Oh, Christmas! The time of year for giving and receiving, relaxing and partying, and saving and spending. Some people start shopping early, looking for bargains throughout the year, while others wait until the Black Friday rush and after to stock up on gifts.
Unless you’re thrifty or a DIY gift maker, we all know that Christmas spending can get a little out of control. It can also become burdensome and stressful for many people. For others, lavish spending is nothing to worry about at all. The more store-bought gifts, the merrier!
Last year, British mama Emma Tapping posted her Christmas haul on the world’s biggest billboard: social media. Though she anticipated her kids’ excitement, she didn’t expect the picture to go viral or to receive a flurry of feedback. Why? You’re used to seeing decked out trees with gifts scattered around the base, with little stacks spread here or there. But Emma’s family’s tree was way different. Only the top part was visible.
The mother of three bought gifts for her two daughters and baby son, which amounted to around a total of 300 items. Inside Edition caught up with Emma to discuss the social media flak that followed her posting. She was branded as being materialistic and even earned the hashtag “#toomanypresents” for the mountainous pile of gifts surrounding their Christmas tree.
When asked how many gifts each child received, Emma stated that each of her girls gets around 85 apiece, while her son gets about 30. That’s nearly one present per day for three months for her daughters, and one per day for one month for her son. Wow! But not all those gifts were for her kids, however; some actually went to her husband, too.
Some of the criticism Emma faced called her out for spoiling her children, and pointed out that she could have made donations to charity. Others wondered about what types of lessons she was teaching her kids about money and helping others. And some resorted to calling her disgusting or abusive. Her response? Very simple: “It’s my money.”
Emma also made a point that she can spend it how she pleases, as she earns and saves every penny of it without outside aid. She said because of that, people shouldn’t judge what she does for her family. We can’t exactly fault her for that.
So, let’s fast forward to this year. What do you think Emma’s been up to this Christmas? If you guessed even bigger, then you’ve guessed right! According to a story with the Huffington Post UK, the stockpile is a whopping 350 gifts for 2016. A new year of Emma’s Facebook posts has of course brought a new year of internet opinions, but she is defending her position:
“Another year of my family making me proud every day. They deserve a great Christmas. The haters will hate but nothing and no one will change how I do Christmas.”
To find out what she buys and how much she spends, check out Emma in the video below. Even if you don’t agree with her methods, you can still marvel at all the time it took to wrap those gifts individually. Sheesh! What do you think of this parent’s Christmas spirit? Are you a “hater” hating or a neutral Nelly? Tell us in the comments!