I’m cancelling Xmas & BANNING presents for my 6 kids this year – cruel trolls call me a ‘tramp’ but I couldn’t care less
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A MUM-of-six has hit back at cruel trolls over her decision to cancel Christmas - insisting she and her family are happier without it. Dionne Fleming, 37, first scrapped the tradition last year, after years of festive stress and working with children less privileged than her own.
![[Dionne Fleming has chosen to take her children on holiday instead of buying them Christmas presents]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ced40869-7d5a-45bc-adef-26325a74e571.jpg?strip=all&w=943)
She decided to prioritise "making memories" with her family instead, opting to take her kids on trips rather than lavishing them with gifts. But while the mum still keeps up some festive traditions, including a Christmas tree and dinner, her house is a present free-zone - sparking fury from other parents.
![[The family at Newcastle Airport ready to jet off]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/16efccb4-7cf3-45e2-96e0-679175b498a1.jpg?strip=all&w=730)
"I've been called a tramp and told I'm saving for drugs and alcohol," Dionne told The Sun. "I don't even drink or abuse drugs and I don't understand why people are so quick to rip others apart.". Dionne explained that after years of stress trying to meet her children's endless Christmas wish lists, she was exhausted.
![[Dionne with her children, deciding to prioritise 'making memories']](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/7a7488f8-82e4-4e96-ab35-e03833960530_ea7c03.jpg?strip=all&w=492)
And she realised that frantic gift-buying is not "what Christmas should be about". "Buying my children presents was too much," she said. "I would start Christmas shopping in the January sales, frantically trying to get everything they wanted. "It was exhausting, my mental health would suffer, and I realised it wasn't what Christmas should be about.".
![[Dionne's decision was also influenced by her time working with underprivileged children]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/821a84a5-501b-4449-a877-94aa6e826f1a_3d096f.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Last year, she ditched the presents and took her family on holiday instead. "We went to Centre Parcs and had the best time. "It was the first Christmas in years where I wasn't stressed, and my kids loved it, even my 20-year-old daughter preferred it.". Some TikTok users have branded her "awful" and suggested her kids must be "disappointed".
![[She defends not buying her children presents arguing that it is not what Christmas is all about]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/a9cea903-5f62-41c4-85e0-40b96407e2b8_6e8671.jpg?strip=all&w=694)
