I keep seeing this phrase on some of the Christmas threads...

[LucyJones]

"We don't go out/buy much the rest of the year so don't mind blowing it all at Christmas"
This is not a criticism, it just intrigues me. Why do people go without all year to spend loads at Christmas. Why not treat the kids and go to the cinema/have meals out all the year round?

Well since I wrote exactly this myself I will explain.

I don't buy for dd through the year other than Christmas and birthdays. I want her to realise these are special occasions to look forward to and get excited about them.
The other advantage is hopefully as she gets older(she only 17 months)she will realise there's no pointing nagging for something everytime we go to the shops and having a huge tantrum when she's told no.

same here fifi!

My DD gets meals, trips out and presents all year long

And lots of gifts at Christmas

Each to their own, its my money Ill spend it as I choose fit

I don't "blow it all" at Christmas but Christmas and birthdays are the only time toys are bought in this house too. We do have days out etc. during the year and I can sometimes be perusaded to buy books in between.

oh yes we only buy toys at Xmas and b/days too but I just meant that some people seem to scrimp and save all year round to go mad once a year

I tend to buy bits and pieces throughout the year - nothing big though. Big (read expensive) things are for Xmas/b'days only). But I try not to go over-board at Xmas either.

Still feel ill when I remember last Xmas. All my family came here and my sis had gone totally overboard on her older 2 DCs (forgot the almost 2 yr old but that is a diff story). It was disgusting. They were just grabbing things and opening them and then throwing them to one side (with comments of "rubbish") to get on to the next one.

We do have meals and trips out all year round. However Christmas and Birthdays are really the only time ds ever gets NEW toys/books.

That doesn't mean he doesn't have other things throughout the year though - he gets a fairly regular supply of toys and books, all bought for pence at our local car boot sale. In fact he loves to raid his piggy and use the pennies to choose things for himself (he's great at bargaining too - always asks the sellers "how many pence is this?" so they usually offer it to him for hardly anything even if they were probably planning to ask for more!).

We don't really spend loads on him at Christmas though compared to some - probably under £100 all in - it's just a lot as a proportion of what we spend over the year as a whole.

I want Christmas to be very special and I choose how I want to spend my money, for me Christmas is more important than a drip drip of gifts or treats all year. And you can do the @it's about more than presents all you want' becuase we know that, it's about being with family and saying thanks for all the stuff we've done for each other, and not being a demonstrative family (well i am with my kids, but my generation isnt) we do this by the medium of present.

I can't afford to do Christmas how I want it AND lots of treats all year (not that they don't have any, they do) so I make my choice. better than debt.

And as I am not religious, christmas to me isn't about a baby, and with a kid with special needs who doesn't get empathy it does have to be at least in part materialistic because that's all Sam understands- how many presents do I have compared with X.