How many gifts per child as they get older?

[Giveemtheoldrazzledazzle]

I feel like this is such a stupid thing to ask and I do feel quite embarrassed but I just need to ask opinions.
I have two boys who are almost teen and almost 16 and the things that they would like for Christmas are very expensive.
They will have their main ask each which are both more in cost than I would have spent on their whole lot of presents when they were younger. I have also picked out three things each for them that they’ve not asked for but that I know they would like and they’re nice items not tat.
They will both have a stocking each too which I put their favourite snacks, novelty gum and an Uber eats gift voucher and then small card type games (like sneaky cards for my eldest and kids against maturity for youngest), a fun book each, max libs for youngest, escape room puzzle book for eldest, fun mindfulness workbooks aimed at their ages, shoe ninjas, cheap version of air bud things and then a couple of little novelty bits. I love making their stockings! Went off on a tangent there!
Anyway my question is, are four gifts each enough for tree presents?
They’re truly lovely and I know they’ll be grateful and love what they’re getting but is it a bit stingy?!

1 per child.

End of thread.

*mad libs not max libs!

Depends on your household budget and what they asked for.
A laptop or new games console would be a 1 gift Xmas but they've never complained as they understand that they are pricey.

My DD is 17 and will be getting a handful of gifts plus a bit of money. Can't remember but think 3 main gifts and then 2-3 smaller things that she needs (toiletries, slippers etc). I will also do a stocking which will hold small things like nail varnish, a (cheap) necklace, face masks and shower steamers.

I tend to go by a budget and the number of gifts will depend on what they want within that budget. DS, who is older and works full time, gets money only as he doesn't want anything else (he still gets a stocking).

1 main present plus a stocking is fine!

@BananaPB I’ve saved to buy them these gifts so it’s within budget and thank you for views.

It sounds fine to me. I think the older they are the more they appreciate the cost of things.

I now also buy some small bits and do a table present and a tree present too.

Currently, they get:

1. Xmas eve box
2. Tree gifts (wrapped gifts from us under the tree)
3. Room gifts (this makes up the biggest part currently, its toys open not wrapped and set out and ready to play and fills the whole room - things in the past have included scaletrix, gaming chairs, trampoline, train set etc...)
4. Santa sack
5. Stocking.

At 16 it will drop to:

1. Xmas eve box
2. Tree gifts
3. Santa sack (the reason I'd keep this at first is my kids really love it even though my oldest is aware there's no Santa and fade it out)
4. Stocking so no more big 'room gifts'

At 18 it will drop to:

1. Xmas eve box
2. Tree gifts
3. Stocking so no more 'santa sack' either

I don't think I'll ever stop doing those final 3.
Even adults still need things like PJs, toiletries and snacks so the Xmas eve box is still good.
Everyone deserves Xmas gifts of their loved ones (it doesn't just stop because your an adult) and my kids love the stockings (which wasn't something we really did as kids) so I'll keep it up for them, it's mostly just edible stuff like sweets in the stocking anyway.

For me, my mam went from the whole wonderland shebang like my kids have now to just a pile of a few practical gifts at 13 and I was miserable so I won't just dump it on my kids all in one sudden go and certainly not so young as my mam did with me.

Ii think it sounds fine OP. DS is 13 and is hoping for a pricey main gift, which he'll be getting. But I have already told him that expensive gifts mean significantly fewer gifts. He understands that now, so I'd definitely expect older teens to get it.

Sorry I didn't actually answer how many lol

I do 12 tree gifts... 1 main one and the rest smaller/cheaper, I'm a bit OCD and it always has to be 12 for me (I guess it originated from there being 12 months?)

If you feel like you need a few filler gifts, just wrap some things they will need throughout the year, socks, slippers, Pjs….

Thank you all for the opinions, I’ve decided they have more than enough 😊
Not sure if I made it clear in my first post but when I said almost teen my youngest is 12 but for context his main ask is a console and eldests is a very expensive graphics card for a pc update.
Also when I said they’re truly lovely I meant my children not the gifts 🤣
I think I just worry a bit more as other than my sibling who is very generous with the kinds of gifts they buy they have zero other family so what I buy is mostly their lot!
This evening my eldest has come home from school and told me about a shockingly expensive school trip for 2023 when he’ll be in his first college year…. I’ve told him that’ll be paid for in part as his next years Christmas present and his 17th birthday (I feel like 16 is too special to do this with) and that will still only pay at most a third of it!

Our eldest (14) has 5 gifts this year.
That being because what she asked for (main present) was much more expensive then what we would usually spend.
Her pile looks like nothing compared to her younger siblings (youngest of which is 1 year old)
She has a stocking but it's made up mostly of sweets, fruit etc.
We made it quite clear to her that if she wanted that then she won't get much else which she is fine about.

We have a budget so they can get different quantity depending on what they’ve asked for and how much each thing is.

DS this year has 2 gifts and a stocking and dd has 7 gifts and a stocking. They have the exact same amount of presents in a stocking though.

I dont go by quantity tbh, I set a budget - if it bought 1 thing or 20 things or whatever I try and stick to it. The quantity depends on what the the recipient wants and what other things I think they would like in rest of budget x

I don't go buy budget but general amount tbh. Usually around 12 tree presents. So one year it might be a Nintendo Switch, plus games etc so very expensive overall and the next year it might work out very cheap with just books clothes or toys. I think this makes the focus more on what they want and need rather than value.

I do 6 per child (now teens and young adults) and a stocking. 2 of the 6 are more expensive things.

Something you want
Something you need
Something to wear
Something to read.
Instead of a "Christmas Eve box" the "something to read" is given to them on Christmas Eve as they go to bed. They are allowed to read until they go to sleep.

No set rules here, I wing it. We have five children so the amount spent per child will vary greatly between the eldest and youngest, and the size of the presents tend to be big when they are small, and small when they are big! So what I do, is get them what they have asked for and then try to make their gift piles look fairly even in size rather than having a set amount of gifts.

They get stockings too, usually festive chocolates and christmas themed novelties.

We do about 5 each up to a max of £150 for each child, plus their stockings which are usually food and drinks, last year they had mini booze bottles (they are all over 20) and I will always do a stocking while they live at home, or have Christmas with us).

1 gift from me and a stocking

They also get one from their dad, grandparents, and we have an extended family dinner where they get lots of little trinkets

Like others have said my kids (11&15) get varying amounts based on budgets and requests rather than having a specific number of gifts.

Dd (11) for example this year will be getting a lot more than ds (15) this year because all his gifts are £££

So far my DD’s have 5 gifts each (one main gift, 4 smaller gifts). They get a stocking which dd1 says is the best bit 🤣.

4 gifts is enough. They don’t need the stocking full of tat.