Oh, dear, Imperfect, I need the Grump-Old badge polish after you, please!
I am horrified by so much of what is on this thread!
I don't have the money to spend a lot, and have stopped all presents except for DD and DSiL, which have a mutual tight spending limit on them. DGS has one present which stays at my house. He will have loads from their large family, and as he has a birthday soon after Christmas, the rest of the year can be a drought after the Christmas flood. His parents try to squirrel some presents away for later in the year, but of course those sending gifts want photos of them being played with now. How unreasonable we all are.
I buy small presents on his half-year-birthday anniversary, to spread things out.
So much of what is given as the 'inexpensive' presents for children is tat, which breaks and causes disappointment and ends up in landfill. Why do we need so much Stuff?! And a lot of the gifts requested by people's DGC is amazingly expensive — in the hundreds of pounds! What are the lessons we are passing on by this?
I am not religious, but surely the point of Christmas or the other midwinter celebrations is not to overwhelm our children with greed? Or am I missing the point somehow?
Move over, Mr Scrooge, I need to sit down next to you...