No way, Santa! Parents are griping about their kids’ pricey gift lists

‘It is not OK to flaunt your wealth, and that’s something that I tell my kids,’ one mom on TikTok says

Parents have gone viral as they complain about their children’s overpriced holiday gift lists.

Long gone are the days of cheap toys and second-hand books. Now, young kids are setting their sights high on expensive garb and high-end skincare products while packing their wish lists with picks that even some adults wouldn’t consider buying for themselves.

Videos of frustrated parents are circulating online. And social media communities are forming, allowing others in similar situations with their kids to vent about the “delulu” presents they’re being expected to get. One mom, in particular, received over 1.7 million views on TikTok for her post about the delusional list her child gave her ahead of the holidays.

“I just found out that my nine-year-old thinks we live in a different tax bracket,” Annabel Havill admitted on 29 November. “I don’t think she’s gotten the memo about inflation.”

The first item Havill’s daughter asked for was a pair of $110 Ugg boots. But those weren’t even the most expensive pair of shoes on the list — $122 Nike sneakers were.

“I don’t know what this is, but I don’t own anything like this for $42,” Havill confessed as she pointed to a skincare set her daughter wanted.

“This girl’s nuts, she’s nuts,” the stunned mom continued as she nodded to the $349 Apple watch on her child’s list. In a follow-up video, it became clear that Havill’s 12-year-old son also had high hopes for the holidays.

“Get a job,” Havill quipped as she revealed the StockX Yeezy and A Bathing Ape requests she got from her son.

Speaking to Business Insider, Havill admitted she had plans to get her children one of their expensive requests and set a budget of $600 for each. That said, her intention in posting about her kids’ requests was to bring awareness and sensitivity to those who aren’t able to afford luxury goods as gifts this year.

“In this economy, it is not glamorous and it is not OK to flaunt your wealth, and that’s something that I tell my kids,” she told the outlet. “There’s people that are struggling to buy groceries right now.”

Experienced parents spoke up in the comments section of Havill’s post, adding their own children’s absurd list items and comparing the generation to themselves at that age.

“At age nine, I was asking for American Girl dolls and Crayola crayons,” one woman confessed, while another said: “This list yells, ‘too much screen time.’”

“How does she know these things exist? My nine-year-old has no clue! She’s asking for a watch... like to tell time,” a candid mother noted.

One woman said: “The way I’m 32 and would like the same things.”

“A friend told me her 16-year-old asked for Louboutins. She didn’t know what they were. When she Google’d them, she said she fell out of her chair,” another viewer added.

In conversation with The Independent, Havill said: “The comments have been super interesting. Honestly I post things that make me laugh, very self serving. I love the comments where people can relate but there were a lot of comment that were negative and criticizing my parenting…as if they know me in real life. My kids roughly know our Christmas budget, they don’t expect to receive everything on the list.”

“My daughter knows that the Christmas list is a wish list and Santa gets ideas from the list but will not bring everything,” she continued. “Given the state of the economy and inflation I found it more relatable to say what I said. People are struggling to put food on the table these days. Although I can afford everything on the list, we like to keep our kids grounded and we make them work/earn for things they want.”