British mum accused of abuse for buying kids 300 gifts last year is spending even more this Christmas
A UK mum accused of child abuse for buying her kids 300 Christmas presents last year is back with an even bigger haul.
MANY will remember mum-of-three Emma Tapping, who caused a media storm last year after posting a photo of her Christmas tree swamped by a tower of presents.
The 36-year-old from the Isle of Man was accused of abusing her children after the social media snap went viral.
Now Ms Tapping and her family are the stars of a new British documentary, Xmas Excess: Parents Splash The Cash, and she reveals 2016’s gift mountain is even bigger, The Sun reports.
Last year Ms Tapping bought around 300 gifts for her three kids Mia, 14, Ella, 10, and baby Tatum, splashing out around £1500 ($2500).
But she hasn’t let last year’s backlash put her off going overboard again this festive season.
“What I love about Christmas is the magic of it, and it’s family time for me, it’s about being with my loved ones and I love seeing their faces when I give them gifts,” she says.
“I do go overboard at Christmas, definitely. It’s loads of pressies, loads of food, stuffing your face and just relaxing, having a good old day. I think they had about 85 presents each last year. This year they’ve got about 96 each, so they’ve got a few more bits.”
While the average Brit purchases 14 presents in the run-up to Christmas, Ms Tapping buys around 300 — so many her Christmas tree has yet again almost disappeared under the mountain of pressies.
She jokes: “It’s a bit like Jenga — if you pull the wrong one out you might lose a child for a few hours.”
Speaking about last year’s social media storm and the hurtful backlash she received, Ms Tapping explains: “A friend of mine tagged me in the picture and was like, ‘Isn’t this your tree?’
“I didn’t think anything of it, and then within a couple of days it had been shared 100,000 times. I’d gone from being a normal mum to being in the papers, being talked about, being on TV.
“If you ask me do I spoil my kids, I would say at Christmas yeah I do, but I don’t spoil them throughout the year. They get their necessities, their school uniforms, the things that they need, but we don’t go on holidays abroad, they don’t go on big shopping sprees — anything they want they get it for Christmas.
“When it first happened I felt like I had to stick up for the kids. I felt like I had to justify what I was doing. Now I couldn’t give a toss what anyone thinks. It’s not going to change the way I do things, and if they don’t like it, it’s a good job I’m not their mum.”
Part of the Channel 5 documentary was filmed last year, shortly after Ms Tapping’s photo went viral. It follows the family in the lead-up to Christmas, where the thrifty mum reveals how she keeps track of everything she buys.
Ms Tapping tells how she numbers each gift and writes down what everything is.
“I like the girls to have exactly the same, even if it’s not the same money-wise, I like them to have the same amount,” she says. “Mia’s up to 87, and I’ve got two more to wrap.”
Ms Tapping also does Christmas Eve bags every year — and that night Santa adds an extra sack of gifts to the bulging pile under the tree.
On Christmas morning, once the kids get underway opening up the presents, the room descends into chaos.
“You can’t see the floor for presents and wrapping,” Ms Tapping joked.
Reflecting on the whirlwind few weeks last December, Ms Tapping recalls: “For all that’s been said about us and what we’ve been through, this morning made it all worth it. Just seeing their little faces, and everyone was happy — it was great.”
Once the big day is over, the problem is where to put all the gifts — and getting around to using them.
Ms Tapping’s daughter Ella reveals a popcorn maker and notepad that have both remained untouched since last Christmas.
The 10-year-old also admits she doesn’t even use the tablet she was bought last year as she broke, then lost, the charger.
This year, not content with the shops on the Isle of Man, Ms Tapping flew to Liverpool in the summer to make a start on her shopping. Armed with an empty suitcase she hit the high street in search of bargains.
She explains: “I’ve got about £250 with me in cash, then I’ve got my card, so I’ll just keep going until I’ve had enough.”
On her trip Ms Tapping spent around £450. She told how she normally finishes buying in November, but is often tempted to buy more.
She admits: “I’ve put a ban on myself — even if I see things now I don’t buy them.”
Once the tree is up, it’s time to stack the presents underneath — a task Ms Tapping’s partner James, 41, jokes is like “moving house.”
Undeterred by last year’s events, Ms Tapping defiantly posted a picture of her 2016 Christmas tree swamped by presents on social media.
She has also set up a Facebook page, Thebossmum Money Saving Specialist, which provides tips on how to save cash when present buying. It has more than 8200 likes.
Do you think Emma Tapping is spending too much on her kids?
This story originally appeared in The Sun and has been republished here with permission.
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