Probably £100 - £120 max but ...........they are grown up now .......dont think I ever exceeded £150 TBH ........it really just does get out of hand - I have a lot of peeps to buy for but ...............i buy what I think they'll like within a reasonable amount. buying/spending mega bucks is a bit vulgar IMO. it's not a competition.

I have  2 children, 6 grandchildren and an OH.... and I spend about £30 on each of them.... which probably makes me tight

I have 2 adult children and I usually spend about £200 on each of them.  They both still live at home so i also provide all Christmas goodies - plus i buy their partners a present each too.  This year, son has already had his present cos he just passed his driving test so i gave him his £200 towards a little 2nd hand car.

But I'll still buy him some smellies and socks etc so he has something to open! 

Not as much as I would like to.

Ok.. I will justify this ....  I use xmas to get stuff that other families just buy throughout the year...  jim jams, slippers, dressing gown, toilettries, books, basic clothes & stuff... so if I deduct the cost of that stuff I would say about £150 ISH each on the kids.   £50 on the dog.  

MrDitts & I it varies...  on whats left over.   The best year I spent £180 on him... the worst it was probably £40.

The kids stuff varies too.    Xmas has been used to get pc's,   a Wii between them (but actually for the whole house),

I keep an ongoing list all year... I jot down stuff they mention, or stuff I notice they need!

I am trying to find somewhere that sells the old style backscratchers (the ones with the hand on them) for my boy for xmas.   Cos I am sick of catching him scratching his back with my hairbrush!

Not at all Baz, that comes to £270, which is enough. I think birthdays should be a time to buy a bigger present cos there's only one to buy.

Christmas, there's loads of people and a load of dosh wasted!

Just my opinion LD

I used to spend a lot of money on my children, but they are grown up now and have children themselves and I'm on incapacitiy benefit now, so I have to get this into perspective. This year, I've decided not to worry if I don't step up to the plate. I will just get what I'd like the grandchildren to have and my own two will have to do without presents, mainly because I have to make sure that I can heat my home.

 Why?

Amazon 4.99, my dad used to have one

I try to spend the same amount of money on all of them, I try not to favour any of them same with birthdays

Woof :ninka:

Same here Marg

Quite right. Why people put themselves in debt to keep up with the 'Jones' I'll never know. To me .........Christmas really isn't about what you spend - it's about putting effort in to ensuring that everyone eats/drinks and has a wonderful time - gifts are transient - happy memories last a lifetime .

I agree  

. I agree. I think you buy what you can afford and if people love you, then they will be very grateful and delighted that you thought of them anyway.Over the years I have made myself sick with stress over Christmas gifts but in the last year, with money being tighter, I have decided that its time get a grip and just give what I can afford, in fact most of my friends and family have decided on a Kris Kringle this year. Cuts out a lot of expense and stress.

Yes soozy, that's how I feel. I can't aford the things I used to, Thankfully, my kids agree with me.

We never had huge presents for Christmas as kids, my parents could only afford what they could. They were the best Christmases!

I don't really celebrate Christmas much but I do like to buy my kids something, so when they go back to school, they can talk with their friends about it.

ok.. that was the most we spent on him.

And why?  Cos I love him, and he is a full member of my family.

And he LOVES opening his pressies.... he's the madly excited one on xmas morning!

You are a star!!!!   Thank you thank you thank you!

Off to buy one right now!

What's a Kris Kringle Fairfax?

I remember the stressful days of doing Christmas present shopping. I was always a late shopper, the stress, the money....ridonkulous!

Nowadays, I buy just for my husband and kids. And secret santa at work but that's just a fiver.

Of course. like you we never had much as kids and therefore any gift was special .........my Christmasases were truly magical ...........I think there's so much competition with kids nowadays - one upmanship/consumerism and all that. it's sad really. I always have and always will remember Christmas day for the special memories - all the family together etc. (Obviously gifts were/are good but .........it's more the whole occasion IMO).

Ditty -  no problem....he will love it. Simple things that count.

Going back to the dog again....

His birthday is in June... and we *bows head* ignored it this year.   He's a dog.. he didn't know.

But he sure as hell knew a couple of weeks ago, when we did the pressies on our bed thing... and they were for my son.   The dog KNEW he had been missed out!   He was yowling & trying to open our sons pressies.....

Feel soooo bad!    

Will put an extra packet of M&S Fruit shorties under the tea for him!

 My two get prezzies from myself and all of the family 

lmao at ninka!

I admit I used to spoil my son rotten at Christmas when he was younger.   I would spend hundreds on him.

Christmas was always a huge deal in my house when I was a child,  surrounded by brothers and sisters.  I wanted to give the same great memories to my son. He is an only child and I was a single parent and it was just him and me on Christmas day because I lived a long way from any extended family. Maybe I was trying to to make up for the lack of the other things that make Christmas special?

It hasn't done him any harm though.... he's one of the politest teenagers you'll ever meet, and he doesn't take a thing for granted.  He hates taking money/presents off his grandparents and aunties, and this year he has asked that I don't buy him anything because he knows we're still saving for a big holiday at Easter.   <<< proud mum smiley.

Couldn't agree more.

Seem to remember there was a thread like this once before that ended in a forum war tears!

Awww he sounds lovely Ducky.

my babys first christmas can't wait spent about 100 he'll get loads of other people


we were really lucky as kids i remember them being really magical we did get a lot but my dad had a good job and mom said they never had much so wanted to spoil us we always appreciated it though

Don't worry Supes...I will try to keep this thread civil *fingers crossed*

I bought my cat a christmas stocking one year. It had chocolate coated catnip in it ..........she went absolutely mad for it. We gave her a few bits but she was insatiable. we had quite a few visitors for christmas that year.  Overnight the cat managed to reach the bag of goodies and scoff the lot. On boxing day there was a trail of diahorrea all over the house and on guests beds and an emegency trip to the Vets (cost an arm and a leg). She gets bugger all these days.

He is. But he isn't perfect....... he lacks sympathy for my PMT.

PMSL Soozy.

Will he be wearing a santa outfit?

I pretty much hate xmas... I hate the stress of scraping the money together... though have got very good at getting stuff that looks like it cost more than it did. 

Currently researching refurbished mobile phones... that kinda thing.

other reason I hate it.... best christmas's since I have had my kids have been the two that Mr Ditts, me, the kids & the dog have had on our own.   But its hard managing to pull that off.

This year my mother has assumed we are going there for dinner, cos my brother and his really dull, spoilt, immature and quite bitchy girlfriend are going up there.  My dad is grumpy... my mum is in high pitched 'lets impress the golden boys girlfriend' mode... and I am increasingly concious that mrditts just wants to get the hell out of there.

I haven't told him we are going there yet... I daredn't!

Soozy

Hi ya Queenshaks, its like a lottery. We all put our names in a hat and whoever you pull out is the person you buy a gift for. This year we have set the limit at 50euro. It means that we all get a least one nice pressie and with unemployment and huge mortgages, it works well for us all. Its for adults only (kids still get their little gifts)

I hear you ducks... was a bit like that for me too... only I wanted my kids to have the christmas's that some of my mates used to have... that I used to envy!

My daughter STILL insists that I do the flour footprints, and other evidence of Santa having been.

I am just glad that I can take the credit for all the pressies now.   Used to really piss me off when I would hear the kids say "oooh got loads of Santa... not that much from mum though"  

arggghhHH!