Christmas presents does this sound rubbish?

[WeepingAngelInTheTardis]

Ds10 - oculus meta 3, oculus £50 gift card, 10 manga books, wireless headset, ps5 controller, 2 small boxes of lego. Few random small bits like notebook & pens, ps5 controller holder.

ds14 - 2 playstation 5 games, 1 PC game + the dlc pack, 10 dvds hes asked for, 1 book, watch, 2 LED lights. Few small random bits bracelets hes asked for, elastic band gun, robux gift card.

I feel so rubbish, really struggling to afford christmas this year! Do you think this will do? :(
it doesnt look like much at all but ds14 games came to £250 & ds10 oculus was around £300! they havent asked for much but worried they will be dissapointed.

I would say it is a lot.

As PP said. I never understand people who worry about this sort of thing, when they already have more than enough presents. Each to their own, I suppose.

It’s a lot. We normally give our kids 1-2 main presents and then a stocking. They are similar ages to yours. I think your kids sound really lucky. You don’t have anything to fret about.

I never used to worry about it when they were small, one year all i could afford was two presents each but one year I stuipidly went mad on presents! Now their piles just look crap, but in reality theres around £6-700 there. They dont see family either really, and my family that do bother put money in their savings bonds. 😅

It's a lot.

I understand your point of view because I think the same with my DC at the minute.

The piles are getting smaller so visually its not the same, but I'm still spending the same amount of money, if not more.

Yeah your probably right ds14 will see the games & run off to his consoles never to be seen or heard from again 😂 and ds10 will be happy with his oculus & manga books.
Never been one for stockings.

Yes! Thats it, when they were small I could fill under the tree for £200 tops but theyre not interested in toys anymore.
Doesnt help ds10 birthday is this month had to swap the presents around so hes getting a keyboard for his birthday.

That's a huge amount.
I hope they appreciate it.

That's plenty OP, try not to stress and definitely don't get into competitive gift buying with numpties on social media - you'll get one of two extremes: people who buy shit loads and brag about it, and people who buy just books and a chocolate orange and brag about it: and both of them want you to feel shit about yourself.

At 10 and 14 boys they have at least a vague idea of the cost of things so I wouldn't stress about them, they'll be happy they got what they wanted.

Sounds like loads (but not too many) of lovely presents. If you'd like there to be a few more parcels can you add in anything they're likely to need over the next few months in a version that's likely to make them smile and wrap it up? For example my 15 y/o DD was thrilled with a set of Percy pig pants last Christmas! Another option is to pop down to charity shops / the works and spend a few quid each on some books they might enjoy.

ds14 just reads my books, and only book he asked for was clarksons farm, they have tons of art stuff that doesnt need replacing.
They were kitted out with new clothes/shoes only a few months ago. (Typical boys dont stop growing lol.) might see if the chairty shop has some board games theyd enjoy playing.

Sounds expensive

I think those sound like awesome gifts. My son is 12 and massively into gaming and those lists sound exactly the kind of stuff he'd love.

Honestly I think we as parents tend to gaslight ourselves about these things. Myself included. Kids are easier to please than we think!

I had a chat to my son last year about how his pile would be smaller than his sisters but the things were more expensive and he was so chill about it. he pretty much said he didn't worry about how much he had - he trusted me to know the things he'd like and he was happy just to get gaming stuff he asked for.

You're doing a fab job here parents x

Most of it was done on vinted to be fair, like the manga I saved over £60 on. Dvds were a mix of vinted & charity shops. smaller bits were off temu.

Wow you spent loads. We only spend £70- £100 on each child.
I'd say it's fine.

Mine get a stocking each and a present from Santa then a present or two from us. We’ve on occasion, spent a fortune but most years about £100 total on each.

What did you get yours this year? Problem is £100 is fine for younger kids, one year I did it on £75 for both but when they’re teens everything just costs a arm & a leg… especially at the moment.

Do you find the smaller bits from Temu worth the money? I've heard the quality is shocking.

Yes! Ive brought all sorts of Temu the quality on some bits can be bad but I go through the reviews before I buy. The bits Ive got the boys for christmas are great would never think they are from there.

We’re still working out DS(12)s presents as he’s just had his birthday but so far:
2 big Lego sets that he’s asked for bought second hand. The Beano annual. A make your own paper aeroplane book. Plus his stocking.

I doubt we will give him much more.

I think the amount is perfect if it suits you and your budget OP. You are absolutely right, teenagers are expensive, and I dont want to buy cheap tat to try to make it look 'more'. It doesn't!

We spend more than you these days, but ours are older teens who do expensive sports and need the pro kit for safety. We have encouraged the sports, particularly for one who plays at international level, so we need to be prepared to fund it. Ours get a wide range of presents normally, but this year one has asked for a very expensive piece of kit. He knows he won't get much else, just smaller bits and bobs, but is happy with that, rather than getting average kit (not as a present) and loads of 'stuff' for Christmas that he's not interested in, just for the sake of a big pile.

When ours were 10, we didnt have gaming, so our presents were more toy/craft/sport/experience based, and I guess their piles were much bigger than yours as a result. But if that's what they and you want, then dont worry what anyone else thinks.

And ignore any 'we only buy 1 gift and our children are more appreciative than everyone else's' comments that inevitably end up on these threads. Nonsense. Its all individual.

They'll have a great Christmas morning, I'm sure.

That sounds very generous to me.
Please don't feel you have to buy more than you can afford. Try and make the day special by doing things together.

Oh God, are we doing this already?

Ye, its six weeks till christmas.
Can just stay off the christmas board?

I mean the "I am skint but am spending well over £500 on 2 people while freaking out its not enough" nonsense, not Christmas in general.
Its either a humble brag or ridiculous that you think you haven't spent enough, either way just stop it.
Spend what you can afford, don't go into debt and don't compare what you have bought to what other people have.