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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

How do you talk your DCs out of something they want for Xmas??!!

25 replies

Budababe · 18/10/2007 20:53

DS has JUST started guitar lessons and I managed to get a 2nd hand guitar from a mum at school. He is enjoying the lessons but has only had 4 so far.

He is mad into Drake Bell - from the Nickelodeon TV show Drake & Josh. So now he has decided that he wants an electric guitar for Xmas.

I got him to do his letter to Santa tonight as am going to Dublin next week (where we will be for Xmas) and want to get Xmas stuff sorted.

Was planning on getting him a PS2 game, a Nintendo game and have already got some Sponge Bob Lego and Star Wars Monopoly and lots of books.

So - even after trying to talk him out of it his letter asks for an electric guitar and a PS game and a light sabre (he already has 3 but now wants a green one!!).

Am thinking of a letter from Santa saying that as lots of children want electric guitars this year he is a bit short and he know that DS got a guitar recently and will try and get him an electric one next year.

Suggestions on post please!

OP posts:

BrownSuga · 18/10/2007 20:55

just tell him he needs to show a commitment to guitar lesson, say a years worth, to make sure he's really into it before you'll spend cash on an electric one...

mamazon · 18/10/2007 20:55

do you objectto him having the guitar or is it just that it wasn't what youhad planned?

if its the latter i would get him what he has asked for, im sure you could pick one up for a similar amount to that of a cPS2 game

fingerwoman · 18/10/2007 20:55

do you not want hbim to have it because you can't afford it, or just because you'd already decided on something else.

Speaking from experience, if it is the latter, then scrap your plans and get him the guitar- even if it's another second hand one.
I can remember being totally gutted when I didn't get a my little pony one year- my mum thought they were cheap and tacky and got me something "nicer" lol

fingerwoman · 18/10/2007 20:56

how old is he, by the way?

BettyBatShapedSpaghetti · 18/10/2007 20:57

Explain to him (either via Santa or yourself) that you have to learn on an acoustic before moving on to an electric guitar?

Original poster

Budababe · 18/10/2007 20:58

Money not the issue. More the noise level!!!

We do have a basement and I could say it is for down there only. DH isn't keen though - primarily as the lessons are so recent and we have just bought the other one.

Although in DS's defence he has wanted guitar lessons since he was 3 and DH bought me the LiveAid dvd for Xmas. He does a mean air guitar!

OP posts:

Original poster

Budababe · 18/10/2007 20:58

He's 6.

OP posts:

Original poster

Budababe · 18/10/2007 20:59

And in trouble for growing so much that all the clothes I bought in New York for him in April are too small!

OP posts:

mamazon · 18/10/2007 21:00

surely christmas is about making them happy and if you can, to give them what they really want.

i would much rather have to put up with some really bad stairway to heaven than a stroppy disapointed child on christmas day

JodieG1 · 18/10/2007 21:01

Totally agree with mamazon.

fingerwoman · 18/10/2007 21:01

I would get him the guitar and forfeit the other things. Honestly,. he will love it so much,.
noise shouldn't be too much of an issue- they do have volume controls on them

Original poster

Budababe · 18/10/2007 21:02

Well you are all confirming what I thought. Now to convince DH.

I wanted to buy a Wii and DH wasn't keen - maybe he will accept this more easily!

OP posts:

peskipixie · 18/10/2007 21:02

me & santa discuss what mine are getting, so if its something i dont approve of i say no and santa doesnt bring it.

Original poster

Budababe · 18/10/2007 21:03

Now - what about the Gross Magic set he wants? It looks disgusting and is for age 8???

OP posts:

FrannyandZooey · 18/10/2007 21:04

No I think as with anything else you are entitled to make judgements about what would give the most lasting pleasure, be the best value for money etc

If a present he wants would be disruptive to the rest of the household, for instance, you are perfectly within your rights to say no

I would tell him WHY though - you are allowed to make decisions and to explain them to him, this will be more helpful to him in understanding what he can and can't expect, and less disappointing in the long run I believe. Also it is not a great fat lie

"surely christmas is about making them happy and if you can, to give them what they really want."
I think Christmas is a very special time of year. I don't think I would really sum it up with these words myself. I think Christmas is about more than the child being made happy by being given exactly what they want.

mumclaire · 18/10/2007 22:21

Genuinely confused about your santa letter writing thing... dd is still too young for all this but I always thought letters to santa were a massive list of things you wanted (when I was kid - basically the toy section of the argos catalogue ) but never got any of it!!
Do kids now write with a few things on it and then that get those things?? So 100% genuine question - What is santa letter writing etiquette in 2007??

MaryBleedinShelley · 18/10/2007 22:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Budababe · 19/10/2007 06:10

Sorry mumclaire - went to bed!

When I was growing up we were encouraged not to ask for much so I have encouraged this in DS also. He is an only child and would be easy to go overboard and get him lots. So he has asked for the electric guitar, a green light sabre, the watch from Ben 10 and some Ben 10 action figures and a surprise.

My parents and sisters and MIL will also ask for ideas for presents for him. In our house they will be presents from individuals but I think some people give those presents as being from Santa too.

I have also bought him some Sponge Bob Lego and Star Wars Monopoly and lots of books so they can be the "surprise".

OP posts:

saffy202 · 19/10/2007 14:26

What about Guitar Hero for the Ps2 instead?

bozza · 20/10/2007 17:14

I have this problem too. DS (also 6, is it a tricky age for this kind of issue?) wants a PS3 or a Xbox 360. Since DH already has a PS2 (and DS is allowed to use this and has two games of his own)there is no way I am forking out for a PS3. We have got him a Nintendo DS instead, which I am hoping will satisfy the games console desire.

I am also planning on getting him a fancy football - silver leather or something like this. He doesn't need a football, but I don't think Christmas is all about what you need. OTOH he has some pants from Matalan for his stocking.

I sort of say soemthing on the lines of "Father Christmas might not think that is a good idea, he knows that Daddy has a PS2 and don't you remember he got you Lego Starwars for the PS2 last year, so he might want you to play with that some more".

bozza · 20/10/2007 17:15

My 3yo is generally much more malleable in this kind of situation. Although not when it comes to choosing appropriate clothes in a morning.

larry5 · 26/10/2007 20:58

Dh is working again this year at Santa Land at Wookey Hole and has a fine line in telling the children that Santa will try to bring what they want for Christmas but sometimes they can't have everything they would like but Santa always knows what they would really like. Dh loves meeting the children and said after last year that he would have worked there for nothing but being paid is better.

ADragonIs4LifeNotJustHalloween · 26/10/2007 21:03

I always make it clear that Santa doesn't bring everything on a list.

I told DS1 (then 7) straight out that he wouldn't be getting the laptop, Gameboy and Xbox he'd asked for on his list last year. He wasn't disappointed with what he did get from his list.

sKerryMum · 26/10/2007 21:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

seeker · 26/10/2007 21:14

We always try to get one joint present for the dcs and three years ago, when they were 8 and 3 we got them a small sized electric guitar, an amp and a microphone secondhand on on Ebay for 50 quid. They have had SO much fun out of it! neither of them can really play it yet, but thet strum and sing and ds is starting to play. Go for it! You can always turn it down or get them headphones!

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