Their list is so expensive!

[flowerygloves]

So - we have exchanged the kid's lists. Ours were encouraged to aim for about £10-20 per gift with say 2 things at £50 ish for grandma and grandad.

One of my siblings has sent a list and EVERYTHING on it is £50 + should I ask for lower cost ideas? Or is £50 what you need to spend nowadays on 13 year olds to get anything decent?

My kids usually say something random and conversational to santa, they don't sit and list presents they want. They might if prompted say something utterly ridiculous like 'I want a dinosaur on a motorbike' despite them having zero interest in dinosaurs or motorbikes lol. Its actually hilarious to see where their mind goes when on the spot, 10 minutes later they forgot they even said it.

Imagine thinking a child put on the spot with questions is going to make a solid choice. I mean one of my kids can't even talk yet, so no gifts for her I guess because she can't ramble bollocks to a mall santa lol.

I'm aware what my kids like because I KNOW them, better than any one on earth lol. They literally spend almost all their time with me so how on earth would I 'not know' what they are into? I know what shows they are obsessed with, what personalities they have, what imaginative play they come up with, what real life things they covert and what toys they play with at play group and soft plays etc... no 'guess work' needed.

Stop slagging off the lists. It's what we do. Get over it.

They aren't sent out they are asked for. They aren't demands. They are ideas of what they would like.

@flowerygloves
I'd speak with your Sis, and have some options, money, split with another family member Granny, or if they have a birthday any time soon then a joint Christmas/ Birthday gift.

So reading your post I’m surmising that your kids are very small (forgive me if I’m wrong)

Youll understand as they get older that it isn’t so easy to have an idea of exactly what they want - for teens The brand or style becomes higher priority. Lists are so much better than being sent a random thing that ends up in the charity shop on Boxing Day, believe me.

@housethatbuiltme if your children are still little then that makes sense. You will be more aware of what they enjoy and will actually play with.
But when they are older and exposed to different things at school, at a friends house, at Cubs, Brownies or wherever there will be things they start to enjoy but you won't necessarily be aware of.
But at the moment if your way works for you then carry on.
Every family is different in how they do things 🙂

@Sugarfree23 your boy wants Lego? That's a good lad you have there 😂

I would LOVE the lists!! Bloody hate having to think of what to get for DH family teens when I really don't know them well day to day.

@YesThatsATurdOnTheRug yes some people get so horrified by the thought of a wish list. I really don't understand why.
Lists don't have to be a list of demands. It doesn't have to be "Here is 10 things I want and will expect to receive or else" - they are just suggestions of gifts that the person would get pleasure out of recieving.
Much better than completely random things.

Oh yes! Except its just not cheap. Star Wars stuff this year. (BTW the Holiday Main St is on my list 😜, don't think 🤔 Santa is impressed)

Lists are excellent. So much better to give a gift that is actually wanted, then something random like a scented candle that no one wants.

Reading the OP again - there are absolutely going to be some things that a 13 year old wants that cost less than £50. Girls want make up bits, hair accessories etc. Not so sure about boys as I don’t currently know any, but whatever the equivalent is. Seems like their parents are being a bit cheeky and aiming high. Or are maybe expecting relatives to club together to buy the expensive stuff.

@Sugarfree23 check out the supermarkets - they have some good deals on.

@Helenahandkart that's part of the issue, unless teen boys are into books or clothes there is very little to buy them.

Someone up thread suggested meccano and hexbugs, not every teen boy would appreciate them.

It’s all so bloody pointless. You spend £100 on them, they spend £100 on you. It would be easier to just keep your money and buy your own kids more of what they’d like. Exchanging vouchers to the same value is even more pointless.

@FlatWhiteExtraHot yes but sometimes it's just nice to be able to seek out something that your own children aren't interested in but your nephew/niece will be overjoyed to receive (and their parents can't necessarily get hold of so easily).
Sometimes it's not about the cost - it's the act of getting hold of the gift.

My kids range from 15 to 2... I know my 15 year old perfectly fine.

Shy of sex and drugs (which I'm pretty certain my DS isn't into as hes terribly awkward around people and never really leave the house) most teens are happy to talk to parents about their interest... Me and DS actually share a lot of interests and do hobbies together.

Not all kids are 'trendy' or brand oriented, my DS would care if he wore a bin bag as long as its 'comfortable', he lives in plain black non branded zip hoodies. My teen could also not give too fucks about 'brands', He thinks fashion trends and latest 'must haves' are tacky and 'tax' for the 'sheep' who can't think for themselves.

Getting T-shirts with the bands on he likes is my way of attempting to add ANY character to his lacking 'teen boy' wardrobe but he would be just as happy to wear plain old holey/bobbled Primark tees lol.

That's what I bough MY kids based on his interests not a suggestion for your kids.

If your kid would turn there nose up at absoloutly ANYTHING under £20 and couldn't possibly think of something the might like that 'cheap' then you raised a bratty snob frankly.

My nephew is not brand interested but it still doesn’t leave anything to buy him- even regular clothes cost a lot because he’s a grown man in size. A basic trainer is expensive.
He likes football but doesn’t love it,
He likes gaming but doesn’t love it.
it’s not 2004 where you can give them a cd or dvd- men were hard to buy for, now thanks to the streaming generation they are even harder.

Massively condescending, I am an experienced mother.

I have been a mother near 16 years, most people have multiple children of varying ages.

I also have a baby brother over a decade younger than me and a decade older than my kid. I have been buying gifts for children of all ages for LITERALLY decades. I know all my brothers likes (and hes deep into strange fandom from other countries etc...) and I don't even live with him (left home when he was a toddler).

I honestly don't know how anyone is arguing they lack knowledge into what their own kids like, do yous not bond with them?

Yip the snobby brat turned down the chance of a new phone or an electric guitar in favour of more Lego!

3 sets on his list. That's it nothing else. Doesn't particularly appreciate clothes, or books and media is streamed.

Ignore and buy what you can afford.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers totally agree, I miss DVDs and CDs they made great gifts.
Young teen boys are so hard to buy for. It's really not easy.

@housethatbuiltme I didn't intend to be "condescending". Apologies if you took it that way. The way your post read I thought you only had little ones.
I have a 15 year old too. Mine doesn't want brands or make up etc (that people think 15 year old girls want). Mine wants Pokémon and more Pokémon this year.
But she does love books and she comes across books at school or via TikTok etc so sometimes she wants to read some slightly obscure stuff that I wouldn't necessarily know that she wants.
I am with her pretty much 24/7 (except for school hours) but while I know most of what she likes there are some things unless she tells me - I wouldn't know.

The OP is trying to buy gifts for nieces and nephews, not for her own children. For all the posters saying that they know their children really well and know exactly what to buy them, that’s fine, but it doesn’t really correspond to whether it is easy to buy for other people’s children, who you probably don’t know so well. Which is why the parents ought to be putting the lists together, to help out more distant family members.
There are plenty of well-meaning uncles and aunts out there who don’t have children, and don’t spend much time with children, who can’t possibly be expected to keep abreast of what the latest brand/toy/fashion is. If parents and their children worked together to write a suggestion list of gifts for a range of budgets then Christmas shopping would be a lot easier.
I hate wasting money on something that isn’t going to be appreciated, takes up house space and wastes resources.