DIS'rs going to Disney in December..

[princesslover]

Are you cutting way back on Christmas gifts this year, due to your trip?

We have two girls, 6 and 3. Mostly, this trip is our gift to us as a family, but I feel bad not having much under the tree for them this year. I still want to make Chrismas day special, but we just won't have the funds to spend on Christmas that we usually do.

I was wondering if anyone else was in the same boat and how you are dealing with Christmas gifts. Thanks!!

 

[Momof2DisneyDivas]

We're trying to figure out the same thing. My dad is actually taking our family & paying for hotel, tickets & dining plan, but we're paying for flight & any extras. We'll be there the 7-11, so I still want my girls (4 and 2) to have some presents on Christmas Day. It may just not be as big as previous years. I think (hope) they'll understand and know that our trip is their big Christmas present this year.

 

[RMulieri]

Yes and no. we cut down and decided that we would only by for kids this year, and each other. No more mom,dad,Aunt,Uncle etc. The problem for us is it is my daughters 6th BDAY on Dec 26th...so she gets the shaft annually anyway and this trip is for her Bday.So we are still trying to make Santa as nice as usual

 

[GCM]

Yes, we too are making cuts so that we can afford Disney. For my husband and me, this is our Christmas gift to each other. There will still be some gifts for my son, but not as much as previous years, but we have been preparing him that Christmas will not be as big as past years. My son is getting older too and you just cannot get them many items when things are so expensive. I believe he understands. We also cut out all adults except parents--they get a restaurant gift card. I believe everyone is feeling the pinch and don't mind us not buying for them because then they do not have to buy for us.

With your girls being 6 and 3 you could buy them several inexpensive items so they will have presents to open and the trip can be their big gift.

HTH,

 

[jkahne9]

Made a deal with 2 of my kids DD17 & DS11 that from now on they get 1 gift for christmas. And they chose a trip to Disney.

 

[kimsdreamvacation]

We have the same issue here at our house,we have 3 DD'S,ages;17,10,5 so the older ones know that Christmas will be smaller this year because of our trip at the begining of Dec.,I don't think our 5 year old will even care.We are gonna sneak off to the Disney outlet stores and pick uo a few items for them as a surprise on Christmas morning, and I was also thinking about making some of our photos into something special for each one of them,blow one up put it in a special frame and decorate the frame with some Disney craft items from the craft store,that way they will have their own special memory from Disney and it will be included in their Christmas morning to remind them it was one of their gifts.

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

Yep, us too. I got a few things that they REALLY wanted... nothing real expensive for DS6 and DS3. They know nothing of the Disney trip, won't know until we get there, then I'll explain that it's most of their Christmas and there won't be as much under the tree. I'm sure they'll be fine with it... although we really don't go all out anyway which may make it even easier! And DH has been forbidden to get me anything for Christmas He's really bad about wanting something for mom under the tree That'll be the hardest part for him to stick with.

 

[WantToGoNow]

We are cutting back on the gifts this year as well. We have discussed this with the kids and they are allowed to ask for 3 gifts each. And then Santa will bring them 1 nicer gift each even though ds8 doesn't believe.

 

[dogodisney]

Yes. We will be at WDW for Christmas 17th-27th so it is a family gift. I am going to fill their stocking and give them each a few things so they have something to open Christmas morning. I have been picking up things here and there since January (that's when I booked our trip) and I am making them pajamas (they get pjs every year). I've got to get a lttle bitmore but it won;t be much.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

I am doing my part to revitalize the economy and not skipping Christmas.

 

[Colleen27]

We cut way back years ago, but this year will see an even smaller pile of presents under the tree than usual.

For us, it isn't exactly that the kids are getting less, it is that the big presents will come with the trip. DS11 is a Lego nut so he's getting a giftcard to use at the DTD Lego Store, and DD8 wants a digital camera. Those are their big gifts this year (since DH, the eternal 12yo, broke down and bought the Wii a couple months early ), and we're going to wrap them and surprise the kids on our first night at WDW.

So the only things under the tree will be the one Santa gift per kid and a couple small things (DVDs & books) from DH & I. My big kids are old enough to understand that they got their Wii early and that Disney is part of the Christmas giving this year (we're going the 12th to 20th, coming home just in time to decorate and celebrate with the extended family), and DD1 is young enough that she doesn't care much about the gifts. Santa's bringing her a sit-and-spin, and I suspect once she gets that open any other presents will be forgotten anyway.

 

[oXar]

The trip IS the Christmas present. Luckily, our youngest (2) doesn't fully get the whole presents at Christmas thing yet, the oldest will be more difficult, but, we've told her that Santa will not forget about them and he'll pay us a visit at the hotel. We plan on buying them a few nick-nacks, that they can open at the hotel Christmas morning before we go to MK and have a Christmas breakfast at the castle. Also, since we will be at MK Christmas day, I plan on decorating the house with a Disney theme, tying the two events together. Maybe avoid a tree altogether. I guess that we're putting more of an emphasis on the magic of Christmas than on the rituals. In some ways we're trying to start a new Christmas tradition as the old ones have now pretty much gone away. This will be their first visit to Disney, our first as parents, and we're really hyping it up for them. We've cleared (or will clear) all of our credit cards before we go, most of the trip would have already been paid for, and we'll put the rest on the clean cards.

 

[reservations4five]

This is their Christmas. I am trying to decide if I want to even fool with the tree, as we will be gone 12 days. I say I am not going to get anything else, but we will have to see.