When do you stop giving Christmas presents?

lostinrates

j.e.j. wrote: »

I think it depends how often you see your adult nieces and nephews. I wouldn't buy for adult relatives who I hardly see from one year to the next, but if I am closer to them or chat with them regularly I would buy a gift.

And personal circumstances. Because of a large spread in age of siblings personal circumstances at the times different nieces and nephews hit 18 will be hugely different. One of ours hit 18 before the youngest was born and there may well be more we hope! Thus, its not surprising our personal circumstances are likely to be different when that child is eighteen to when the older ones are. We might be capable of more or less depending on life's twists and turns.

NobodysChild

I think 18 is a good age to stop, although it does offend some lol.

My BFF has 3 nieces to her older sister, and one is now 19 (nearly 20) and the other 2 are 14 and 12, so last Christmas she bought the two young uns and not the older one, and so did her brother. And the 19 y.o. was gutted, because she was the only one 'left out.'

My brother's kids are 12 and 10, and what we are going to do is stop for both of them when the little one hits 18. My sis has no children, so no probs there!

Stopping when the youngest hits 18 sounds like a good plan - if there are only 5-6 years between youngest and oldest. But if the gap is like 15 years, you will be buying the oldest til they're over 30 LOL.

It is so hard isn't it?

I guess buying til they are 18 is the only option really, and they just need to suck it up. They are adults then after all.

fizz

I will continue to buy for my niece and step-niece until I die lol.
However, if I had loads, then the cut-off date would be 18...and if I caused offence-tough!

Spendless

Am in a similar situation. Neice is almost 24 and this is her 2nd Christmas working, previously she was a student, now she's a Secondary school teacher. She doesn't buy for us, but her Mum (husband's sister) buys for all of us. The age at which present buying should stop keeps being brushed under the carpet. I think what I'm going to do is wait a few more years till my kids are older, they are 14 and 11 at min and just say stop for all, or if Neice has a child herself before then, change to buying for her baby.

Easier on my side, me and my sis agreed on 18 a few years back and since mine is the eldest and sister has twins they should all pretty much finish within a year or two of each other.

Gillyx

In our family its when you stop education, in my OH's family it seems to be when you have a child of your own and they start buying for your child.

Mojisola

NobodysChild wrote: »

My BFF has 3 nieces to her older sister, and one is now 19 (nearly 20) and the other 2 are 14 and 12, so last Christmas she bought the two young uns and not the older one, and so did her brother. And the 19 y.o. was gutted, because she was the only one 'left out.'

I guess buying til they are 18 is the only option really, and they just need to suck it up. They are adults then after all.

If the young adult 19 year old can't take on board that she was getting presents for 12 and 14 years before her siblings came on the scene, she needs a reality check.

If you kept giving her presents until the youngest reaches 18, then the two younger ones could be upset that their sister still got presents until she was in her mid-20s!

tanith

I stop buying for the grandchildren when they reach 18 we had quite a few so only 2 left to buy for now. Trouble is my first Great grandchild is expected next year so I guess the number now starts to go up again..lol

NobodysChild

Mojisola wrote: »

If the young adult 19 year old can't take on board that she was getting presents for 12 and 14 years before her siblings came on the scene, she needs a reality check.

If you kept giving her presents until the youngest reaches 18, then the two younger ones could be upset that their sister still got presents until she was in her mid-20s!

Hey what a good point!!!!!!!

Never thought of that. You're right of course.

She had been getting gifts for 7 years before the 12 year old and 5 years before the 14 year old.

I think someone needs to point that out to her!

littlerat

The couple we had who bought for us gave us our last on our 18th birthdays (actually I think got one when 21 as well...). I thought our aunt was stopping then, but she hasn't. My cousins are younger than me, some quite a bit.

I've always known 18 to be the usual last one.

jakes-mum

I stopped buying when they each reached 18, DH rang his mum when eldest was reaching that age and just told her that is what we were doing as they were now an adult. Have also already had this convo with my sister (though our kids are a lot younger) and said that's what we do. I have never bought for great nieces / nephews birthdays/Christmas as I don't see them due to distance.