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)

But, I also got loads from chairty shops and car boot sales generally when they're younger.

I’m in Ireland and mine get over 15 gifts but main big gifts is usually 2-3 from Santa and another 5-6 from us excluding stocking (which is more like a sack)

We are in the midlands. Working class larger than average family. We do the want, need, wear , read and then they do secret Santa between themselves. So six gifts each. And always a new pair of pjs on Xmas eve.
4 out of the 5 have birthdays within weeks of Christmas so it's a pricey time of year and they just don't ask for that much so it's pointless just buying stuff for the sake of it. Everyone is happy on Christmas morning so I'm good with that 😁🎄

Southeast, grew up v v South. My kids have 10-15 proper presents each ranging from little lego sets (some brand new from a local charity shop which is amazing for kids toys) to wooden rainbow (not grimms) and kids fire tablets on prime day, plus a normal size stocking with 10ish gifts ranging from chocolate coins to lego polybags, animal bath mit etc. Mine get 1 'big' thing from santa and the rest from us. A few grandparent/family friend gifts too. The baby does not have much actual money spent since her brother is only 3 years older, but she obviously doesn't care!

I would call us working class in the traditional sense if that matters, and i have a science PhD. We both grew up poor - I do Xmas like my mum did, with lots of bargain hunting. My dp mostly got hand me downs for Xmas (midlands).

Not all kids like Lego, non of mine ever have regardless of age.

I have bulked the baby's (she will be 11 months) pile with clothes and a blanket also, and stocking with cutlery etc, mainly for her brother's benefit. He will be after her toys when she opens them, but also feel bad if she doesn't get much!

From south east of England but live in Scotland. There will be 22 things each under the tree, plus 10 stocking fillers that equal altogether £60 per stocking. Some are edible. I'd have done if I lived in the south east.

Done the same *

We do either big gift or multiple smaller.

So this year DSS is getting 1 gift but it's a nintendo switch so big ticket item.

DS is getting about 12 items but there games, toy dinosours, bath toys type stuff so smaller.

Last year DSS had several smaller items and DS got 1 ( a bike)

Sorry live in South West England but I'm Irish

I know not all children like lego, I didn't say they did. Just that I didn't see things DS would have liked offered for free, lego was an example.

Yes I seen that but my point is you don’t know what people class as a present and a stocking filler …

I agree, that's why I listed what we give. My Mum was the same so I guess that means we are giving 15+ gifts but most are (physically) small and in the stocking. And no throwaway plastic tat. I am Scottish and middle class to add to the anecdata.

I also go through unused gifts from previous years and will e.g. stick a card game in again so see if it attracts attention this year. That's probably a clear sign they are getting too much of course.

I think there might be something in it wrt location, class definitely has an impact (although I bet the comfortably off middle class spend more than the doing OK but need to make sure they are getting good value for money middle class), and my extended family theory (my DNs get masses from both side of the family whereas DH's family aren't big present buyers for Christmas or birthdays). There are probably more variables (disposable income, background of parents etc) that feed into it.

Having lived in the Central belt and the home counties i think the OP is spot on, Children here in Scotland are indulged beyond belief. Every Mum and every Gran goes mad, £200 worth of presents from Grandparents is normal. I spoke to a lady the other day who was telling me how upset her Son would be because she couldn't afford the hundreds of pounds needed to buy the trainers and tracksuit her Son wanted for his birthday, i asked how old he was as i was sure a teenager would understand, he was 27 !.

@Puddywoodycat yes, sorry that's just from me. They also usually have presents from grandparents (1 set) and 2 aunts, plus a couple of my friends. So I guess it's really 10 presents plus stockings

My point is that your not going to see very expensive specific hold their value items but that doesnt mean there isnt any suitible items that come up.

Theres a term beggers can't be choosers, you can get plenty of decent stuff but its clearly not going to be lego, switches, Iphones.

Kid who grow up without a lot of money and rely on secondhand freebie are unlikely to be expecting kits the RRP. at £60+ so wont be asking for lego.

If your kids use to getting that (and you can buy it in the absence of it being free) you probably dont need freebies or if you do due to a shift in finances you need to start adjusting expectations for your new curcumstances.

In my experience it’s not about location, it’s socio-economic group. As a generalisation, those with less give more at Xmas.

My DD gets this many presents but not from me - we have a large family with 4 GPs and lots of aunts and uncles who buy. I spend not more than £200 (unless it was a bike) and think that’s bordering on excessive given what she’s already got and the broader number of presents.

I do really love Xmas but get stressed with the consumerism and waste of it. Everyone in our house enjoys the traditions as much as the day ie. making the cake, decorating the tree, Xmas carol singing etc.

I'm from the Midlands and despite having a relatively poor upbringing, me and my siblings received 15+ presents each.

Our children receive 15+ now. Was a bit of a shock to my OH at first.

I think it’s more interesting that DS and his friends really weren’t bothered by loads of presents after the age of 9 or 10. From conversations we had with them you could tell they were genuinely bemused by the amount of stuff they were all getting.

I think some of us burn in the 70’s and 80’s and had less stuff generally and the enthusiasm for presents comes from that perhaps? Everything and anything is pretty readily available now especially with credit. My parents only had catalogues as thre option to spread the cost.

Central Scotland here. Mine get a main present and 3 or 4 other lower cost presents each + a stocking.

It's about the same as both dh & I got at Christmas growing up so it's normal for us.

No competitive present counting here either way because it wouldn't occur to me to compare with anyone else. If you want to give a gazillion presents each have at it - I've neither got the money or the space.

Interesting!!

in in England, always give one main gift, sometimes this can be expensive (such as a laptop/mobile if needed that year).
Also then about 3 mid-priced gifts, perfume, jewellery, trainers (£40 ish).
Maybe about 3 further smaller things, £10-20, like a phone case, t-shirt.
So about 7 presents in total, but no things like chocolates or smellies as children get a reasonable amount of stuff all year round and I don’t like unnecessary waste.

A similar lego set to what I bought DS the Christmas he was 4 is currently £35, and that's not reduced. I would have bought his on sale, that was his main present. We never had much money, and I am on a low full time wage now.

Ex-Londoner here, now living in the Midlands/East Anglia. Two pre-teen DC.

They're getting four tree presents each from us, plus a stocking from Father Christmas full of nice bits. They'll also get a present each from my grandma and a secret Santa (£20 max) gift from a member of my/DH's family.

Then they'll go of to exH's and get deluged with presents from him and his large family. Some of them are nice and some are just presents for the sake of giving presents.

I'm east central Scotland & definitely when DC were younger they would have over 15 gifts & depending on the big present cost could be £500-750 each child but they never got things like clothes, pyjamas, underwear or tat type things for Christmas - if they needed clothes etc I bought them when they were needed & I fucking hate tat. Stockings were just a place to pop smaller sized gifts which the DC would be getting anyway we didn't buy gifts specifically for the stockings.

As an aside, do people really buy their DC toothbrushes for Christmas????

Yes I think so

Re the getting stuff for free-last year I found someone giving away a big plastic bin full of toy vehicles on free cycle. I hid them all around the living room and 3yo DD was over the moon. Much easier to please small ones than teenagers I think!