Present ideas - wealthy friend has offered Christmas gifts for my children

[copingwithit]

A very wealthy friend has asked me for Christmas present ideas for my children who will have just turned 2 and 6. I would actually just like something to put in their investment accounts for their future as they really don’t need anything. Don’t feel I can ask that though. Any ideas for these ages? I would guess the budget is quite large for them.

I think it’s really grabby you are assuming there is a “large” budget!
I would say the kids would love a book each, small gift around £10.

alternatively ask for a £10 voucher for soft okay or something similar you can take the children too after Christmas

Agree

Agree with previous posters!

Are you reciprocating?

Just suggest a gift that the children will appreciate 🤷‍♀️
Edit to say £15-20

We have a few wealthy friends but would never assume that that means they want to spend £££ on our kids. I send them the same ideas as I would send anyone else, around the £20 mark.

I wouldn’t assume the budget but I also wouldn’t say £10.

would just say can they have vouchers for xyz shop so they can get something throughout the year.

Unless she specifivally told you she wants to spend significant money to treat them, you should assume a regular budget which for most people i would say ranges from a tenner up to max £50. So give ideas that will work across ramges as you dont know where she sits. "DD loves clothes from.zara, books and she is totally into anything Disney at the moment. Ds is all about football - his club is Arsenal- and hes getting into drawing and anime".

Jellycats- most of my wealthy friends are actually quite frugal (read tight) when it comes to gift giving.

I’m glad you don’t feel you can ask as that would be horribly grabby and your assumption that the budget will be ‘quite large’ is crass and could really damage your friendship.

’Pyjamas or a book are always most welcome’ and if someone said this to me and my budget was £10 or £100 I could easily give either a book, or pyjamas and a book or indeed both plus money for their savings should I wish.

I'd set up an amazon wishlist and put a range of stuff on it...i often have small things for £10/£15 I can re-use for birthday gifts for other kids (my inlaws are weird and just spend up to £100 or £150 or whatever ... they keep on clicking until they hit the target spend. Dd once 28 gifts from them one xmas 😱)

I would say
"Hi friend! Thats so kind of you!
Here's an amazon wishlist i give to family who want ideas for presents. We also have a savings account for the kids (details) our family tend to do half and half so buy them something from the list and put something into their savings."

Why are they asking for Christmas gift ideas now?! Weird. And I’m a Christmas person!

You can’t ask a friend for money for a toddler. That’s crazy. Just say, oh they like books/duplo/bluey or whatever you’d say to anyone else.

Maybe: "or put something into savings" would be better?

This is probably the rudest thing I’ve read!

You set up an Amazon wishlist and pretend it’s full of things your kids would like but fully intend to regift it? wtf

And you’d lie to them and say oh, buy something and also donate to their savings 🤯 wow

I would say the same to a millionaire friend as I would a friend on a budget.

A book/art stuff, feltips etc./t shirt/football/baking stuff/any kind of game/sweets/slime (woe betide me)

They can then pick and choose as they see fit,and the kids are grateful no matter the present!

My best friend/kids Godmother is actually rather wealthy,but we stick to 20eu for birthdays and Christmas per DC (2 each) and put alot of thought in2 each one.Tis a win win.

What would you do when your inlaws absolutely insist of gifting bags and bags of shite to a 3 and 1 yo.
It took 2 days to open just the gifts from mil during xmas 2025.
They both "gave up" repeatedly.

I have tried asking for one thing. I have suggested if they want to gift lavishly they put it in a kids savings account.

All to no avail.... should i really keep all this unnecessary junk in my house for years????

i have wishlist as earlier this year i came home to find a motorised jeep car had been delivered - it tipped me over the edge

we live in london... we.do not have a 1/2 acre lawn for a garden.. its very burdensome to be frank.

You also clearly dont read a lot..! Have a lovely evening

I’d go for a book token and say they’d love to go to the bookshop to choose a book, then it’s up to them how much they spend plus it’s a nice trip out after Christmas

I suggested to a rich friend once that DD would love some coloured pencils as she loved drawing, anticipating a small set and maybe a sketch book. She got the biggest set I’ve ever seen of Caran d’Ache pencils and I shudder to think how much they cost.

The wealth you think they have does not determine the amount a gift costs.

I would suggest a special Christmas book each, some pyjamas or a little stocking filler.

😅 how on earth did you get from your lack of communication with your in-laws to I “don’t read much” 😂

You: This is probably the rudest thing I’ve read!

Me: You... clearly dont read a lot..!

Mystery solved....

Has your friend given gifts in the past?
I agree that despite them being wealthy, that doesn't necessarily mean they will be a generous gift giver.
Interesting how you comment about wanting money for investment, why not suggest gifts you would normally buy and then put the money you have saved into the accounts instead.

Hmm? Sports car and a Chanel bag?

Ex was very wealthy. When buying presents, and with anything really, he would get very quickly tired of other people's "well, it's like 50p to him" view of being entitled to expensive things.

In order to be polite and not look like a grabby twat asking for cash for a toddler and assuming you have the entitlement to a large budget I would choose something your DC would actually like, that the standard version would be around £15 - £30 and you will probably get an extremely nice version of that.

See above where PP asked for an art set and got a very high quality set.

What makes you think it's a large budget?
It's possible it isn't. It's a grabby mindset to assume someone will dish out large sums of money just because they are wealthy.