Fun police can keep four gift rule - I'm with Noddy!

Last year, I mounted a military operation to locate a Pie Face game. My search, proved futile. I was gutted!

For the first time ever, I couldn’t provide Junior with one of his requested items. How did I deal with this? I did what any self-respecting parent would do of course, I overcompensated! I bought him even more toys to try and make up for what I saw as an epic Christmas fail as a parent.

This year I have been on the trail of all things Pokemon. His main request has been for the Pokemon Sun 3DS game which I couldn’t source anywhere in the first week it was released.

It and the Pokemeon Moon computer game, are the fastest selling games in the history of their maker, Nintendo.

Thankfully, I’ve found it online and it will be safely beneath the tree awaiting him on Christmas morning, phew! I still have other Pokemon themed things to source, in fact the more toys I see involving the cute, yellow, character, Pickachu, the more I’m adding to his gift stash.

Perhaps I should be thoroughly disgusted with myself, but I’m not. I can’t seem to help myself. My mother was a pile-it-high sort of gal, it was her way of showing she loved us, and I appear to have inherited the excessive Christmas gift-giving gene.

Just like my beloved, materialistic, mum, I have also hidden gifts from Junior and forgotten where I’ve cunningly stashed them (the lost gift thing became a Christmas tradition with my mother). This often results in my son receiving rematerialized Xmas gifts at Easter, such are my gift buying excesses!

There are many who will regard my rampant spending on my offspring as distasteful, particularly those who are fans of the ‘four gift rule’ that is gaining popularity on social media.

This involves parents pledging to give their children just four presents described in rhyme as follows: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.

If you’re a fan of a guideline then this is for you, however it’s certainly not for me! I won’t be implementing the four-gift rule in our house, much to my son’s relief!

Thinking back, I can’t remember ever having a feeling quite like opening the door to the front room on Christmas morning, and seeing the tree positively groaning with gifts.

Then ensued the ripping open of the wrapping paper and gasps of joy as one wonderful gift after the next was revealed. Mum would look on with an expression of smugness mixed with joy, as our delighted reactions reaffirmed to her, that she was indeed a clever mum to have found such perfect gifts and an appreciated one too.

Mum lost her own mother when she was a child and never knew such sweet Christmas mornings as the ones she gave us. This was the stuff her dreams had been made of and she made it a wonderful reality for her own children.

The average household expects to splurge £473.83 on presents this year.

Even on a budget, there are bargain shops where you can buy more than four things without breaking the bank.

Christmas gives us the opportunity to reaffirm our bonds with one another, it’s an excuse to spoil the ones we love. Why let the fun police and their four-gift rule suggestion ruin it?

Rather than spoiling my child with his mountains of gifts it seems to have instilled in him the importance of generosity.

When his school asked for a voluntary donation of £1 in aid of the Children in Need charity, my son insisted he wanted to give £10 instead.

“But I don’t want you to give me it mum, I’m going to take it out of my money box and give it from my pocket money. You know, some kids aren’t as lucky as I am Mum!” he concluded shaking his head sadly.

He also donated lots of his no longer played with toys to charity for Christmas. He loved the idea of the toys bringing joy to others as they once had to him!

Frankly, when it comes to the four-gift rule, my attitude is Bah Humbug! I’m going to pile those gifts high, because in the immortal words of Noddy Holder; it’s Chriiiiist-maaaaaaaaaaas!