how much do you spend on your kids at christmas?

victory

RustyFlange wrote: »

by your last comment .... (in bold) Who says everyone will be in debt in January??

I am not saying I like the prices of some of the things nowadays however I try my hardest to shop when there are offers on etc! I have things put away for DD's birthday (May) and also DS's (sept) I however do not own a credit card or have accounts with anyone (catalogues) I pay cash/paypal/debit card and I for one will not be in debt come christmas!! :j :j

Not everyone will be in debt!!

Meant me just me have been in debt in Jan previously just to please and would never want to do that again or wish that on anyone at the end of the day xmas day is one day and life goes on after that xmas day for just one day it is not worth it for me:D

Kazipoo

mrcow wrote: »

This made me laugh a little. I think it depends on the children in question.

Certainly I know of children who won't even go to school in non-matching vest/pants. The parents just completely pander to it. The same kids have gut retching levels of presents to open at Christmas. All of which are asked for - and yes those kids probably would scoff at someone getting a special quilt for Christmas. (They are not particularly nice children to be around a lot of the time so it wouldn't surprse me).

I do also know of quite a few children who wouldn't bat an eyelid about someone getting a special quilt for Christmas. My son is 8, and he for one wouldn't - well unless it had some sort of robot theme - in which case he'd probably bite your arm off for it.

Some children are more quirky than others. Not all kids want a Wii for Christmas. Some want more imaginative presents. Some would like completely bizarre presents (my daughter wants a doll whch has the same coloured hair as her best friend - go figure? ). Some no doubt would like a special homemade quilt and wouldn't feel or be made to feel anything but happy about it.

Do you know what, its not even about the quilt. The point I was trying to make is what one kid values, another does not, and to have someone dictate about the things you should and shouldn't buy and the amount you should and shouldn't spend is downright cheeky. My kids are spoiled because I was not and because I am in a position where I can do this for them, however, its not about the cost of the gift, its about what the gift means. I would never buy something meaningless and in fact hate receiving gifts for that reason.

Tbh I would love for someone to make a quilt for me, because we snuggle on a night too and we currently have a tatty old blankie and 6 of us fighting to get in the middle where its warmer , even though they all have their own, its better when its mum and dads for some reason :rolleyes:.

Christmases in our house have gotten more expensive as they have grown, which is a bind to say the least, but if I can possibly help it, I won't have them feel the way I did when I was a kid.

tanmu

I never said you had to make everything either. Merely said I had chosen to, where I could. Neither did I say that spending less is what makes special memories. You can spend less and be so tight your kids don't enjoy it. I am only saying that in my opinion the main focus shouldn't have to be on how much you can buy Is that such a hard concept to grasp? Why see it as criticism, go on the defensive and get so tetchy when I have done nothing other than express an opinion (which I thought was one of the points of a forum). I never said you had to agree. I have only posted as many times as I have because the point I am trying to make seems to keep being missed and taken the wrong way.

I think I've said all I want to. you are getting waaaay to aggressive for my liking

tanmu

that last post was sent before I read your most recent Kazipoo, so I apologise if I too came across agressive

mrcow

victory wrote: »

Meant me just me have been in debt in Jan previously just to please and would never want to do that again or wish that on anyone at the end of the day xmas day is one day and life goes on after that xmas day for just one day it is not worth it for me:D

It's not just you though. It's millions of people up and down the country.

Many of us feel the pressure at Christmas. I for one have had an enormous number of gifts to buy. It's horrible (mind you the M&S glitches couldn't have come at a better time for me) to try and cope with it but you have to budget and stick with it or it can all go to pot.

I personally don't feel that there is anything wrong with getting someone what they would like for Chistmas (as long as it's not just a massive pile of presents to rip the paper off for the sake of it!).

If they want a laptop and you can afford it, then it's a really nice gift to receive. But the point is, if you can't afford that laptop, if it's going to cause you problems to buy it, then you either need to go back to the drawing board or be a little more creative with the way you buy it. (We bought my son a £300 stereo fro Christmas last year - only it wasn't £300 to us, it was £14 and 6 years old from Ebay). We put it in a hamper with some CDs etc and he loved it - made no difference to him that it had been used.

