Is 10 presents still considered awful?

[CloudyVanilla]

Just wanting some perspective as I'm already planning Christmas!

So I googled "10 Christmas presents" and the most popular results all seem to say this is cruel/stingy/a let down...

I have 3 DC, ages this Christmas will be 5, just turned 3 and nearly 1. I'm wondering if 10 presents each from us, plus a stocking, plus about 4 - 5 presents each from family is enough, or would you consider this a disappointment?

I'm not overly concerned about money, as in I am low income but I can budget and save enough to buy more, I'm just wondering what the general mindset is these days especially once DC have started school...

I'm mainly doing the math, 30 presents in total, averaging a about £30 per present is £1200 already!! That's an awful lot of money and that's not even including the stocking.

I try not to think of pile size but I do want it to be magical, exciting and relatively normal, as in not dramatically different from what the average child in their class is going to get.

I'm so sorry for totalling rambling, basically I'm asking if 10 presents from parents is generally considered possibly average, way below average or plenty! I have a feeling it is I adequate but I also have quite a small house and there is just so much stuff. They all have autumn/winter birthdays too so will be getting presents then as well!

user3274826
Makes very good points about what other people buy. Some buy everything as a birthday / Christmas gift others buy throughout the year. Some kids seperated parents get double one for each house. Some a Grandparents gift is £30 or clothes others its £300 bikes etc.

Personally I've bought big items when I've seen a need, including a second hand bike, an xbox and a tablet.
Partly it's a winter birthday thing it can be a really long time from birthday to Christmas. And I guess unforeseen events has forced my hand too.

However I think 10 things at £30 is nuts. That's 30 big bits of kit you need to find space for.
Christmas I usually do one bigger thing and a handful of little things. Selection box, usually a character t-shirt or something.

I'm one of 6. I can clearly remember getting connect 4 for my main present from Santa. That year we all got a game. I played with that game for years🤣. As I was the youngest through time I inherited all my siblings games.
Imagine now giving dd that as her main present.

That would be far too much. My children get gift for £100 each which they choose themselves. Then about £50 for there stocking. They also get a stocking from grandparents and five or six gifts from aunties/uncles. I could easily afford to give them more but just think that is enough and we spend a lot on their activities and family days out.

Your children are much younger than mine. I would only be buying them one larger gift from you but put extra in their stockings.

Save your money for days out with them.

I never have a set number in my head. I tend to buy a big present then some smaller ones and a stocking. I do spoil my DC but always buy things I think they'd like rather than buying stuff just to make up numbers. 10 presents for my DC and friends DC from what I'v seen does seem quite low but if they're well chosen then no I don't think it's an awful thing.
For pp talking about £30 being a lot for a small gift, my girls are into dolls that are £30 a time. This day and age lots of 'must have' toys retail for around £30 or even more.

If you don't have lots of storage room a season ticket is a good treat for all the year. I got my grandkids a season ticket for Bristol Zoo and Wild Place, clothing, two books each, craft materials to share, plaonilr to share, little torch for one, bath toy got other and little chocolate reindeer each.

My dd says they all love going to zoo and remember Nanny bought them pass. The year before I got them Sealife pass.

That’s a weird measure. Presents for my DD don’t sit under the tree prior to Christmas Day. ( usually because they’re not wrapped at that point )

We don’t put many of the kids presents under the tree either, maybe a few but lots are hidden until we get them out on Xmas Eve so that the kids don’t see them til Xmas morning. The ones under the tree are ones from family and friends who have visited and dropped off presents in the run up to Xmas. On Xmas morning, the kids each have presents on one side each of the living room floor and a sofa each. 🤣 Then me and their dad put each other’s gifts on the other sofa. Maybe we are weird. 😬

Mine are teens now. I never set a budget but we probably spent about £100 each. The number of gifts didn’t matter and they arrived on Christmas Eve from Santa. Out of that £100, we would take one main present to put under the tree from us. In recent years, we’ve aren’t more, they’ve had up to £200 each but fewer items as a jacket might be £80 for example.

*earnt more

For pp talking about £30 being a lot for a small gift, my girls are into dolls that are £30 a time

I don't think people are saying £30 is a lot for a small gift. People are saying kids don't need that many small gifts.

If Op feels she wants the kids to have 10 things to open each it might be better to vary the budget including some small token things, packets of crayons, selection box, and a book could all be bought for about a tenner for each child. Therefore cuts the Ops budget from about £900 down to about £600 and saves trying to find storage for about 9, £30 toys.

I'd actually have a good look at what each child needs, bigger bike, new scooter etc. Then add a bits too it. I also wouldn't get excited about spending the same amount on each child, baby needs less than the 5yo.

I was curious whether your question would be that ten gifts are too many or too few.

There will always be people who judge your Christmas choices. You can’t please everyone so you may as well please yourself.

It never occurred to me that the OP would mean ‘awful’ as in too few!

Glad I’m not the only one to be bemused at what some people think is normal.

I have one 7 y o DD and we normally spend about £120-150 on her at Christmas. We tend to get her a "big" present from FC (which may not be massively expensive, say £30-40, but in a big box); a stocking which costs me £20-30 and several things from DH and me. These might end being about 10 presents, but some of them are really small or inexpensive (book, notepad and pencils, hair things, puzzle) and some might be clothes (which DD is unexcited by but I still include them :D).

I do tend to plan and buy things right the way through the year, very reduced in sales and on offers, so often the £150 stretches reasonably far. Stocking gifts in particular can be picked up really cheap here and there if you keep your eyes out! (I love doing stockings...)

I don't think kids need huge piles of stuff at Christmas, and actually no-one I know apart from my sister-in-law buys tons of stuff. I worry each year that we've got too little then that we've got too much and actually even though DD could probably do with a present less or so tbh, I think we get it largely right. I think spending the kind of amounts some people do hundreds of pounds per child (SIL spends at least £300 per child) is a bit unsettling - do they really enjoy that amount of stuff? DNephew and DNiece don't even look at their presents after a certain number.

£1200 on a 5yo, 3yo and a baby is much more than I would think of spending. At that age about £100-150 each would be more than enough to buy a decent pile of presents surely