Christmas Gifts - What is Reasonable to You?

RJsMum · Oct 16th, 2010, 13:30 PM

DS turns 1 year the week before Christmas, so we have double the gifts to buy in a way. At the same time, we don't want to overload him and have him end up with things that just sit around collecting dust because we went overboard.

Growing up we got 3 presents each (I was one of four). This was reasonable for my parents so they didn't go broke (and considering 3 of 4 of us had January birthdays). We'd still get little bits and bobs in stockings...but three presents was our limit.

For those who celebrate, how old will your LO be and how will you be handling gift-buying? In other words, what do you think is reasonable for your own LOs age? Do you set a price limit or present limit? Or will you just shop till you drop?

LIZZY55 · Oct 16th, 2010, 13:53 PM

My LO will be 9 months at chrismas. I'm going to try and restrain myself and buy a few toys. My daughter is the first grandchild on all sides, my mum has bought her lots of stuff already. She will be spoilt rotten by everyone else!
She's too young to realise what presents are or who they are from. I can't wait for her to start getting excited about santa.
When I was little, we used to put a sack (size of pillow case) and stocking out for santa. We had one big present, a few medium ones and stocking fillers (plus the apple and orange in the bottom of the stocken!)

I bet having birthday and christmas so close together makes it more difficult. My sister's birthday is the 22nd December. Everyone just bought her one present and said it was for both! She still moans about that today.

Have you got any ideas for presents yet?

polo_princess · Oct 16th, 2010, 13:58 PM

Brookes birthday is the week before christmas and what i did last year was put some presents aside and i gave them to her at invtervals throughout the year and put some older ones away in the cupboard, just to make sure everything got played with properly.

I think last year i spent about £500 between xmas and birthday :shock

_Vicky_ · Oct 16th, 2010, 13:59 PM

lord I feel your pain Christmas and 21st jan first birthday x2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TBH I am just going a bit mad this year because I can - who knows next year finances may be different and they will get an orange and a lump of coal!!!

What I am doing is getting some older presents that we will put away and they will have later in the year. I am asking for clothes and practical stuff from friends and family

tina_h75 · Oct 16th, 2010, 14:00 PM

Why don't you buy some gifts for his age range now and some that are suitable from 18-24 months which you could give him later in the year? That way he gets something new halfway through the year rather then wait a whole 12 months again ?

blahblahblah · Oct 16th, 2010, 14:01 PM

Dylan's birthday is 7 weeks before christmas. To be honest, we already have mountains of toys and clothes. So I've told people to get him a toy or clothes for one, and either give us a voucher to buy him something part-way through the year, or some money to go in his savings account for the other. We'll be doing something similar, depending on what other people do.

CatStorey · Oct 16th, 2010, 14:05 PM

I am not going crazy, she will get bits and bobs off friends and family. So I will be getting maybe one or two special things.

Her birthday is next week and I have got her a beautiful wooden trike and a wooden trolley thing with blocks in. And thats it!! She doesn't need loads and I do tend to buy bits and bobs through the year, so she isn't toy deprived...lol!

For Xmas I am getting Chloe (and me!) a stroller. Then maybe a few clothes and some other bits. I like to get useful things to :-)

amandad192 · Oct 16th, 2010, 14:09 PM

Liam's birthday is the 22nd January. This year he's getting toys for xmas and clothes for his birthday.
I got him a ride on on Ebay (BNIB) for half the store price. He's getting a trampoline (The little one suitable from 12m+) and a huge stocking full of cheapy toys and books etc.

I have no idea what I've spent SO FAR, but it's probably about £50. Plus £30 for the trampoline and a little more to go in his stocking (I'm talking about the big sacks that are like bin bags.) So this year he's got about £100 for christmas.

We decided to keep it cheap for now because time flies and it won't be long until he wants the latest mobile/games console/trainers...

leelee · Oct 16th, 2010, 14:13 PM

Max will be 9 months at Xmas. I have bought him some things that I would like him to have anyway that will stimulate him. I have told the grandparents not to go too mad but if they do this year I won't be too concerned as he won't understand. In the Xmas's to come I will ask them to just get him 1-2 presents and if they want to give anymore they can give me a voucher or money so I can buy clothes or put in his account.

When I was younger we got 1 big present, a few medium ones and then lots of stocking fillers. My parents always got us great presents because they didn't have much money and wanted to spoil us at Xmas. My birthday is January and I very rarely received my birthday present before Feb/March but it never bothered me as I had my Xmas presents to play with!

hattiehippo · Oct 16th, 2010, 14:15 PM

Tom will be 1 on 23rd December and we're not planning to buy him many presents this year - maybe 3 for birthday and similar for Christmas. So far he's got a wooden hammer and block set and a big hungry caterpillar sticker set for his new room.

He is going to get so much from other people and he won't understand what's going on so I'd rather save the money to get him things over the year as he needs it. MIL has already bought him a huge sack full of presents for birthday and another for Christmas despite requests not to go overboard.

When he gets older we're going to have a half birthday in May or June to try and break the presents up a bit.

