Is this a new Christmas trend on gift giving ?

[scrapquitler]

I've heard of it, but I agree with you that 4 gifts is plenty. They get gifts from other people as well, some of whom we can influence (my parents especially), so if there are more things that they want someone else can buy them. From us they get one gift (usually), a Santa gift, a stocking and something from the pets (in different combinations depending on how many individual things we have found to buy for them). e.g. some years the pets get together and buy one thing each, other years the cats buy one and the dogs buy another. lol (it is always fun making the gift tags ...). Then they get from my parents, brother, uncle, best friend, their school friends etc. It adds up to quite a bit in the end, so they are FAR from deprived.

I guess that this depends on your family dynamics. My kids only really get gifts from us. They only have one set of grandparents, who give them one gift, which in spite of me trying to influence what is purchased, usually isn't something that the kids really wanted. On my side of the family, there are no grandparents, and they only get gifts from their two uncles, both of whom buy small gifts in the under $20 range. So gifts from us are the only gifts. And we don't buy a lot of stuff except for birthdays and Christmas, when they do get a lot.

 

[wenrob]

I guess that this depends on your family dynamics. My kids only really get gifts from us. They only have one set of grandparents, who give them one gift, which in spite of me trying to influence what is purchased, usually isn't something that the kids really wanted. On my side of the family, there are no grandparents, and they only get gifts from their two uncles, both of whom buy small gifts in the under $20 range. So gifts from us are the only gifts. And we don't buy a lot of stuff except for birthdays and Christmas, when they do get a lot.

This is us as well especially when it comes to the younger two. DH’s mother passed before they were born, his father does not even acknowledge their existence, most of their cousins have “aged out” so my parents have kind of let them slide. They pretty much receive from us, their older sister and sometimes my sister.