A mother has defended her decision to spend £100 on each of her children for Christmas, insisting that she does not want to “spoil” them.
Samantha Mary, 35, from Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, was criticised by some parents on social media for her frugal festive spending, with some labelling her presents as “essentials” rather than gifts.
However, Samantha hit back at the criticism, saying that she knows her children will love the presents she has chosen and that she does not want to overindulge them.
She said: “We thought about how much we wanted to spend. I felt £100 was a realistic figure. Christmas is getting out of control. There is pressure to do Christmas Eve boxes and elves on the shelf. It gets bigger and bigger.
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“We want the children to be grateful for what they have. Less is more. We don’t want to overspoil the children.”
Samantha spent £20 on stocking fillers – stuffing them with items like scrunchies, car toys, and shower gel – and £80 on main presents.
She bought her son a railway set and toys for his kitchen set and found her step-daughter an art set and a Lilo and Stitch vest and pants.
This year, Samantha and her husband Richard, 40, who works in local government, decided to be more budget-conscious.
“We’re in a living cost crisis. Things cost more. We’re being conscious of what we spent,” she shared. She spent September and October shopping for presents from supermarkets, Primark and Amazon.
Samantha filled her son’s stocking with biscuits, a water bottle, chalks, a bouncy ball, a book, a puzzle, and a vehicle set.
For her step-daughter, she picked out scrunchies, biscuits, shower gel, a Christmas cup, sweets, a stamper set, hair clips, and a Lilo and Stich brush.
For their main gifts, Samantha bought an art set for her step-daughter for £30, a body warmer, some Lilo and Stitch pants and vests, a Disney bag, fluffy leggings and a hat. Her son got a railway set, kitchen set toys, a book, animal puzzles, bouncing bunnies, Play-Doh and blocks.
Despite being happy with her purchases, Samantha faced criticism from other parents on TikTok.
She responded: “There were a lot of people against it. I have put essential items like shower gel in the stockings. Christmas is about so much more. It’s about what the children want as well.”
Samantha wouldn’t choose to splurge on something like an iPad for Christmas or have a high budget for their gifts, even if she could afford to.
She explained: “If you spend a lot of money that becomes an expectation. But it’s up to parents what they spend on their children.”
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