Parents debate when they can finally stop giving adult children expensive Christmas gifts
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Some people argue that 18 years old is the appropriate age to stop while others say the extravagent holiday gifts should always continue. For years, the Tomczaks have showered their children — ages 29, 23, and 22 — with everything from toys when they were toddlers to mature household necessities as they’ve gotten older. They’ve even financed unrelated expenses like mortgage payments, engagement parties, hospital stays, baby showers, and nurseries for them.
![[Nikki and Marty Tomczak question where they should scale back on Christmas gifts for their three adult children]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/21/15/MixCollage-21-Dec-2024-10-54-AM-6529.jpg)
However, adding a son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren to the mix, has complicated things. Now, Nikki and Marty are wondering if it’s feasible to continue the tradition of getting multiple gifts for each of their three kids. In their video posted on December 10, the Tomczaks said this year the family has decided to do a Secret Santa swap, meaning each person has been assigned one other individual to buy a present for without them knowing. In this case, Secret Santa is in lieu of typical gift-giving, where everyone has to get everyone something.
“So, we’re only going to be buying for the little kids,” Nikki explained. “And then we’re only going to be buying for one adult each which means we’re not going to be buying for all of our kids for the first time. “I’ll admit we’ve been helping with some big things the last couple of years,” she continued. “But it feels super weird to not be buying for each one of the kids. It makes me really happy to see them open, you know, 10 things each. I love to buy them things, but how long can I really continue to do this?”.
