For the last 3 christmas DEX has bought a small gift for me from the kids, a scented candle, those awful budget chocolates from The Warehouse which he knows I loath, a coffee mug, a fridge magnet...

I think his budget is about $10 for all three kids to buy me something.

I'm on my own with the kids this christmas and while I really don't care if I get the above presents or not I do want my kids to have a present for me, as its not christmas to just receive and not give.

Do you give someone some money and some ideas?
Do you buy yourself something and get the kids to wrap it?
Do you give the kids some money and let them go for it? DS2 is 11 so should be able to handle that.

Just wondering?

I would get your oldest to go shopping =) what I do with my dd (she is nearly 7) I have a pandora bracelet - so we go into the jewellers I tell the shop assistant ($$ price range) lol....I'll go elsewhere in the store and dd chooses a charm, the assistants have been awesome they have taken dd behind the counter and wrapped it up with her. =)
I have also been shopping with dd, seen something I like, bought it then get her to wrap it up and put it under the tree.
I think it's kind of cute - she has a prezzie for me...and on the day I'm like "ohhh wow!!"
Mother's day was awesome - I got a lovely pair of boots!!! dd was at her dad's so I went shopping - when she came home I told her she had "great taste!!" ;-)

The tight arse part of me thinks if I'm paying for it myself then I may as well pick it out... the romantic part of me wants my kids to think of me and what I'd like and surprize me... these egos are at odds with each other

My kids are only 2 and 4...so no...I dont usually get anything for birthday or xmas or mothers day...MD and birthday are usually completely forgotten

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH No.

HAHAHA
*cough*
HAHA

Oh man.
Even if i tell DD what i want she never remembers!

Actually i lie, I buy myself presents. Usually It doesn't get wraped or anything, but that ok because i know my shiny new boots were my bday pressie. IYKWIM.

Until about 2 years ago I never got anything. DEX never thought of it. The kids are now old enough to go themselves and get something. They ask me if they can go up town without me to get something.

Your 11 year old is probably old enough to do something like this, maybe with your younger DS too, if you think they're responsible enough.

Kat - until the kids started getting things, I'd buy something for myself too. My bday's 1 Jan, so I'd get something I really wanted as joint christmas bday.

my mum usually takes them to buy something.
this year DS#2 decided it'd be wonderful to just have homemade presents....So I will probably get a lovely sketch to put up on my wall (he's a bit of a wee artist) which I prefer a million times over to getting a necklace with big hearts, or yucky talc powder etc etc

lol you could buy you what you want and put it under the tree to 'clem' from 'santa' thats my plan this year anyway hahaha.

Do you give your Mum some money and a budget or does she just do it on her own?

Will you be making them home made gifts?

I dont mind not getting gifts though just means i can justify spending more on myself

"oh its almost xmas? i can spend $20 on that top!"
"Yes my birthday is next month i can spend $150 on those boots!"

my ex used to do something crappy.... i dunno, i mean, i am stoked that the thought is there... but at the same time i do kind of look at it and go, oh goody, more crap. and then i have to keep it because it is really from ds

i have gotten into the tradition of giving him a calendar, with all the dates he has DS stickied onto it with nice labels, so he can't ring me up and go 'i never know when anything is going on, bla bla bla bla whiiiine'.

I never get anything, DEX never does anything. I get DS to make him something, or choose a shop and let him pick something for his father. I'm not interested in buying DEX a present, I am however interested in teaching DS good manners and to me, him giving his father a present is what it is about.

This year for the first time pre-school organised mothers day's cards and my goodness did I cry, still brings a tear.

Yeah I know what you mean there Charleeb, my home based childcare worker would do the most lovely kid made cards with a pic of the kids on them...

My ex and I have maintained a reasonable friendship so he takes the girls shopping to get things for my birthday/Xmas/Mother's Day and I do the same with them for him. We usually agree on a $ value beforehand (it ranges from $30 - $50 depending on the occasion). In the past he used to spend more than he was meant to (especially for my 40th) but he's got a partner who lives with him now and they have a new baby so he's getting better at sticking to the budget.

I usually let him and the girls know a few things that I'd like (we're big on cutting up catalogues to make a visual list) and they choose which they'll actually get. So it's kind of a surprise but not. I'm happy doing it that way though as I'm not a fan of presents that are kept out of a sense of obligation and just sit around gathering dust.

