How Many Presents Should You Get A Child for Christmas? - Raising Little Explorers (2024)

FAQs

How Many Presents Should You Get A Child for Christmas? - Raising Little Explorers? ›

5 gift rule for Christmas

Some people say that three gifts are sufficient since that's all the baby Jesus got. Others go by a “rule of four” or seven or 10. And some parents delight in celebrating abundance and want Christmas to be a time of merry excess in contrast to the disciplines of regular life.

10 Gift Rule

In the 10 gifts rule, the four basic things remain the same and, 6 others are added. These include something to give others, something to do for others, a toy or anything to play with as a family, something to make, and footwear.

There appear to be many variations of the Rule, but the number of gifts given to another is limited to three. The origin stems from the biblical legend of the Three Kings who followed a star and gave the baby Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. Three kings: three gifts.

It's called Want, Need, Wear, Read. The idea is that you only give four gifts to each child: Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. This allows you to bring your kids into the decision-making process.

“Quality is always better than quantity. Your child doesn't need 20 presents to be happy; a couple of thoughtful, well-chosen gifts will do just fine.” Of course, parents have varying opinions. Some follow the “rule of three.” This means that a child gets three presents, one for each gift baby Jesus received.

The five-gift rule continues the three-gift rule where the first four gifts are straightforward – something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. Then, the fifth gift is something they didn't know they wanted. This is a great approach to have fun and throw in an exciting gift.

The Budgeting Basics

Before you start buying gifts, it's important to set a budget. A common rule of thumb is that you should spend about 1-2% of your yearly income on gifts.

The most unwanted gifts people receive are diet plans, cufflinks and soap on a string. A poll of 2,000 adults found 75% receive up to seven presents each year which they'll never use — with friends, children and colleagues labeled as the worst present givers.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average American plans to spend $826 in 2022 on Christmas gifts, food, and decorations. Of that $826 dollars, around 500 are spent on gifts for family members.

What is the most requested Christmas gift? ›

There is no magic number but the general consensus seems to be between three gifts potentially up to around five. There will be many factors that contribute to this decisions; how many children you have, presents other family members may buy, how old your children are and, of course, budget.

Setting a budget for each kid's Christmas is key—no matter how old they are. You could spend $50 on a few small toys for one kid and $50 on one larger gift for another. The point is that the value of the gifts is equal.