Christmas vs Birthdays

[DinosaurOfFire]

I was reading the thread about the 4 gifts rule and started wondering how people on here do birthdays vs Christmas vs treats during the year. We go all out on Christmas, whereas for birthdays the kids will have far less- I would say they have around twice as much for Christmas than their birthday, maybe a little more if you include stocking gifts. Treats during the year tend to be small items as rewards from their sticker charts, so if the kids didn't have the more extravagant items at Christmastime they wouldn't get them at all.

For context, extravagant to us is around the £60 mark for one item, and they would have between 1 and 2 items in that price range- I'm not talking ipads/ laptops/ consoles etc. I also recognise we are fortunate to be able to spend what we do on Christmas, it hasn't always been this way for us and I'm happy with how we do things. It's more curiosity on my part how the rest of the year pans out for others on here in regards to gift giving etc.

We are the same as you. About £250 per child at Christmas, less than £100 at birthday and very little throughout the year other than what is bought with their small amount of pocket money.
It’s what my parents did for me and I loved it. The excitement of Christmas as a child - both the family part and the amazing presents - will stay with me forever.
I also realise we’re fortunate to afford this

I think that a birthday is more important than Christmas, from a present point of view. I'm not sure why some people seem to think the opposite. But I generally just buy things as I see them, and don't spend a huge amount overall. I don't have any particular limit - either number of presents or cost. I tend to buy quite a few second hand things. My children aren't fussy about that, and love going to charity shops themselves.

Christmas is always the time for more presents in our family. Birthdays presents and parties are much less of a thing.

I've got two very close in age, so Christmas can be the time for bigger joint presents (things like a toy kitchen or trampoline) whereas birthdays are more individual.

I spend about the same on Christmas and birthdays (around £50 each). Maybe slightly more on birthdays as there's only 1 child at a time to buy for. Occasional treats throughout the year. And their phone contracts.

We spend a lot less than that at Christmas, but we spend quite a lot on activities, dance lessons, music lessons and so on. We get tech when it is needed, at the start of the school term (or when it looked as though it would be useful, in lockdown). The kids are happy with that; they say they have everything they want. My teen just wants board games for Christmas; my primary aged child can never think of anything she wants.

We go bigger at birthdays, that’s the day of the year that is all about one child whereas Xmas is about everybody, so the big ticket items like bikes, consoles, doll houses etc are for birthdays not Xmas in our house
We also don’t really do a ‘main’ present at Xmas but there always is one at birthdays
As a general guide I try to do 15ish presents at birthdays (some may be very small wrap ups depending on how expensive your main was) and 10ish plus stockings at Xmas but sometimes it could end up 1 or 2 more, as long as everyone is even at Xmas I’m not overly strict about it

I only have 1 and his birthday is less than 1 month b4 Christmas

• also no cousins and only 1 uncle &GP to receive gifts from

So far he gets quite a bit for his Bday and until he reached a teenager got quite a bit for Christmas - but then some items were inexpensive but look big IYSWIM

One birthday he got a bike combined gift from Uncle & GP and that Christmas they chipped in together to buy him a CD player with a stack of audio books. Me & DH for that birthday bought him Sone all singing dancing Nerf Guns ( bought 2 on offer so he could play with when friends round) and at Christmas from us he had a tablet - we are fortunate to be able to afford it.

This year - harder as teenage years have hit - he is after expensive gaming camera for pc and expensive clothes ! His present pike may be smaller but he says ge is alright with that !

When other GP alive they would buy something smallish and family tickets to something eg Harry Potter studio tour.

Their birthdays are their special days, so I probably spend more then. Christmas means several people to buy for, so overall budget per head is lower.

Birthdays are waaaaaaay more important than Christmas!!! I don’t have a budget per se but do get what they particularly want so most was prob £200 on a segway. Christmas is probably a mix of up to £100 but across different items along the lines of wear, need, read etc.

£60-£80 for birthdays (tend to be one big thing and a couple of small things) £100-150 for Christmas (lots of stocking fillers, one to two big gifts and a few medium ones).

I think we spend about the same for birthday and Christmas. For their main presents - which tend to be 4 or 5 things - probably about £150 each give or take. Then there’s the stocking too so possibly a bit more at Christmas. For birthdays we do a party or special experience/day out, but at Christmas we do a Christmas Eve box plus two or three special things in the run-up to Christmas (Santa’s grotto, ice skating, maybe a panto or light show) so I reckon they are pretty balanced all in.

We make a much bigger deal of a birthday. It’s their day. Christmas for us isn’t about presents.

