Jess Hardiman
A mum has admitted she doesn’t buy her children Christmas presents, arguing that there are better ways to celebrate the festive period with your family.
Christmas shopping is something that always feels more stressful than it should be, whether it’s for the amount of time it takes up or for the dent it makes in your bank balance.
But one mum has decided to eradicate the shopping issue altogether by simply... not giving her kids any gifts.
In fact, Cherlyn Sue from Sydney, Australia has never bought a Christmas present for her two kids, although it’s actually nothing to do with the reasons above.
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Speaking to SBS last year, when her kids were aged four and two, Cherlyn said her family aren’t struggling financially, meaning her decision has nothing to do with saving money.
"I'm an only child, I grew up in Singapore so you can imagine how privileged life was, and still is," she said.
"I know how lucky I am so it is actually quite a turn that I've decided to go this way with my kids.”
The mum added: "We also are very aware that in this area, there is a lot of competition ... I didn't want [the children] to buy into any of that competition because it's so materialistic and you're always going to get somebody who is going to have more than you, who is going to spend more than you, and then the people who have less than you, then get forgotten."
In another interview with the Daily Mail, Cherlyn explained it was all down to prioritising ‘experiences’ over material items.
She said: “We rate experiences over things.
“Children's attention spans are short - an experience will last years. They remember holidays, going to theme parks, zoos.
“My boy remembers what we did at Taronga Zoo years ago. A stuffed toy just doesn't bring that sense of wonder.”
Cherlyn said she wasn’t against what other families decided to do for their children, but the approach was just what worked for them.
“I'm not against presents but I'd rather give them a memory than an item they could get bored of in days or weeks,” she continued.
“I'm not against what people want to do for their own families. I 100 per cent realise each family is different, there's no judgement on my end.
“We're just making it so they're (children) appreciative of the toys they've got.”