Why I Spoil My Son at Christmas

I hold my hands up and admit, without shame, that I am one of ‘those’ mums who goes bloody mental as soon as Christmas cards hit the shop shelves.

I ‘spoil’ my son, and that is absolutely ok.

No, I don’t do it for social media likes and adulation. I don’t go all out just to look good, to ‘one up’ anyone, to make anyone look or feel in any way inferior or lacking. I strongly believe in NOT getting yourself into debt just for Christmas, and that presence trumps presents without any shadow of a doubt, so why do I bother going all ‘Mrs Claus’ every Christmas then?

I ask, before you judge another parent for spoiling their kids at Christmas, you consider that there may be reasons why – reasons like mine;

Max was an unplanned, unexpected miracle baby. Our way of showing our gratitude and appreciation for him coming into our lives is by being extravagant – if that isn’t how you do things, that is fine. You do you, just leave me be!
We can afford to. Not a dig at struggling mummies, been there, Max’s first Christmas was difficult as maternity pay was rubbish and our rent went up, we know how it feels. Our spree isn’t intended to make anyone else feel bad – we all have different circumstances. I would never judge another family for doing Christmas on a small budget, because presents are NOT WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT! Aside from the religious aspects (Atheists here), it’s a season of love, family, goodwill and generosity. Material things are just an aside.
I’m a woman of extremes – all or nothing. Same applies for Halloween, Bonfire Night and Birthdays. Lots of people are cut from the same cloth as me. It’s just how we do things – go hard, or go home! You’ll spot my kin in the clubs on a Saturday night going absolutely feckin’ mental.
Lots of toys at Christmas means less money spent throughout the year… we consider it our yearly audit of the toy box! Chuck it if it’s old and tatty, replace on Christmas Morning. Makes sense to us!
Lavishing my son with gifts at Christmas will NOT ‘ruin’ his character or make him expect the same each year. He will always have clear behaviour boundaries and be rewarded for good deeds, and reprimanded when he's cheeky. He’s generally well behaved thus I choose to reward him with a good haul on Christmas morning. If you choose to use other tools to encourage good behaviour, awesome, that is fine – just don’t judge me and other parents for how we implement good behaviour strategies.

I could go on forever, really. It annoys me to see rude comments on photos of big piles of presents – people would get SLAUGHTERED for leaving rude comments on photos of smaller piles of presents, so what makes the reverse acceptable? Although, I do concede that if a photo of a mountain of gifts is posted with a seriously tone deaf caption, or perhaps cross-posted across multiple platforms for maximum likes/comments, people will understandably get their backs up - the joys of social media, right? It's all about perception and people won't always get it right on either side of the coin.

Fundamentally, the key is to bite your tongue and scroll on past. We should all support each other regardless of what background we’re from; as long as your child feels loved, warm and well-fed this festive season, THAT is what matters.

Other articles you may enjoy...