child & despite being "poor" still remember the sheer joy of my pile of toys. I'd tip the wrapping off in a frenzy of delight. Still remember Crystal Barbie, Up Against Time, Petite 990 typewriter. My mum and dad saved all year to give us good Christmases as my dad was raised by vicious alcoholics and my mum's family circumstances meant there was never anything any time of year. They were determined their kids would have fun at Christmas with a big shitload of presents.

I sit here now as an adult and the "tat" I received didn't spoil me. I've just finished sending my donations to some charities's Christmas appeals. I'm about to iron DS' uniform to go to the remembrance parade tomorrow before going to see my great aunt in her care home. I'm not sitting here bitching.

Thank you Notbythehaironmychinnychinchin.

Seen as I now know what tat is, i received a lot of at Christmas, like you our's was a 'poor' family, mum worked dad was an alcoholic, they would unpack the packs of Barbie knickers and wrap them separately to bulk out our pile as they couldn't afford much.....I was spoiled as a child to the best of their ability but I am not a spoilt person.

It's nice you donate and take your little boy to the remembrance parade, goes to show you can be spoiled as a child yet still be giving x

Grumpy, I'm the same, while I'm brave enough to stand up for myself I'm not sure I'm brave enough to put pics on here....it will just look like I've come over to showboat from the other side x

Well I posted pics, its not kicked off YET but I seem to be a loan Christmas loving saddo that no one wants to join in with

I will join you soon, some stuff is in loft but some is down stairs.

Thanks knitted, so far it's been well recieved dare I say.

Brave move

I will join you too, either later on tonight or tomorrow.

No, not at all stingy.
I really hate the photos, somebody I know posts pictures on FB every year of the presents they buy their children for halloween, xmas, birthdays etc etc and it's about 30 presents per child.
I buy quite a few things for my DCs but they get so little through the year except essentials so they get more at Xmas but it's still not masses of money. They tend to get almost all of what they ask for (but not all on principle) but it's not expensive or sometimes it's even second hand from charity shops.

I do hope some people who buy less post photos too, it would be great if the thread showed the full range of ways people embrace christmas giving for their children, it's got a really friendly feel so far and not at all competitive.

I do hope some people who buy less post photos too, it would be great if the thread showed the full range of ways people embrace christmas giving for their children

I think its best to stay away from any pic threads if you cant accept the presents for what they are.
We don't know anyones back story, their circumstances, how much they buy all year and who else is buying for them.

So you cant really see full range of giving when a poster shows three gifts knowing their hundreds of aunt and uncles, 2 sets of grandparents perhaps divorced so 8 sets are all giving too.