‘I’m not giving one of my kids a Christmas gift - I gave her the gift of life’
“I’m not damaging my bank account by trying to keep up with the Joneses and buy her loads of stuff she doesn’t need,” Tiffany hits back in the video.
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Christmas is one of the most expensive and stressful times of the year.
Amid a cost-of-living crisis, families are doing it tougher than most can remember, so it’s easy to see why many are cutting back this festive season.
British mum Tiffany is one of the many mums tightening her belt on her spending, revealing she would only be buying one of her children a Christmas present this year.
However, the mum-of-two insists she has a valid reason for the decisions and isn’t playing favourites with her kids.
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“Does my 5mo need presents? No, she doesn’t”
The mum-of-two held her three-month-old baby, whispering: “I’m only buying one of my kids Christmas presents.”
“Not this one!” she said in the clip, cradling her daughter in her arms.
“I don't have a favourite, I will tell you that for free,” she clarified, adding her daughter will be only five months old “by the time Christmas rolls around.”
“Does she need presents?” Tiffany asked the camera. “No, she doesn't.”
She added she was on maternity pay and, therefore couldn’t afford to fork out extra for her daughter’s gift.
“She's too young to understand, appreciate - there is literally no point in buying her a Christmas present.,” she said.
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“Next year, she’ll get presents. But this year, it’s a no”
However, this doesn’t mean her daughter will forgo Christmas altogether.
“My friends and family are going to buy her presents and that’s OK,” she clarified. “I don't have a problem with someone buying her presents - I'm just not gonna do it for her.”
But come to Tiffany this time next year and this rule will be thrown out the window.
“Next year, she'll be 18 months come Christmas,” she explained. “She will definitely be getting presents then, but for this year, it's a no.”
She also acknowledged she’d likely be net with vitriolic responses from other people.
“If it turns out I’m the world’s worst mum for refusing to get my baby anything for her first Christmas,” she said. “But she’s too young to want anything and already has everything she needs.
“So I’m not damaging my bank account by trying to keep up with the Joneses and buy her loads of stuff she doesn’t need.”
RELATED: Mum reveals why she doesn't buy her children Christmas presents
“I gave her the gift of life!”
Her video created a divide online, with some arguing she was “miserable” taking away the magic of a baby’s first Christmas.
“Small gift ain't going to kill you!” someone wrote in anger, to which Tiffany hit back: “I gave her the gift of life!”
“My baby’s gonna be five months, and I’ve got her a bag of stuff for her,” said another mum.
“How’s that gonna look to your eldest, though?” a woman asked. “They might think the baby’s on the naughty list,” another agreed.
But others understood her perspective, particularly with so many feeling the pinch this year.
“Agree with this!” someone wrote. “My family are buying my baby presents, but I’m not, I’ve only bought a couple of older-size clothes, that’s it.”
“Mine was six months old [for] his first Xmas and I let social media tell me I’d be a bad mum if I didn’t,” another said. “Biggest regret! Wasted money.”
Others suggested Tiffany wrap up something small to let the 5mo unwrap and enjoy the sensory experience.
“Just give her the wrapping this year, she will be as elated by that as anything else,” someone said.
“They love the paper and the experience,” another added. “I just bought essentials and wrapped them.”
“If the older siblings believe in Santa, get her something small so siblings don’t question why Santa didn't get her anything,” a wise person recommended.
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Originally published as ‘I’m not giving one of my kids a Christmas gift - I gave her the gift of life’
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