How much to spend on kids at Christmas?

SANTA Claus is coming to town! A song and idea that makes children shriek with glee at the thought of their precious presents on Christmas morning!

However, rather than elves at the North Pole making these gifts, the hard work often comes from mum and dad, with many parents even taking on overtime around the festive season in order to be able to afford all their little one’s wishes. 

So, have things gone too far? Is Christmas now solely based on pricey presents and overworked parents, rather than being a time of remembering sacrifice, loving and sharing? Of course it is nice for children to wake up to some gifts from Santa Claus, but how much should Santa be spending on these young ones? 

Euro Weekly News spoke to Lisa Grayson, a mother of two young children currently living in the UK. She told us that “oh I go all out at Christmas, I didn’t have much as a kid and so now I want to give mine everything, and if I work hard for it, why shouldn’t I? Who’s to judge me?.” When asked around how much she spends in total on presents she responded with, “probably around £1000, is that a lot? I know it sounds like a lot but these days things are expensive and I want the living room to be full of presents on Christmas morning.” Joining Lisa in her opinion is Sue Hill, aged 62. Sue lives in Spain but has children and grandchildren all over Europe. “I spoil them rotten!” She laughed. “I don’t get to see everyone as much as I would like, so yeah, I buy everyone loads of gifts, especially the younger ones.”

Pedro Ledesma, who splits his time between Marbella and Morocco, had a different view. He explained to EWN that “half of my family doesn’t even celebrate Christmas, so when I see the craziness that goes on with western kids and presents, I am truly shocked.” He continued to say that “it just makes them spoiled and always wanting more, thinking they can get whatever without having to work for it. Even I know that’s not what Christmas is about.”

Child Therapist, Sarah Lee, who is based in the UK and a mother herself, told EWN that she spends around £100 per child at Christmas, and that they do not write a ‘wish list’ to Santa. “I want them to feel special and have a fun day, to enjoy like other children, but to be excessive does not benefit a child at all, of course it will spoil them”. She further confided to EWN that she sees many children who are spoiled, not just at Christmas but the rest of the year also, concluding that “it does them no good in the long run.”

So how do parents find the balance these days, days where the younger generation want iPhones and designer outfits to show on TikTok, rather than a simple stuffed toy. Exactly how much should we spend on children at Christmas?