Christmas for adult children

millysg1

Im 27 and sister 30 and we have both moved. I think my mum still spends the same amount of money on our presents but she stopped stockings when my neice was born, which was 24 for me and 27 for my sister.

FatVonD

We still do a pile of gifts for DS, DSD and DSS who are 17, 15 and 19 though the pile is smaller as the kind of things they like when they are older tend to be more expensive than, say, colouring books and puzzles were.

Eldest DSS who is 22 probably gets a few less (maybe 4 or 5 presents?) as he has a good job and anything he really wants he'll already have bought himself which doesn't leave much scope for surprises. In the past we've bought stuff like, say, a winter coat but he's just moved into his first flat so we'll probably end up buying him practical things like toasters and ironing boards this year!

DS (17) is getting the new X-Box, he's trading in his old one and a pile of games towards the price but it'll still be quite expensive so everything else he gets on top will just be stocking-filler type gifts.

PolishBigSpender

I'm 32 and I still find a pile of gifts under a Christmas tree. My parents prepare a similar pile for my uncle and get each other several expensive gifts.
We bring a nice, expensive gift for each of my parents and a small one for any other family member that happens to be present.

ciderwithrosie_2

Still spend around the same on mine as I always have - they're 24, 23 and nearly 20 now.


They have a main present/presents up to about £50-60, then a pillowcase filled with other stuff like smellies, pants and socks, books, chocs and other edibles/drinkables, little gadgets and joke presents.


I don't know when I'll stop doing it, never probably - my parents still do a bag of gifts for each of us and we're all in our 50s!

onlyroz

My mum still gets me a stack of presents, and she does the same for my husband too, much to his bemusement.

Yolina

I'm over 40 and my mum still buys me stacks of stuff despite me telling her for many, many years that I'd be perfectly happy with just one small thing.
Last time I suggested simply getting me a book for Xmas, she bought 5 and a ton of other things anyway :rotfl: TBH I do find it a bit annoying.

System

For us the "father Christmas" presents stopped once we were 17 (bit of a a random age I know), it never bothered me to see my siblings still get piles of pressies and me get smaller ones later on. I still enjoy Xmas and for me it's more about spending time with my family than the presents, plus I think getting less and still appriciating what you get is just part of growing up.

System

We stop spending so much on them when they are financially independent. They get token gifts after that.... Usually in the form of a gift voucher.

KxMx

I suppose at 27 Mum spends less on me than she used to when I was a kid. I'm happy enough with some chocolate/sweets, Amazon gift vouchers, a book (Mum tries to get me one each year I haven't read which is a challenge!) and a few little bits to unwrap. I tell her not to spend alot on me she works very hard for her wages and should spend more on herself.

Dad varies wildly in what he gets me, some years it's a calendar or Christmas ornaments, last year he bought me a Kindle Fire HD which just gob-smacked me! First i've never had such an expensive gift and second that it was him that got it for me! He doesn't give me or my brother (31) Birthday gifts any more though, just sends a card.

Lily-Rose_3

duchy wrote: »

I do think if he's financially dependent on you as he's still studying then a token gift would be stingy (especially if presents for the younger siblings are plentiful as they'd be opening them together) but at 18 the main present would be more likely to not be a surprise but something they wanted/needed and the surprises would be in the bits and pieces.

This ^^^

Our daughter is 19, and we did used to spend around £250 on her at Christmas.

Up to 16, we carried on spending the same on her, then when she hit 17, we dropped the usual £250 for Christmas and £150-£175 for birthday budget, to about £150-£160 at Christmas and about £100 on birthdays.

Now she is 19, we give her about £30 worth of gifts, and about £50-75 cash.

After 21, it will drop to about £50 altogether.

You have two other children, (three altogether yes?) so continuing to spend a couple of hundred (as most people do,) or more on each child forevermore, is not doable. Nor is it fair on you.

But do remember that at 18 - although she is technically an adult: she is still very young in many ways, and she needs her parents, she needs her family, and she needs the same amount of love and attention as her younger siblings. Late teens is a very precarious and emotional time for older children/young adults.

Maybe do as I do? A few gifts (maybe 6 to 10) that are around £30 in value in total, and maybe £30 to £40 cash.

Just a suggestion.

A tenner gift token a bit tight LOL.