Give me some help re xmas pressies for kids next year

Spendless

earthmother wrote:

If there is no way around the PJs being given, then how about adopting a slightly different stance - that is if grandma doesn't mind her present being opened early/when she's not there. I've seen a few people, on here and elsewhere, saying about how one of their christmas traditions is that the kids have a brand new pair of PJs for Christmas night - maybe adopt that, and make it that Grandma provides them?

That way she's involved in the excitement of Christmas - in fact if you present it well enough, Christmas will never be Christmas again without grandma's PJs as far as the kids are concerned.

Just a thought

That is a great idea :T , definately something to consider for next year thanks.

shop-to-drop

I just wanted to add that my childrens grandparents always give massively different presents my parents always small presents not usually exciting similar to your in laws. My husband's parents spent about £50 per child! My children have never commented or complained. They love there grandparents equally. They love their grandparents more for the time they spend with them doing cooking, gardening, playing chess and just watching tv together (ie countdown!). Children are very understanding and accepting much more than we think and only materialistic if that's the way we make them. Your children are young enough that I'm sure they are not materialistic and judgemental of their grandparents.

Any chance of inviting grandma to go Xmas shopping with you next year? She may love to have some special time with you and some ideas for more exciting gifts. She probably feels that if she buys something practical at least her money will not be wasted a true MSE.

Spendless

Trow wrote:

Spendless I think you are being a little unfair - you know they don't have much money, and they bought what you suggested they buy - I can't see why you see it as being 'partly' your fault. I did say I didn't want to sound ungrateful. MIL has always bough clothes, it is usually in addition to a few £1 shop items, when I suggested the PJ's I didn't realise that there wouldn't be say a colouring book in there as well.

Next time suggest something affordable and fun This is where the problem lies, MIL only wishes to buy 'practical' stuff

it would be daft to suggest ideas now for Xmas 07 for kids IMO, as their likes and dislikes will probably change at least three times by then I was more looking for ideas on how to handle situation, how to be practical to please MIL and not be boring to please DS

I would look at it maybe nearer October and you will have a better idea of what they are into then, and it will give you plenty of time to suggest to the il's what they would like - or even suggest you go shopping with mil to find something, that way you will see exactly what has been bought. thank you that's a good idea

Leave buying the boring stuff to people that have the money to buy fun stuff as well. Oh, and my kids love getting clothes - always have done!

That's the whole point, they don't have the money to buy boring and fun and only want to buy 'boring'. I'm trying to think of items that are both practical and fun;)

Spendless

lottiegirl-sorry about the situation re your MIL., but you have given me a great suggestion of saying a book next year, it fits the bill, covers the practical buying of a pressie, can be found to suit all price ranges and can be on a subject the eldest likes (he prefers non-fiction) and can be an annual or such-like for youngest. Thank you :beer:

Rachie_B

my sons love getting pjs / pants / socks / slippers from my mum each xmas! :

its something they actually look forward to lol they get character ones / novelty ones and its sort of become a ritual that my mum & dad kits them out in that sort of stuff each xmas / bday

matalan / instore etc nice n cheap

i can sort of see where you are coming from, as if these were the only gifts they had from my parents each year then i think they would think it was "boring" too

i am liking crazychiks ideas

WELSH-DRAGON_2

On OH's side of the family, we only have his dad as his mum has passed away, he last saw my kiddies on 20th June then turned up 3 days before Christmas with a card each and a £10 note inside for my 4 kids.

My parents we saw on Christmas Day and were so miserable that we have decided to stop the tradition of Christmas lunch with them as the kiddies were so bored (dad put rally driving on TV for them to watch !).

My mum too buys them underwear socks etc and in one way I am sooo pleased that Hyper Value (£1.00 shop) has closed down as Mum would always buy her bargains there and half the time the torch or plastic toy would not function properly.

My 8 year old wrote her Christmas list and asked Santa for a doll, teddy, PJ's and some clothes - a mixture of toys and practical stuff.

But do you know one of the greatest gifts FIL could have given my kids this year was some of his time - sadly he did not and we have not heard from him since, despite leaving messages. Yes I know the gifts were boring but at least they made the effort.

Welshy x

Crazychik

Spendless wrote:

Thank you for your help

No problem - hope it helps!

CFC

Hi Spendless, I honestly really would not worry about it. You're worrying far too much about kids feelings and MILs feelings and how awkward you feel.

Things tend to go over kids heads and providing you take one of their new toys with you so they have something to play with and a few mince pies or cake with Grandma I really don't think there's a problem. Your MIL may not be bothered if the kids think that their presents are boring. I know that I wouldn't be bothered, if I thought there was something that they should have, that's what they'd get. Sometimes I think we're too 'childcentric' these days. I got presents that I didn't want when I was a kid, and it did me no harm. Darn those hand knitted jumpers!!

Really you're giving them the best lesson possible, which is that one should be polite and grateful for anything that is received. And if they should happen to get older and threaten a bit of a tantrum about going to Grandma's on Xmas day for presents, there's a perfect lesson to be given, that life doesn't always revolve around them. That's worth far more than anything material your MIL could possibly give them....but I think you're just a worrier. I bet your kids are nicely brought up with good manners and wouldn't even consider having a teeny tantrum

dlb

My mil + fil alway buy the kids new pjs, and the kids know this, but they like it, because as said before they always buy abit more expensive ones than i would, they get slippers and a dressing gown and they put it all in a huge xmas bag.
This year aswell as the pjs and slippers they put in a new pencil case filled with sweets, the kids were over the moon.

I to have thought about doing the xmas eve present for the pjs, and make it sort of a xmas tradition, where we all have new pjs and can wear them for when santa comes! LOl

Emmylou_2

I'm nearly 30 and still love getting my christmas pjs. As other people have said, they were the present that was opened on Christmas Eve so that I had new jammies to go to bed in!

As a kid, because I had three brothers who were a lot older than me, my present to them was always pants and socks. When I was 14 and had a saturday job and bought them "real" presents with my own money they still wanted to know where their pants and socks were.