Kazipoo

tanmu wrote: »

that last post was sent before I read your most recent Kazipoo, so I apologise if I too came across agressive

Don't apologise for having an opinion, I certainly don't.

I also don't think that any of my posts have been aggressive. Maybe matter of fact and to the point, but not aggressive, and if they were construed that way, I apologise for that, because that certainly was not my intention!

Aaaah there's nothing better than having a good debate!!:D

victory

mrcow wrote: »

It's not just you though. It's millions of people up and down the country.

Many of us feel the pressure at Christmas. I for one have had an enormous number of gifts to buy. It's horrible (mind you the M&S glitches couldn't have come at a better time for me) to try and cope with it but you have to budget and stick with it or it can all go to pot.

I personally don't feel that there is anything wrong with getting someone what they would like for Chistmas (as long as it's not just a massive pile of presents to rip the paper off for the sake of it!).

If they want a laptop and you can afford it, then it's a really nice gift to receive. But the point is, if you can't afford that laptop, if it's going to cause you problems to buy it, then you either need to go back to the drawing board or be a little more creative with the way you buy it. (We bought my son a £300 stereo fro Christmas last year - only it wasn't £300 to us, it was £14 and 6 years old from Ebay). We put it in a hamper with some CDs etc and he loved it - made no difference to him that it had been used.

100% agree, problem was once or twice at xmas we over stretched ourselves to please the kids and we suffered for it, like last xmas we bought them a wii and games when it came to May time we had to sell it to pay the bills, that kind of thing will stay with me for the rest of my life but the kids were cool with it, they moved on to birthdays something else they wanted but as parents, as non affluent parents we should have known better and certainly suffered for it :rolleyes: love ebay;)

lolly1981

hmm i am always in 2 minds about how much to spend for mine at xmas...i want them to be excited that santa has left them a pile of presents but in turn i want them to appreciate what they have got.

my ds1 has asked for some things and has written a list and aside from a few things he has most of them but in all fairness they are a wheres wally book, a torch, a venus fly trap, pants, pjs and a nerf dart gun (which he will not get as i feel that children are exposed to enough violence without giving them something they can 'kill' each other with)..i have bought hima few other things such as a new blanket and cushion (which is stitch and i think i bought it more for me )..a new cup just little things, most of his stuff is practical or can be played by the whole family.
my ss on the orther hand wants all bigger stuff hes 7 and wants a new tv more wii games etc...we unfortunatly dont have him stay with us very much so alot of the things he has gotten in the past go unused or even unopened because my OH family do spoil him rotten.
he have bought hima few board games..a dvd, some figures and a matchbox car thingy lol.
we have also got them shared presents which are games the family can play, dvds, we have got things that we will wrap for the boys but the whole family will benefit from, they like to unwrap stuff but im not going to buy them tat just to bulk their presents up.

we have other family tradirtions tho such as a crazy day (staying in no visitors, all day games dvds and food) making xmas cards , putting the tree up, making mince pies etc. so i dont think its about the amount spent but the joy that will come about because of those presents (sitting together playing monopoly etc)...or just because its something they might have asked for

my all time best xmas prezzie and the ones i remember most are the 2 famous five books bought for me by an aunt, i still have them 18 years later and then went on to have a lifelong passion for the famous five lol

victory

My all time best present was my dad one year for 3 months before xmas unbeknown to me made himself for me a wooden school desk with a flip up lid and the flip up lid had an inside bit of wood that made it stay up, brilliant, inside the desk was a box of biscuits and the beauty of the biscuits was that I did not have to share with anyone they were all mine:D:D

Kazipoo

victory wrote: »

My all time best present was my dad one year for 3 months before xmas unbeknown to me made himself for me a wooden school desk with a flip up lid and the flip up lid had an inside bit of wood that made it stay up, brilliant, inside the desk was a box of biscuits and the beauty of the biscuits was that I did not have to share with anyone they were all mine:D:D

When our kids were younger and money was tight, the hubby made a trolley with blocks (that he made me paint!), a blackboard and a rocking chair. They were of course very simply made, but the kids absolutely loved them.