My kids have me wondering...

[believe]

This year we spent more than usual, the girls have wanted a couple items for several years that weren't in our 'range' and have been very understanding so we 'splurged' this year. Typically it is $300 each, 2 kids (15 and 12). My oldest has a birthday day after, so she ends up with more over the 2 days. We do put money aside every paycheck. The past 2 yrs, not this year, we would also take a mini-vacation during Christmas as part of their gift.

I truly try not to 'compare' us to others. You never know if grandparents helped pay for some of those items, if debt is growing on credit cards, etc. We do what is best for our family. Some also have less 'other' family, friends to buy for.

 

[Bob NC]

You just never know the whole story about what other people are doing.

Let me tell you about some of our kids gifts this year so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.

My son got an $800 laptop. He's going to college next year and he will need a laptop. If we hadn't gotten it now we would have been buying it in 8 months. (We bought one for his sister in August of the year she started college.) It may look extravagant, but I'm kind of feeling like I got a freebie. He got a big Christmas gift, and I'm not buying it later.

My daughter is graduating college in May. She and a couple friends have decided they are going to WDW for a 5 day trip right after graduation. My wife and I had decided months ago that we were going to pay for this for her. What did I give her for Christmas? $500 in Disney gift cards. Once again, someone else looking at that particular gift might say it's overboard, but, to us we killed 3 or 4 birds with one stone.

My daughter got an iPhone 5. She has had the same Blackberry for her entire 4 years at school. We used her upgrade 2 years ago on a phone for her brother. Big expense when viewed from others, but not for us.

Now, each of them got other decent gifts, but, the expensive gifts listed above aren't really that much of a Christmas expense to us when seeing the whole picture.

Since nobody knows anybody else's situation I find it best to do what you do for your own family and pay no attention to anyone else's family.

 

[LBIJim]

We've always been relatively modest with our kid's Christmas presents. Birthday gifts too. Maybe $150 each. Any bigger things, like a laptop or bicycle or new cell phone were bought when needed, not really as a gift.

My daughters are in their 20s now, so it's $100 or so in various gift cards and maybe a sweater or T-shirt, a DVD, and a few trinkets.

Jim

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

What we spend each year varies based on what that child needs/wants that Christmas. We do try to spend evenly on each kid though and have an equal number of gifts to unwrap. I have to get creative sometimes to accomplish this. Last Chrsitmas my son (now 15.5) needed a laptop for school. My daughter (now 13.5) wanted to go to WDW to see all the Chrsitmas stuff. So their big gifts were a laptop and a December mother/daughter WDW trip. They got some little practical things as well.

This year my daughter wanted the $300 Beats earphones and my son wanted an American made Fender Stratocaster guitar (he's a serious guitar player). He also got some clothes (2 shirts and a pair of khakis) he needed, a Coldplay DVD and floor mats for my husband's old car (a 99 honda accord) which DS will be driving soon. My daughter got the Beats, a hairdryer, some One Direction stuff, new curtains for her room, a phone case and some money for clothes (because her brother's guitar was alot more expensive than her big gift).

Because of their needs/wants the last couple of years we have spent way more than we usually do for Christmas gifts.

 

[Minnesota!]

I spent about $175 for ODS and $110 on YDS. More than normal, but Dh and I decided to forgo presents for each other this year and put the money on new shoes for each kid (which they got at Christmas....and became their fave gift each!!)

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

You just never know the whole story about what other people are doing.

Let me tell you about some of our kids gifts this year so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.

My son got an $800 laptop. He's going to college next year and he will need a laptop. If we hadn't gotten it now we would have been buying it in 8 months. (We bought one for his sister in August of the year she started college.) It may look extravagant, but I'm kind of feeling like I got a freebie. He got a big Christmas gift, and I'm not buying it later.