This Christmas there are a couple of things I'd like that I'm tempted to just buy for myself (CDs, mascara, new knickers). Some of them I'd be buying for myself regardless but since it's Christmas it might be nice for the girls to see Mummy a few more presents than usual in her Christmas stocking.

I let the girls choose what they get their Dad but I try and make sure it's something he might actually use. For his birthday they got him a SpongeBob t-shirt and last Christmas they got him a SpongeBob calendar and a SpongeBob cap. See a theme happening there? I wouldn't be surprised if they stick with that theme this year. He really needs to tell them he's got a new favourite programme or theme.

I Think best just to buy for the kids, no prezzies for adults this Christmas

Well I've been jaded about Christmas for a few years now, and I think it's because I have been missing out.
A friend offered to take my kids Christmas shopping. He got them to buy me something each (I gave him some money) and then he spoilt them and they bought something to give each other and picked out something from him.
There are now two presents sitting under the tree and I actually feel excited about Christmas, its brought back all the childish expectations of delight and surprise.

I don't expect to receive anything from xmas on behalf of sarah, when she is older i may send her off with my mum, cousin or friend to get something, not overly concerned right now as she too young to get what it's all about.

I do a photo-calendar for my DD's dad (and his parents and sister)
and this year i also got my dd's dad a xmas present from my dD - 3.5 yrs. I spent about $20 plus the calendar.

He asked me what I wanted for xmas and DD and him went out and chose it together.

we had a get together today and exchanged presents as we won't all be together on xmas day.

My mum sent some parcels and my aunt sent me a book...
I got some lollies I know DX likes cos we're having xmas at his house and he's bought all the food. :giggles:

when i was xmas shopping i got a little sidetracked at a dress shop - which is all good as DS#2 adores clothes shopping - he goes around picking things out for me while im trying them on (hehe he even knows my size) one of the things he picked for me was perfect...so i gave him the $$ and he bought it for me and i pretended i didn't know
i also looked very longingly at aprons in a certain shop and said geee i wish i had an apron for xmas while we were beside them...then i saw DS's trying to work out how much they needed so i gave them $10 and i pretended to look at cushions for 5mins or so
#1 got me a nice bracelet on the sly too must've bn whn he was out with grandma

Well after spending the weeks before Christmas buying myself presents to wrap up from the girls (cook books and handy hints books I wanted, gardening tools and some bangles I decided I'd rather keep than give my niece), my ex gave me a $50 warehouse gift card and the girls were also given $10 each (by the ex or his girlfriend) to go into the kids only part of the seedling shop at Sylvia Park to buy presents. DD1 (nearly 8) bought me a flannel & bath bomb set while DD2 (just turned 6) bought me a very pretty melamine plate and bowl set with a big heart shaped chocolate. They were so proud of what they chose us and the fact that they got to go shopping without an adult seeing what they bought. Now I have to make sure they see me using the presents they bought or they'll think I don't like them!

I felt a little bit guilty that the ex ended up spending $70 on me but then I remembered that I'd bought a present for their baby ($15), a present for them (bbq cook book - nearly $20) and a Christmas tree decoration each (chosen by the girls at the Town Hall's annual Christmas shop) so I spent about $50 in the end which I think is more than enough.

Hey Clem! What did you get?

I bought an ornament for myself early last year so basically nothing from the kids, just one from Santa ;-) . I spent $40 on the Ex on a gift the kids chose -doubt I'll do that again. My brother and SIL gave me a pile of poo - now while usually I wouldn't mind receiving a charity gift, the fact that I have no money to spare makes me resentful of their lack of understanding for my and the kids circumstances. I would have been thrilled with a $20 warehouse/supermarket/fuel voucher but I guess them giving charity gifts gets them a 1/3 back in a tax rebate.

The rest was mainly crap - boxes of chocolates etc but the big surprise was just as I was leaving my Dad popped a full set of new shock absorbers for my car in my boot (he didn't want anyone else to know because of family politics). Not sure how I'm going to afford to have them fitted any time soon but wow.

I got kitchen scales from DD and a vase from DS I had a fair ton of stuff on my list so it was a good surprise.
My parents gave me a Mitre 10 voucher, my friend gave me a toiletry gift voucher.

Does he plan to buy you flowers to go into the vase?