Way, way too early
But a certain retailer (who I won't name because I have a generally good relationship with them and don't want to mess that up) sent me a pr release today listing their 'Top Ten Toys for Christmas', and being of a nosy disposition I took a look.
You know what I noticed?
Whilst the cheapest toy on the list was approximately £11, the average price (their words, not mine) was £55, and the most expensive £109.
Which is all very well and may - these days - be good value for money, but one thing occurs to me.
AREN'T WE SUPPOSED TO BE IN A RECESSION, PEOPLE?
Everywhere I look I see news about rising prices, falling wages, the increased cost of living and how we're all supposed to be tightening our belts. Now, I know that Christmas is different. I know that we all want to spoil our little angels at this oh-so-special time of year, and I also know that I will almost definitely spend between £70 and £100 on each of the Boys by the time I include big presents and stockings (or in our case, pillow cases) into the mix.
But this is the issue that I have with the Top 10 list I was sent this week; with only one exception, if I were to buy any of the items which are featured on it I would blow a big part of my Christmas present budget without even blinking. And the thing with young kids? For them, unless they have a specific toy in mind (which, so far, neither of my sons has), the number of presents they get is almost as important as what those presents actually are.
When you're a child, less is not more. More is more.
So I realised that I will not be rushing off to buy the latest must-have toy for a paltry £49.99. Instead, I will be hunting around for less expensive items that my boys will still love, and which will still give great play value, but which will allow me to give them a variety of items and still - crucially - give the Boys the that ripping off the wrapper fest which kids love.
This got me thinking; in these financially tricky times, I can't be the only blogging parent with this philosophy, surely? So why not do a McLinky giving other bloggers the chance to join in the fun and list the Top 3 Christmas Presents under £20 (or thereabouts) that they may give their children this Christmas. If there's enough interest I'll pull together a finite list (crediting whoever came up with the idea, obviously, and linking to their blog if they have one) of what comes up and publish it sometime around mid-November for anyone who's interested.
So here, without further ado, is my current list of Top 3 Christmas Presents under £20:
1. Operation game (available online from £9 - £13.00)
2. Twister game (available online £12 - £14)
3. Junior Scrabble available online from £18 - £20)
What's your list? If you want to join in, either add your list via the comments box or write a post and link to this post here...
