If you’ve bought 15+ gifts for your child/ren where are you from?

[PinkyU]

I have a theory that different parts of the UK view giving Christmas gifts differently (based solely on anecdotes and experience, so very scientific).

I’m from the Scottish central belt and don’t know anyone, regardless of income (in fact more so for working class families), who gift less than 12/15+ presents to their children, nor do any of the NI parents I know.

Conversely my experience of English families (almost exclusively on here) is that there’s competitive minimal gifting regardless of financial situation.

Is it different traditions across the nations?

Prove or disprove my very scientific theory.

(Apologies to the Welsh, I have no experience but am happy to be informed)

Sorry I'm from London but lived in multiple places and overseas since dc, none of their friends in midlands got many gifts either

I’m English and I buy more then 15 gifts per child. Not every gift is ££ though, some are smaller things that get used up so don’t hang around for ages such as lush bath bomb boxes or posh chocolates from hotel chocolate.

I also don’t ‘wrap up essentials’ though.

Scottish central belt!

Everyone I know buys loads at Xmas it's just how it done for us. I don't care if anyone judges me I can't just buy my child a laptop or an iPad at the drop of a hat. I can't afford a fancy car, I rent my house. My children don't get holidays. So Christmas is the one time of the year where they are spoiled. I don't judge people who don't buy loads so I don't feel its fair for them to judge me.

I think the problem with these threads are some people class their stocking fillers as presents and some don’t.

So someone will say they have bought their kids 40 presents but are including absolutely everything and someone else will say 4 but won’t include the 20 other small stocking fillers they have bought.

Northern ireland and a big pile here, which is totally the norm. (not as big as previous years due to their ages). Was also the norm when i was growing up

Excluding stocking fillers then god no! 15 main gifts?!
stocking fillers then yes lots of small schmutter things from Santa!
london

We always got the presents in the Christmas sack as children, but it was pillowcase size. I did the same when DS was young, his is bit smaller than pillowcase size but used to hold a Lego set. He got about four or five things from me (one big like Lego, others smaller, didn't have the money for more than that), and a few from other family.

My children will probably get around that in total but we have a big family and they get treated a lot by some members. We only give one big one (eg a bike) and then a couple more token ones plus a stocking.

We are SW by the way

SW England
Mine get 3 or 4 presents from us, one of which is always books. One present from Father Christmas. A stocking from Father Christmas which contains approx 25 items (includes essentials such as socks, soap, pens etc, also lots of edible items and things aren’t in packaging where possible so for eg a set of dive toys or hot wheels cars counts as 6 items rather than 1)

London and a big pile here which is the same as just about everyone I know.

You really can't use MN as any kind of marker.

I don't do numbers of presents but my children are teenagers so if they get eg a PS5 for Xmas, then they're not getting 20 more presents on top of that, no.

Obviously the tube of smarties etc is still in packaging and I’m not counting the individual smarties as individual items 😉
Also if they got say the hot wheels or dive toys as a present rather than stocking filler they’d count as one present not 6. Basically I work out what they want/need and work out what of that can fit in the stocking and what’s going to be an actual present.

I’m SE and my children are now adults , when they were children they definitely got more than 15 presents each .

Yup I fit the stereotype - middle class southerner and it’s lots less than 15 gifts each from us . They are older teens now but even when younger was the same.

they get decent stocking gifts as well though so they aren’t hard done by!

I'm from NI and it's always a big pile of present for each DC just as it was for us growing up. They'll have a stocking, a wrapped pile of presents from Santa and wrapped presents under the tree from us.

I’m from central Scotland and my two get 4 or 5 things each excluding stocking.

I agree, I mean we buy a lot of 'main' gifts approx. 24 but when I say main gifts Im not talking £200 here and £180 there like PP. For us big money wise gifts are approx. £20-£30 they get 1 thing this price and then other gifts are cheaper (I shop the sales for 6 months in the run up) or secondhand.

My kids then get santa sacks which are cheap classic toys (harmonica, skipping rope, yoyo, pack of cards etc...)

A stocking but a stocking is half sweets like chocolate orange, chocolate coins, bag of maltesers and an aero bar and then a few 'stocking filler' which to me are things under £1 (like a bubble wand, keyring, stickers etc...) so not really 'gift' type items.

I often see people say I only do 1 gift and a stocking but the one gift is an artists easle and watercolors and portfolio (so 3 things actuall) then the stocking that has in expensive perfume, an oodie, airpods, a giant squashmallow, tickets to taylor swift, a tiffany necklace, socks, pants and and orange, and Im left scratching my head at how they think those things are stocking fillers (or how some of them even fit in a stocking).

I know numbers wise it looks like we get a lot but its under £150 per child and things get used (its the expensive gadget stuff that DOESN'T get used, my kids can play together for hours with a £1 fidget spinner or woopie cushion but won't look twice at the bloody expensive smart watch DH insisted on buying lol).

Its also not bad for the enviroment as a lot is secondhand and not that much is actually plastic (dispite the crys of 'you're just bulking with cheap plastic tat... think of the planet')

Central Scotland v working class upbringing and we got huge piles of presents growing up. Now married to a European who is utterly horrified by the amount of tat that people in this country buy at Christmas. We clash every single year but have met somewhere in the middle with 2/3 big presents and a few fillers like pjs, books and chocolates. I've gradually come round to his way of thinking a bit more and Ive gradually come round to his way of thinking because our kids get so much through the year that massive piles of presents seem excessive. Unlike when I was wee and we had so little that Christmas was truly a treat.

I'm in London. DD usually has 10 ish. I don't buy shit for the sake of it. If she needs hairbands she could have them, but I don't buy things merely to bump up numbers and I find the amount of junk food people on here putting into stockings unnecessary.

East of England, London suburb.

She gets 6/7 things to open and the usual stocking stuff. Too many presents in one go gets too overwhelming and it just becomes a frenzy without actually looking at or appreciating anything!

On 1st December, she'll get Christmas PJs and outfit for parties, then on Christmas eve a Christmas book and small game/activity to keep her entertained.

NE. 6 gifts, although one is a gift bag of things for surprise holiday eg fake ticket, one toy, a magazine for the plane, count down calendar. They also get a stocking, gift from sibling and at least 7 other gifts from family.

Oh and a new or at least to them, book for Christmas eve.

Central Scotland here too. I’ve bought my son 28 presents and plan to get him a few more. Christmas is my favourite time of year and I see it as an excuse to spoil the people I love!

I’m from Liverpool and fall in to your Scottish/northern camp, I come from a working class background. I always remember a pile of presents in my younger years (until parents divorced). My DC are starting to get older/teens so the numbers have decreased but prices increased, I would say they still have at least 15 gifts each (not counting stockings). I like their sack to be full and a few over. The only people I know who are more stringent on gifts are people who originally come from further south or the wealthier families I know from more middle class backgrounds.