The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. 

Mother reveals why she is not giving one of her children Christmas presents

‘I’m only buying one of my kids Christmas presents. Not this one,’ she says

Brittany Miller
New York
Wednesday 20 December 2023 10:51 GMT
Comments
Related: Parents’ ‘relatable’ solution to late Christmas presents

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A mother has decided not to give one of her children Christmas presents this year, and explained her reasoning why.

Tiffany Chesson took to TikTok to reveal what made her come to that decision. The video featured her holding an infant as she whispered: “I’m only buying one of my kids Christmas presents. Not this one.”

“I don’t have a favourite, I will tell you that for free,” the mother began. “But this one is three months old and by the time Christmas rolls around, she’ll be about five [months old]. Does she need presents? No she doesn’t.”

She explained that because her daughter is so young, she wouldn’t be able to understand or appreciate the gifts or the holiday. “There is literally no point in buying her a Christmas present,” she continued.

The TikToker explained that money is also a factor, adding that she is currently on maternity leave and making maternity leave pay. “My friends and family are going to buy her presents and that’s absolutely a-okay. I don’t have a problem with someone buying her presents. I’m just not going to do it for her,” she said in the clip.

Chesson concluded her TikTok by confirming that she would be giving her daughter Christmas presents next year when she will be 18 months old. “She’ll definitely be getting presents then, but for this year, it’s a no,” she said.

Since the video was first posted back in November, it has received over 400,000 views. Many viewers took to the comments section to agree with her decision, while others revealed that they will also not be giving their infants Christmas presents.

“I’ve already said, I don’t care if people call me a bad mum, Christmas isn’t gonna be big in my home until they’re old enough to remember Christmas,” one comment read.

Another agreed, writing: “This!!! I’ll have a three year old and a 10 month old. I feel like my son will have no idea what’s going on so he won’t get near as much as his sister.”

However, one commenter suggested a flaw in the mother’s logic. “If the older siblings believe in Santa, get her something small so siblings don’t question why Santa didn’t get her anything.”

“This is a VERY good point [to be fair], thank you!” Chesson wrote back.

Chesson isn’t the only mom to spend the holiday season with an unconventional gift-giving method. Another mother recently took to TikTok to express concern over a gift hack that she currently uses with her children.

Elizabeth Longshaw took to the platform to try and figure out whether her idea made her a “terrible person” or a “literal genius”. “I’m doing something super controversial with my kids’ birthday and Christmas presents this year,” she began her TikTok.

In the video, the mother explained that, this year, she and her husband decided to buy gifts all-year round, either on sale or at garage sales. Their purchases were then placed in a bin in their basement to be wrapped for their children’s Christmas or birthday presents to avoid scrambling at the last minute.

Longshaw then revealed that her daughter had a very large birthday party last year with 10 children in attendance. She said her daughter received gifts from her friends, parents, and relatives, which ended up being “too much”.

“I took maybe half of those gifts and put them downstairs in a bin to save,” the mother said.

According to Longshaw, the problem is the bin she used was the same bin she was using for the gifts she and her husband had been purchasing. As she started to wrap presents, she realised she can’t figure out who the gifts are from.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in