Oct 16th, 2010, 13:30 PM	#1
RJsMum Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,697	Christmas Gifts - What is Reasonable to You? DS turns 1 year the week before Christmas, so we have double the gifts to buy in a way. At the same time, we don't want to overload him and have him end up with things that just sit around collecting dust because we went overboard. Growing up we got 3 presents each (I was one of four). This was reasonable for my parents so they didn't go broke (and considering 3 of 4 of us had January birthdays). We'd still get little bits and bobs in stockings...but three presents was our limit. For those who celebrate, how old will your LO be and how will you be handling gift-buying? In other words, what do you think is reasonable for your own LOs age? Do you set a price limit or present limit? Or will you just shop till you drop?

Status: Offline

Oct 16th, 2010, 13:53 PM	#2
LIZZY55 Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 176	My LO will be 9 months at chrismas. I'm going to try and restrain myself and buy a few toys. My daughter is the first grandchild on all sides, my mum has bought her lots of stuff already. She will be spoilt rotten by everyone else! She's too young to realise what presents are or who they are from. I can't wait for her to start getting excited about santa. When I was little, we used to put a sack (size of pillow case) and stocking out for santa. We had one big present, a few medium ones and stocking fillers (plus the apple and orange in the bottom of the stocken!) I bet having birthday and christmas so close together makes it more difficult. My sister's birthday is the 22nd December. Everyone just bought her one present and said it was for both! She still moans about that today. Have you got any ideas for presents yet?

Status: Offline

Oct 16th, 2010, 13:58 PM	#3
polo_princess Mum (Mom) BnB Spammer Elite Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hertfordshire Posts: 45,496	Brookes birthday is the week before christmas and what i did last year was put some presents aside and i gave them to her at invtervals throughout the year and put some older ones away in the cupboard, just to make sure everything got played with properly. I think last year i spent about £500 between xmas and birthday :shock

Status: Offline

Oct 16th, 2010, 13:59 PM	#4
_Vicky_ Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: May 2009 Location: Derbyshire - UK Posts: 7,315	lord I feel your pain Christmas and 21st jan first birthday x2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TBH I am just going a bit mad this year because I can - who knows next year finances may be different and they will get an orange and a lump of coal!!! What I am doing is getting some older presents that we will put away and they will have later in the year. I am asking for clothes and practical stuff from friends and family

Status: Offline

Oct 16th, 2010, 14:00 PM	#5
tina_h75 Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 3,225	Why don't you buy some gifts for his age range now and some that are suitable from 18-24 months which you could give him later in the year? That way he gets something new halfway through the year rather then wait a whole 12 months again ?

Status: Offline

Oct 16th, 2010, 14:01 PM	#6
blahblahblah Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: England Posts: 2,466	Dylan's birthday is 7 weeks before christmas. To be honest, we already have mountains of toys and clothes. So I've told people to get him a toy or clothes for one, and either give us a voucher to buy him something part-way through the year, or some money to go in his savings account for the other. We'll be doing something similar, depending on what other people do.

Status: Offline

Oct 16th, 2010, 14:05 PM	#7
CatStorey Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Winchester Posts: 1,370	I am not going crazy, she will get bits and bobs off friends and family. So I will be getting maybe one or two special things. Her birthday is next week and I have got her a beautiful wooden trike and a wooden trolley thing with blocks in. And thats it!! She doesn't need loads and I do tend to buy bits and bobs through the year, so she isn't toy deprived...lol! For Xmas I am getting Chloe (and me!) a stroller. Then maybe a few clothes and some other bits. I like to get useful things to :-)

Status: Online

Oct 16th, 2010, 14:09 PM	#8
amandad192 Pregnant (Expecting) BnB Addict Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: CrazyLand Posts: 3,220	Liam's birthday is the 22nd January. This year he's getting toys for xmas and clothes for his birthday. I got him a ride on on Ebay (BNIB) for half the store price. He's getting a trampoline (The little one suitable from 12m+) and a huge stocking full of cheapy toys and books etc. I have no idea what I've spent SO FAR, but it's probably about £50. Plus £30 for the trampoline and a little more to go in his stocking (I'm talking about the big sacks that are like bin bags.) So this year he's got about £100 for christmas. We decided to keep it cheap for now because time flies and it won't be long until he wants the latest mobile/games console/trainers...

Status: Offline

Oct 16th, 2010, 14:13 PM	#9
leelee Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 6,886	Max will be 9 months at Xmas. I have bought him some things that I would like him to have anyway that will stimulate him. I have told the grandparents not to go too mad but if they do this year I won't be too concerned as he won't understand. In the Xmas's to come I will ask them to just get him 1-2 presents and if they want to give anymore they can give me a voucher or money so I can buy clothes or put in his account. When I was younger we got 1 big present, a few medium ones and then lots of stocking fillers. My parents always got us great presents because they didn't have much money and wanted to spoil us at Xmas. My birthday is January and I very rarely received my birthday present before Feb/March but it never bothered me as I had my Xmas presents to play with!

Status: Offline

Oct 16th, 2010, 14:15 PM	#10
hattiehippo Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Essex Posts: 3,641	Tom will be 1 on 23rd December and we're not planning to buy him many presents this year - maybe 3 for birthday and similar for Christmas. So far he's got a wooden hammer and block set and a big hungry caterpillar sticker set for his new room. He is going to get so much from other people and he won't understand what's going on so I'd rather save the money to get him things over the year as he needs it. MIL has already bought him a huge sack full of presents for birthday and another for Christmas despite requests not to go overboard. When he gets older we're going to have a half birthday in May or June to try and break the presents up a bit.

Status: Offline

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