My daughter is graduating college in May. She and a couple friends have decided they are going to WDW for a 5 day trip right after graduation. My wife and I had decided months ago that we were going to pay for this for her. What did I give her for Christmas? $500 in Disney gift cards. Once again, someone else looking at that particular gift might say it's overboard, but, to us we killed 3 or 4 birds with one stone.

My daughter got an iPhone 5. She has had the same Blackberry for her entire 4 years at school. We used her upgrade 2 years ago on a phone for her brother. Big expense when viewed from others, but not for us.

Now, each of them got other decent gifts, but, the expensive gifts listed above aren't really that much of a Christmas expense to us when seeing the whole picture.

Since nobody knows anybody else's situation I find it best to do what you do for your own family and pay no attention to anyone else's family.

We've always been relatively modest with our kid's Christmas presents. Birthday gifts too. Maybe $150 each. Any bigger things, like a laptop or bicycle or new cell phone were bought when needed, not really as a gift.

My daughters are in their 20s now, so it's $100 or so in various gift cards and maybe a sweater or T-shirt, a DVD, and a few trinkets.

Jim

Two totally different philosophies about gift giving are represented in these posts. Neither is right, nor wrong, both work well. You just do/give what works for your family and who cares what everyone else does.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I spend what I can afford. This year I was able to save up much more money so I spent more on my kids.
Other years, I spent less.

I know some folks who went crazy with their spending for their kids and are already complaining about the credit card bills that will be coming. One of them said they'd be paying for Christmas for 6 months.
That is not my idea of fun.

My kids were happy with what they got and I'm not in debt for it.

 

[Reddy]

I"m sitting here reading this & thinking - what is Christmas really about to all of these kids
I"m in the less than $100 per kid but more in the family time but then my boys really don't care what others got (they really don't care - being non-verbal austic)

most of our money is going to pay off debt & Disney trip but even then the Disney trip sounds less expensive than several people's Christmas

 

[Katy Belle]

W have 3 sons, ages 12, 15, 17. Usually we spend $200 a kid. This year it was closer to $300. All 3 got smart phones for the first time. DS15 payed us $150 of his saved $ and got a 350 laptop. DS12 got a ventriliquist dummy. DS 17 got some little things for college next year, and cash.

Another thing that makes a difference, is how much they get from other family members. This year my in laws spent about $100 a kid, but often times its way less. My parents spend $25, my brother spends $25, my sister $10. I know some kids that get the majority of their gifts from Grandparents.

 

[mhsjax]

Nope -- some families really do give stuff like that -- we don't and I always find it shocking what other kids get/expect for Christmas. But...my daughter does dance, tumbling etc etc. Most of the families I know who spend oodles don't have their kids in as many activities and can't take 2 weeks off to go to wdw every year...so are they making up for not making time for their kids throughout the year??? idk

I had to be honest and say we spend 300-500, but the truth is that included a new winter coat and dance clothes and cool clothes from A&F, all of which were nice to get but sort of "needed" -- but my dd is grateful to get those things as presents and I probably spend a little more on them when I'm giving them to her as a present. But she doesn't expect to just get stuff throughout the year either.

I agree with your first paragraph. I actually think that there are parents out there that buy there way out of guilty feelings. Not all, but some.

 

[Buckalew11]

probably between $200. & $250.00. we have one, a FR in college. also bought her new tires for her car so I think she had a great Christmas!

 

[disneychrista]

less than $100 each.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

When we first had children, Christmases were a stuff fest that entailed glazed eyes, hours of unwrapping, and to be quite honest, dissapointment on my end because they just weren't grateful. A few years ago, we were in in a temporary but still messy financial bind where we thought our budget was going to be $30 from dollar tree had it not been for my insistent mother and her generous gift of $250 to make Christmas happen for our three. That Christmas ended up being one of my favorites. It wasn't about the stuff but was about family. Since then, we haven't looked back. We don't spend much on Christmas presents but on family experiences instead. We spent approx $150 each this year with one larger gift and a couple smaller ones. The kids were thrilled with each thing they got and we have a lot of family memories of things like racing with Santa at the Reindeer Run and seeing the lights at City Park. Christmas has become much more well rounded as a season now. My kids are 13, 12, & 8.

