Jess Hardiman
A mum who seriously splashed the cash on her daughter’s Christmas presents has encouraged other parents to exactly the same if they can – though with one huge caveat – defending her decision to ‘spoil’ the youngster.
A’Leasha, a mum from Queensland in Australia, believed her little girl needed to be thoroughly spoilt on Christmas Day back in 2020, as she’d recently welcomed a baby boy.
In a previous interview with Kidspot, she explained how she’d started shopping six months before Christmas, and would regularly buy gifts if anything good caught her eye.
But A'Leasha admitted she wasn’t really keeping track of what she’d bought, meaning the haul soon built up.
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Before she knew it, she’d forked out a whopping AUD $1,400 (£730) on her then-three-year-old.
A’Leasha said she’d been focusing on buying for her daughter, as her six-month-old son wouldn’t have been aware of Christmas at the time.
“So I was a little surprised to realise I’d spent around $1,400 on my daughter’s Christmas presents - but we were planning on buying the bigger items anyway, and I know that she will love it,” she said.
“Given her issues with adjusting with having a new baby in the house, and the less attention she is getting, we feel as though she needs to be spoilt and have more focus on her this Christmas.”
The pile of presents likely ended up costing A’leasha even more than the hundreds of dollars she’d already forked out, as she went on to say that she’d happily spend more if she saw another good present, adding that she ‘doesn’t put a budget on Christmas’.
A’leasha explained that she spent a lot less on her six-month old as he would be too young to understand the significance of the day anyway, but as he grows up she’ll split spending more evenly.
While it may seem like a lot for just one day, the mum stressed that she would never get herself or her family into debt for Christmas.
“We always pay for everything upfront though. We never use credit cards or AfterPay options,” she said.
“We always have money available. We spread out the cost throughout the year and buy when we see things cheap/on sale rather than having a big hit at Christmas.”
And to those who may criticise her for spending so much, she said: “If you can do it within your means, then I don’t see an issue with any amount.
“But people shouldn’t have to go into debt over this one day of the year.
“As long as you are able to afford what you are buying, sure, go ahead!
“Just don’t brag to others how much you have spent or bought who cannot afford as much as you.”