What do you do when your child wants a long list of very expensive toys for Christmas?
June 24th, 2009 | 
Author: MountainChick asked:
My son is 5, and is already starting his Christmas list. He has listed several very expensive things, like skis, video games, motorized cars that you can drive, etc. Up until last year, we have told him that he should pick his 3 or 4 most favorite things to ask from Santa, and the rest would just be “ideas” if Santa wants to give him more presents. But this year, I have a feeling that his 3 or 4 “must-haves” are going to be big and expensive.
How can I explain that he’s only going to get one of them, without ruining the idea of Santa? (Since Santa makes his own toys, money shouldn’t be an factor, right?)
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I’d start changing the story to let him know that Santa doesn’t always bring what’s on your list at all. They are all just ideas to help him know what kind of things he wants.
Or, you can tell him that there is a limit to how much Santa can bring, what the value of it is. Even if he makes his own presents, he still only has limited resources to make them and has to make them for all of the children in the world.
One other tactic would be to start teaching him how fortunate he is in life, how to not be greedy, how to appreciate what he has and what he gets, no matter what it is.
You son is only 5 in a few years you won’t be having this problem so enjoy it for now. I should know mine have grown and gone and it felt like yesterday when this happend at our home. Be creative tell him that Santa would love to get him all of theise toys but if he does some little girl or boy may not get one . The elves work so hard to fill all of the list and if your on the good list this year Santa says he will bring 2 nice toys. Your son dosent know what money really is so that doesnt factor in for him and Oh I remember now that mine changed their minds so many times he will proably to. Just you start saving your money now and when Christmas gets closer you proably will have plenty to get him.
u can easily supply him these things….just look for a less expensive brand…..skis can be pretty affordable if they are second hand….u can find some pretty new ones and they arent as expensive ….there is also a website u can try…where u trade goods wtih ppl…and u basically type in what u need and if sum1 else posts that they might have it u contact them….and u just trade sumthing or sumtimes they might just want to get rid of it and give it to u for free….its pretty cool …u would just have to pay for shipping if u live far…. the site is..
or even try it might be .ner or .org or .com either way u’ll find it on yahoo….best wishes
teach him the value in money. take him to the store with X amount of money and let him show you what he would like to buy and if it is more than explain that money has an end and so does your pocket book. do you get that expensive purse or blue jeans that you want? NOPE bills have to be paid first. he should be happy and greatful that SANTA gets him anything at all. also tell him that santa can not spend all his money on him that he has billion of other kids out there that need presents too. just because its on the list does not mean that you have to get it for him.
Make him volunteer at a soup kitchen with you, so that he’s not so greedy. Santa gave me socks and panties and I’m grateful for everything I have.
Kids at five don’t believe in Santa anyway. They’re just playing you for gifts. I knew what was up with the jolly fat guy at four. Kids are smarter than you think.
You don’t have to explain it to him at all. He just won’t get ALL of the gifts he asked for. It’s not a big deal and is probably good for him to deal with some disappointment sooner or later. Listen to him and figure out some less expensive things that he would like but won’t put on his list. Example; at the store he says how much he loves to paint at school. Then you can buy him a paint set from Santa. Maybe he’s interested in Diego. Buy him a coloring book and Diego crayons.
Kids will always write enormous non-realistic lists. I know I certainly did! When it comes to Christmas though he won’t even care once he sees all of the other gifts that he got which he didn’t even ask for. I hope this helps!
…and if he whines on Christmas you can just tell him that Santa is always watching and that he should feel blessed to get so many nice gifts not only from Santa but from Mom, Dad, Grandparents, etc… Maybe it’s time to instill the giving part of the Christmas spirt. Get him a child to buy gifts for off of an Angel Tree for the poor. Visit nursing homes. Have him make gifts for his Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Dad. Just show him before that Christmas isn’t about recieving lavish gives but giving heartfelt ones and caring.
tell him that santa can only bring him one or two toys because he has alot of kids to give toys to and its only fair if he picks one and lets the other kids get toys also ..and that he needs to really think and put alot of thought into what his top favorite toy would be…best of luck!
you tell him that he gets what he gets and he needs to learn how to be greatful
I think you need to worry about teaching your child some non-materialistic values, rather than about destroying his faith in “Santa.” Why would you ever want to give him the idea that “money isn’t a factor?” Do you want him to grow up thinking that money literally grows on trees and that his things just magically appear? Do you have any idea the headache that type of thinking is going to cause you (and his future wife) in the coming years?
Tell them that Santa only makes a certain amount of things a year and other children are wanting the same things he does as well so he might run out. So he’ll need to choose just a few just in case.
Also…shop around. I know for video games there are some stores that sell them for cheaper because they are trade-ins (Many like new) if you don’t mind doing that. Video games are just so expensive!
Also with them saying Santa makes his own toys…tell them it costs money to buy the materials to make the toys? Just a thought
I wish you the best of luck though! I can’t wait to shop for my little girl!
Hmm, that’s a tough one, my kid wasn’t raised on santa.
If you want to get into the money thing, well, geez, santa’s gotta pay someone for his supplies right?
Don’t explain just do, being a parent does mean sometimes mean, BECAUSE I SAID SO.
I told my daughter that since toys have gotten so expensive nowadays and there are so many kids in the world, Santa has to charge parents for presents now. They’re from Santa and Mom and Dad. So let him know that you can’t to buy everything. Pick your favorites, etc.
My 5 yr old son is already asking for the Lego Death Star ($300!) and the B Wing Fighter, Jabba the Hut barge, and a couple of others. He knows his auntie will spoil him and expects the rest from Santa.
I hope that he will be grateful for what he gets Christmas morning, because he’s not getting more than one of those things from us, and I’m sure my SIL will get one too, but not all.
It’s hard to know how to handle it, except to remind him to be thankful what Santa does bring, and that there are children all over the world who don’t have as much. Corny, I know, but I don’t want to spoil the magic, either.
Good luck!
I tell my kids that there are TONS of kids in the world and Santa’s elves only have time to make so many toys. So he brought the one he knew you wanted the most! Every kid has to get toy from Santa so we have to share his elve’s time. Remind him that maybe he can ask for another on his birthday
I have told my kids they can only ask for 2 things from Santa and only one of them can be expensive, or it is being a bit greedy and they seem to understand that. My kids are 6 and 8 but I have told them that all along. They have brought up the fact that he makes his own toys too, but I also said being greedy and asking for lots of expensive things is not exactly “nice” in reference to the nice list.
Tell him santa only has room in his sleigh for one big toy for each kid this yr. lol Might work