IMO- this is the way it should be! my aunts kids are borderline on being teens and wanting more. Her youngest told me this year that the best part of christmas was making messy cookies, seeing the special lights (our church does a HUGE display), and eating grandmas caserole. They were overjoyed that they each got refurbished kindles ($60 each) some clothes ($30 each) and a few books ($10). they didnt get alot but it was one of the best Christmas's ever. Nothing more fun then the kids loving there gifts!

 

[Ember]

I"m sitting here reading this & thinking - what is Christmas really about to all of these kids

It's a hard question, and not one you can really answer. I can say that as a teacher, many of the kids do have an "entitled" attitude and fully expect a huge haul at Christmas. But there are also many who don't. (Of course, I'm sure all the DIS kids are in the non-entitled group! ) By the way, "huge haul" is an actual phrase used by a seven year old...

 

[KennesawNemo]

We spent about $300 on DS7.

We consider this a little over the top since we buy toys/gifts year round.

Couple factors:
1. He is the only child.
2. We are almost the only one buying him gifts. (No immediate family in US).
3. We are comfortable with the money spend. It won't put us in debt.
4. Couple items on his wish list are educational (books, art supplies).
5. He has been really really good this year.

I have friends thinks I spend too much. They buy one item for their kids. Then I came here and I saw people spending way more. I think the best thing to do is do what I feel right and not judge.

 

[msjprincess]

It depends. Normally we spend around $250. This year we went way overboard. All 3 of them got Samsung Galaxy Note tablets plus other gifts. DH has worked a ton of OT lately and we had more to spend. Normally everything they get is from Santa, but this year we told them some of the big gifts were from us. This way they won't expect it every year.

 

[jentifred]

If you add up what we spent on what ended up under the tree and in the stockings, it was about $150 per kid. If you take out the things I was going to get them anyway, such as pajamas, bathrobes, books, art supplies, wall calendars, etc, we spent about $50/kid. We get them each one or two things that we would ordinarily make them spend their allowances on (this year DD got an outfit for her American Girl doll and DS got a Beyblades battle set as the big gift).

And I totally stuff their stockings with things that will keep them occupied over the school break. Shrinky Dinks for the win!

 

[leebee]

Stocking stuff is always "essentials" such as shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, etc., with some Christmas candy thrown in, so I don't even count that as money spent. There are many Christmases when I don't buy stocking stuff- I just go downstairs and see what's on the shelves from my last trip to Sam's and fill the stockings from there.

This year we went a little overboard on DD19 (only child). Shopping was done (spent about $300 but that included new $75 tap shoes- she's a dance minor) when it dawned on us that she is moving into a single and won't have a TV in her room, so we bought her a new tv at BestBuy. It was $120 and she was SHOCKED when she opened the box! I know, it's a splurge, she could live without a TV, but I thought we had the money in the budget and we really wanted to surprise her... so we did!

It's hard at Christmas as we don't have any relatives who send checks or gifts. It's all on DH and me to make Christmas "happen" for DD, and sometimes the pile of gifts look rather paltry around the tree. Still, we have a good holiday together, eating foods we wouldn't normally consider and watching movies or doing something as a family. DH and I both work 2 jobs so family time is hard to find, especially now that DD is at college.

 

[emma'smom]

Often those big ticket items (like a laptop) may have been things they would have bought them anyway because they needed them for school---but called it a Christmas gift.

 

[Brittmarie04]

We spent about 1,500 this yr on our dd8. Uggs, northface jacket, 14 outfits!(justice, Abercrombie kids), Justin Bieber concert tickets, iPod touch, bike, wii games, movies....We always try to get her everything she ask for. She's also an only child.