Did we go over the top?

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Every Christmas we agree we are not going to spend too much on presents, and then as it gets nearer we worry that we haven’t got enough things for the girls to open on Christmas day. This year was no different. My partner and I each keep a lookout for suitable gifts throughout the preceding few weeks (or even further ahead, if we happen to see something suitable or that we know the girls want). So we never really know what we have for them until we get together a week or so ahead and compare notes. And then of course there are always a few last-minute bargains. This year they each got sets of books that they wanted, they each got a pair of boots, they each got clothes, there were various other smaller gifts and then Little One got a whole lot of Sylvanian Families toys while Big One got the promise of money towards the iPad that she wants to use for her art. And all of us got a beginners’ course in archery (to be taken in January). Suddenly, from worrying that we didn’t have enough gifts, I was worrying that we had gone over the top! They seemed to have a pile of presents! In justification, the clothes and shoes I would have bought for them anyway, and were not so expensive as many of them were not brand-new or full-price items; all except one I bought in a sale or through eBay or in a charity shop. The toys also were from eBay, the largest Sylvanian Families item would have cost over £140 new but I paid £15 for it, it was such a bargain that I couldn’t resist! But I guess I don’t know how to value these sort of things when deciding how much to spend – would you take into account the ‘new’ cost of an item, or the amount you actually paid? All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2022.