how can I persuade MIL to go easy on the presents?

[mckenzie]

I don't wish to sound ungrateful, I really don't. I have a great MIL who spends lots of time and money on her 2 grandchildren all year round but she does go mad at christmas.

Last year was DD's first christmas and she and DS both got the biggest ever sack full to the brim of presents. I've tried mentioning these last few days how I've been havig a major clear out as they boht seem to have too many toys, don't play with the half of them etc etc.

Do you think I should just hope she takes the hints or can i actually ask outright for her to go easy?

wow, this is just like my situation.
she spends more on ds than we do! last year he was only a few months old but she insisted on getting 'him' to open his presents. er, the kid could care less!
now he's over a year i imagine she'll get him soemthing comepletely ott. i've told her straight out on a number of occasions that WE want to buy him his first bike. (yeah i know the kid is just 1 but you never know with her...)
she's also opened a trust fund for him - then told my husband but didn't want me to know!
right, i'm off to start a MIL thread. see what you've started....

thanks so much for all the replies.
I like the idea of the annual pass (we have a great farm/activity place around here and they dont put a photo on the pass so I could use it to take DD and so could MIL when she takes her out for the day. DD herself doesn't need a pass yet as she is too young).
They really don't need clothes as we get so much passed down from family and friends.
MIL asked me yesterday is I thought DS would like a desk (he's in year 1 now) so i'm going to get some ideas from some of the nice children's furniture companies and see what his reaction is. That would be great though huh? I'll have to suggest the most expensive one I can find so she won't have any money left to buy him any toys.

This does make me sound so ungrateful and I really really am not - it's lovely to know that if ever either of the DCs needed something and we couldn't afford it we could ask MIL to help out. But it's just the christmas thing.

Actually, maybe I'm jealous. I was the youngest of three and although i had a great loving childhood, I didn't have much in the way of material things. It certainly never did me any harm though.

I've decided dd just doesn't need lots more toys, she has loads already and have told my mum clothes, books or mothercare vouchers/money for trust fund, but I know MIL will insist on something from John Lewis - her new favourite toystore. DD won't really appreciate it and I think trust fund contributions are just much more useful at this age. DD will just want to eat the wrapping paper anyway!!

Useful tip I picked up from here make it clear that anything they give will be left at their house. It was really meant to apply to random giving of large useless junk rather than Christmas but worth keeping in mind. The other thing I do is frequently add up the cost of things ie "we spent 10 pounds today and all we have is a few magazines" or "wow who would have thought we have 10,000 pounds worth of Thomas trains?" (gross overexageration but you get the picture!). Didn't stop my Mother buying a large toy for ds birthday recently but at least she offered to take it away with her!! It is really difficult I myself would prefer useful/educational/books/voucher type things but the children prefer toys which is therefore what they get! My MIL on the other hand gives them virtually nothing!