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Christmas

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Original poster

How many presents do you buy for children

118 replies

Yamaya · 13/12/2022 14:24

Have got 4 and 6 year old 15 presents each (but some are small like lip gloss or a slinky) and a Christmas eve box.

Is that about normal?

OP posts:
Logicalreasoning · 17/12/2022 22:59

2 dc, 11 each for stockings, ds15 has 5 big presents and dd10 has 8.

senior30 · 18/12/2022 01:21

I don’t think the number of presents matters, one person could buy 50 items of tat for the same price as 5 presents. Don’t compare yourself OP, all of our circumstances are different.

Brandybucks · 18/12/2022 02:03

I have 4 kids and I think I probably buy less than I would if I had only 1 or 2 otherwise it would feel like a tidal wave of presents! They are also all boys so there is only so much Lego/train/car/Batman stuff that I can take plus they can play with each other’s gifts. They will each get one main gift under the tree plus some new books. Then they receive a stocking.

So for example, this year my eldest DS (7) will get:

Tree:
Lego ninjago set
4 new books

Stocking:
Small popcorn bucket for movie nights (they are all getting one)
Popcorn
Harry Potter chocolate frog
Harry Potter Dobble game
A wallet with £1 inside
2 Magic treehouse books
A calculator
choc money
Tangerine

This to me is manageable and they get really excited and engrossed in their own (and each other’s) main present.

They also do a small Secret Santa between the brothers so they learn about gift giving without buying for everybody. They really love this!

BernadetteAndHoward · 18/12/2022 06:04

My son has got a stocking with about 7 presents - books and small toys as I wanted to avoid buying things for the sake of a stocking. He has a gift from Father Christmas and about 6 presents from us. The presents from us are two bigger presents and the rest are books/puzzles.

Schnooze · 18/12/2022 07:57

We’ve always gone for quantity at Xmas. They don’t get much for birthdays in comparison , and they don’t get things bought throughout the year. It builds up the excitement and anticipation for the magic of Xmas day when there is such a bounty waiting for them.

Dreamwhisper · 18/12/2022 08:24

Yamaya · 13/12/2022 14:51

That's the thing, mine have so much already. I am worried they will be disappointed though as there's not much big stuff if you know what I mean, but then I can't think of anything they would love enough to justify it.

This is obviously just my personal opinion, but this is where I think stockings come in so handy. If you get decent sized ones you can fill it with a fun mix of really good little treats of all kinds. It adds a wow factor to Christmas and everyone I know who had a stocking in childhood including my own DC says how much they loved/love them. This may help you mitigate that feeling of needing to get a "main present" to make it special.

I would not recommend spending big money on a large item that you or your DC have no want or need for!!

Iamboredandgoingforatwix · 18/12/2022 09:11

It depends on the cost of the item.

DC1 has games console, so has a few other bits and two items of clothing then a stocking of chocolate and cheap fiddly crap that he likes. If the gifts aren't expensive, then there's more of them.

Due to crap memory and bad organisational skills, youngest has quite a lot, but they are for replacing stuff he has broken that he had got on well with prior to breaking it. He has SN and he isnt bothered about Christmas anyway, but it was cheaper to replace via Christmas so we opted to do that. Youngest DC's stuff is more about keeping up the pretence for eldest than anything as he is actually aware of what is going on.

Older child is asking lots of questions about santa now, so this is the last year of believing. I will set a price limit next year and he can pick what he wants.

mam0918 · 18/12/2022 15:20

senior30 · 18/12/2022 01:21

I don’t think the number of presents matters, one person could buy 50 items of tat for the same price as 5 presents. Don’t compare yourself OP, all of our circumstances are different.

You do know its not either or right?

I think people need to start reframing their mindset to what tat actually is, you may spend hundreds on an Iphone or Kindle or designer tracksuit from a chinese sweatshop but in 2 years time it will be outdated/wornout and a few years past that it'll likely be ditched in massive dumps in a 3rd world... no longevity and not enviromentally good where as someone buying 15-20 good quality but affordable pre-loved gifts that will then get recycled again to a new family down the line is NOT 'tat'.

Glittercraftqueen · 18/12/2022 15:35

Mine have got 10 each from us, but some are very small things like pyjamas.

About 5 things each for their stocking but again small things like socks, pens, choc coins.

bakewellbride · 18/12/2022 16:47

Dd is a baby, she's got 3 small gifts.

Ds is 4. He's got 4 gifts including a nerf gun & some Lego.

Both have a small stocking on top of this. Ds has donated a gift to a charity which hands out gifts to poor children and I try to make stuff like that the focus as well as spending time together and not receiving too many gifts.

AnnieSnap · 18/12/2022 18:14

My kids are adults now. As children, we had a budget for them (higher if the main present they wanted was expensive e.g. a bike). We would kind of keep to it whilst giving them the same number of parcels to unwrap. I think some parents go way over the top now, not so much with the cost, but the number of gifts - each to their own though. Not my business.

Howmanysleepsnow · 18/12/2022 22:29

I was aiming for 8 Santa gifts plus chocolate/sweets in stockings (and one from us/ from each other, plus 2from grandma and grandad and one from their auntie) to cut back on tat. The plan was: main gift, books, clothes, board game plus a couple of toys for the younger 2/ gym stuff/ hair straighteners etc for the teens. But I seem to have accumulated extra as they all put practical stuff like toiletries/ chargers/ powerpacks etc on their lists so they’ve ended up with 8 stocking fillers in the category (mostly- there’s also Pokémon cards) of “nicer versions of stuff I’d be buying them anyway “. So with sweets that’s 21 from Santa, 1 from me, 3 from siblings and 3 from extended family. Which sounds a lot….

LondonQueen · 18/12/2022 22:31

I spend about £500 on each child rather than focusing on the number of presents, I prefer to give them quality rather than a load of cheap shit that will break in 5 minutes.

DuchessOfDisco · 18/12/2022 23:25

I’ve just counted my list and each child has 18 gifts. These include the advent calendar, Christmas Eve box, stocking and tree gifts and all the small extras like chocolate coins, selection boxes etc.

ASCB31 · 18/12/2022 23:34

We do a slightly different take on the something you want poem.
Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read, something to eat & something to play.
They then get a something to share between them.
Santa brings one thing off their wishlist plus a stocking with the usual, selection boxes/lipbalm/bath bombs/glow sticks etc

Idratherbepaddleboarding · 19/12/2022 19:37

@ASCB31 it makes me uncomfortable that you haven’t completed the rhyme, you’re going to have to think of something else to rhyme with play 😂.

WeDontNeedToTalkAboutJamie · 19/12/2022 19:43

Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read, something to eat & something to play.
Lots of fun on Christmas Day.
@Idratherbepaddleboarding

DucklingDaisy · 19/12/2022 19:52

4 for the 3-year-old, 3 for the 1-year-old.

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