How much is enough -Xmas presents for a GC?

Well said Granjura. I always loved Christmas but it should be about friends and family getting together not about excessive gift buying

32 presents, just from the parents! I am amazed. My DGC get one gift from their parents and a stocking from Santa Claus. They have already received their Christmas jumpers from us, as we needed to know that they fit. My DD has put them aside to wear at the school party. We give them one gift each. They have lots of relatives and receive gifts from them too. My DD let's them open everything, and then they choose which ones to put away for later in the year. This seems about right to me 32 is excessive.

My dgc are all 18+ now. I have always been the one to provide most of the 'stocking fillers' for them. When they were younger it was usually colouring books, character bubble bath and items of that ilk, which got wrapped and put in a Christmas sack 'from Santa'. They also got books and maybe one or two more expensive presents from Nana and Grandad (who, bless him, had no idea what they all were getting). It helped to take the pressure off my largely impoverished dd's at that time. I have carried on the tradition, although they are now aware that it is Nana, not Santa, who is the provider of the pressies. I must admit it is becoming more difficult to find suitable items which I can afford, but local Poundshops to the rescue. The downside is that I detest wrapping presents.

32 is way too many. Children usually only play with one or two anyway. Keeping some back for another day is great, but makes every day a present day. Ladytina42 is right about the short attention span too. I've seen that happen before.
Too many presents seems like a guilt trip for not having time to spend with children because of work commitments. Try giving memories instead if you want to spend spend spend. A trip to Lapland, a visit to Harry Potter or a football match or something else they're keen on. The up-front cost might seem incredible, but set against the amount spent on things that will be ignored, destroyed or discarded rapidly, it's not so bad, but it does involve more effort.

Well, isn't that lovely and amazing - it seems we all agree, hurrah. But what to do about it?

Jamie has taken on healty food and sugar
Hugh is taken on food waste

who is going to do a series on the obscene commercialisation of Christmas and the huge pressure it puts on parents to get into debt to keep up with the Joneses- the effect on the parent/s ad the family and most of all, the children?

All that wrapping . It would drive me potty. A game and a book from us. Love to spend time on Christmas Day or Boxing Day playing it with them. How many parents actually interact with their children and the toys I wonder. We also give money to DD to buy them something lovely to wear, and new shoes, it's better if she chooses.

My GS has more toys than you could imagine. DiLs family are big present givers and DH and I are overwhelmed by the number of presents he receives from her family....but..... I have never met a child with such a short attention span, he gets ont toy out for 30secs then discards it for another one, then continually repeats this without ever really connecting with any one toy. Then finally he tips up his toy boxes everywhere and goes back to watching TV. It saddens me.

I remember having to go to church with my dad, while mum stayed home to cook lunch. I was fuming as I had to walk past everyone playing with their new bikes, scooters, roller skates etc., I had to wait until after lunch to play with mine. As for 32 presents, I think it will overwhelm the child and it will end in tears.

I so agree with you. This situation make me reluctant to buy any gifts at all

Thirty two is definitely over the top although I think our GC probably get nearly as many. I give mine money for their bank account plus a couple of small gifts to unwrap. They mostly seem to have everything so it is not an easy task. When the eldest reached 13 I stopped the gift and upped the cash, which he appreciated.

Surely some of the 32 gifts are stocking fillers.........a colouring book, colouring pencils, socks. They must be

I used to work with a single mother with five children. She used to spend a fortune on Christmas presents. She would buy them early and hide them away and the youngest child used to ransack the house until she found her presents. This woman would then buy her an even more expensive present because the surprise of the first one had been spoiled! Some years rhis happened several times!

This all makes me very sad. My GC's expectations upset me but I keep it carefully zipped. This is the first full year of 2 of my GC being in a split family and they will not be getting what they have had in previous years. I think they will learn a valuable lesson.

Yes, I agree - novelty or character toothbrushes fine!

Those two things are fine. Not sure about toothpaste though! (sorry ga)

Ana I haven't bought toothpasre, but I have put toothbrushes in stockings because they were 'character' ones (Little Miss Chatty etc) + character facecloths that are compacted and swell when put in water. Small children - well, my lot, anyway - get a buzz out of them

A toothbrush and toothpaste...sorry, ga, I appreciate that you were strapped for cash (as was I when the children were small) but I don't think basic hygiene items should be classed as 'Christmas presents'

A dozen small gifts in a stocking (my children's stockings always included socks, undies, toothbrush and toothpaste), several books, a couple of CD's of children's songs and a couple of DVD's, a 'main' gift, slippers, new clothes....... maybe not quite 32, but yes, this is what my children would often get on Christmas day when they were younger. I used to set myself a budget and throughout the year always bought things in the sales, so I often got twice as much for half the amount of money.

However, many of my social work clients found it hard to believe me when I told them that my (limited) Christmas budget was fixed and always included clothes etc. Many of them watched TV ads and genuinely believed that a 'good' 'normal' parent would buy X-boxes, wii's and the latest 'must have' for their children. In fact I was told on many occasions that I was 'cruel' because my children not only didn't have the current fashionable gadget, but didn't even have a T.V.!

Correction

Should have been a present from my maternal grandparents.

Aaargh!

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Reported (again)

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When I was teaching I couldn't believe how much parents spent on Christmas presents. One year I was telling my class how excited I was because I'd finally saved up enough money to buy a 26 inch TV. They had been very concerned about me when they found out that I only had a 14 inch portable lol. One of the boys was horrified when he found out it was a bog standard 26 inch. He was getting a 42 inch plasma for Christmas to play his PlayStation games on. This got the child talking about the electronic they owned. I was stunned how many had huge televisions, PlayStations, Nintendos, music centres etc. in their bedrooms. These were 7 and 8 year olds.

Another time a parent was complaining that she didn't know what to get her children. I made some suggestions but they had them all. I asked how much she wanted to spend. Then nearly collapsed when she said she spent at least £400 on each child.....she had 4!

I am a surrogate nanny to a 3 year old ...maybe a book and much needed clothes ..mum is a single parent

resident teenager has a limit may be half cash/half present