I think we spend about the same on each.

We do 3 "santa" presents with stocking fillers. Dc just accept that they can only ask for 3 presents from santa.

Birthdays, probably the same. Three presents plus small things like sweets or bath bombs
or useful things like clothes, socks or pjs.

They have around the same for birthday and Christmas, with the exception of Stockings which are extra.

They don’t get anything else expensive during the year, if they want expensive clothes, trainers etc which are more than the normal clothing budget they get them for Christmas or birthday or save up pocket money.

I always spent a lot more at Christmas and bought lots of presents plus a stocking. Never did the Christmas Eve box thing.
Now they are older still spend more at Christmas but don't buy anywhere near as much. Also don't ever buy them clothes unless they ask for a specific item and tell me exactly where to buy it from and which size and colour.
If they needed something throughout the year we would just buy it.
I never made them just have clothes for birthday or Christmas as I remember my parents doing this to me one time and it was quite upsetting getting nothing but clothes for Christmas.

We spend more at Christmas. That’s what my mum did so I’ve just carried it on,

I have older teens so unless it’s a big birthday we spend approx£150 on birthdays and £250-300 for Christmas,

We have always spent a lot more on Christmas gifts and then less at birthday (which is only 6 weeks after Christmas).

Birthday is usually

We spend more on presents at Christmas and then on their birthday they get something smaller but we also book activities or a trip. Their birthdays are in summer so there’s more opportunity to go climbing or canoeing or surfing. They get larger presents at Christmas (new bike or phone for example) but they will also get things they need like new PJs and hoodies.

The kids get about the same for birthday as Xmas 'from us' but at Xmas they have all the Xmas stuff (Santa sack, stockings, Xmas eve box etc...) and on their birthday they have a party and weekend away.

Birthday works out more as Xmas is £120 and birthday is £250+ (because of the weekend away)

Spend more at xmas. With birthdays they usually end up with loads of stuff from friends as well as family, xmas it's just from family. Growing up my family has always been quite generous and go full out at xmas so I'm the same lol x

We spend more at Christmas.
All 4 of ours have birthdays around Christmas. So we tend to stick to the 5 birthday presents gift rule and they get more at Christmas as it's easier for us.

Our children get pocket money instead of the odd treat etc. So they choose to either spend it on smaller items or save it for bigger items/ putting it in there bank savings. Currently we are saving so they can have a shopping spree with there birthday and Christmas money as well after Christmas.

Quite a mixture then! Christmas for us is a religious festival, and a "feast" day which starts the 12 days of Christmas, so lots of special food, gifts, spending time with family, its a really big deal with a lot of build up during Advent. Christmas is as much about adults as it is children, but in different ways, the kids get way more than adults do but we also go all out on adults within budget too. My eldest has also said she prefers Christmas because everyone gets gifts whereas its just her on her birthday which was very sweet of her to say, I think she was being genuine as she is a very generous child who also hates all the attention being on her- she prefers it shared. For birthdays, the birthday child has a party with their friends and usually an activity or day out which is where the big fuss is made of them, and a bespoke cake to their chosen theme (made by moi!) whereas we don't tend to do Christmas activities that cost money so I suppose budget wise the two events probably work out about even taking that into consideration. It's really interesting reading how different people do things!

I only really buy gifts for my child at Christmas (from Santa (he’s 14 now so obviously knows it’s me but we still play along haha - he gets taken to the Nutcracker ballet which he loves and the panto as his Christmas gift from me). For his birthday which is in the summer I generally pay for a party and his friends and other relatives buy him gifts then but I don’t get him anything physical normally - I did for lockdown because there was no party but not loads. I buy him very little otherwise throughout the year - maybe the odd book or magazine or small toy but nothing more than a few quid here or there and tell him to put it on his wish list for birthday/Christmas or save up his own money (I give him £2 a week pocket money with the opportunity to earn up to £6 more per week by doing chores etc). It generally works out well, the only thing I’ve realised as time has gone on is that I’m not great at getting him the bigger more physical outdoor type stuff like bikes, scooter etc as neither of us are really thinking about that kind of stuff in December and it’s too big for a friend or relative birthday gift! My mum very kindly did get him a second hand bike randomly when he needed a new one. He’s not a very active outdoorsy sort of kid anyway but in hindsight I feel I could have encouraged this a bit more wiring the right equipment!

Mine are only small so this might change over time but generally they get more presents to open at Christmas whereas birthdays they might get money towards an annual pass or trips.

Excluding stocking, we probably spend around the same for Christmas or birthday but its more exciting to open presents on Christmas day for some reason