Jess Hardiman
A mum has defended her decision to spend £100 on each of her kids’ Christmas presents as she refuses to spoil them, saying it’s ‘realistic’.
When the festive season rolls around, it’s easy to get carried away – whether it’s loading up the stockings with too many gifts or overindulging on the mulled wine and mince pies.
But one mum prefers to stand firm, having budgeted £100 each for main presents and stockings for one-year-old son Jack and nine-year-old step-daughter Isabella.
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Samantha Mary, 35, said some of the other parents on TikTok labelled some of the gifts as ‘essentials’, not treats, but she said she knows they’re things the kids will enjoy.
In total, she spent £20 per child on stockings – filling them with goodies like scrunchies, car toys and shower gel – and £80 on main presents.
Samantha, a primary school teacher from Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, 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 [buy] Christmas Eve boxes and elf on the shelf.
“We want the children to be grateful for what they have.
“We don’t want to over spoil the children.”
The mum bought little Jack a railway set, toys for his kitchen set, a book, animal puzzles, bouncing bunnies, Play-Doh and blocks, and Isabella is getting a £30 art set, a body warmer, Lilo and Stitch vest and pants, a Disney bag, a pair of fluffy leggings and a hat.
Her son’s stocking includes biscuits, a water bottle, chalks, a bouncy ball, a book, a puzzle and a vehicle set, while his step-sister's has some scrunchies, biscuits, shower gel, a Christmas cup, sweets, stamper set, hair clips, and a Lilo and Stitch brush.
Samantha decided to set a budget this year with husband Richard, 40 – who works in local government – saying: “We're in a living cost crisis. Things cost more.
“We're being conscious of what we spent.”
She managed to save money by shopping about in September and October, picking up items from supermarkets, Primark and Amazon.
Samantha was chuffed with her haul, but said she’s been slammed by other parents on TikTok (@samanthamary1989).
“There were a lot of people against it,” she continued.
“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 said she wouldn’t want to splurge on expensive items like iPads for Christmas, even if she could afford to do so, saying it ends up becoming an ‘expectation’.
“But it’s up to parents what they spent on their children,” she added.