Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re truly a horrible person, OP. Just remember, you reap exactly what you sow.

+1

If you think donating toys makes someone a horrible person you might want to consider getting out more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

I mentioned “experiences” because I thought other people would: “why didn’t you ask for experiences?” They want to gift toys, and ask for a list. So I provide one.

My boys don’t have interest in the gifts because they were items from a show they don’t know or watch (no, we aren’t “screen free”) and the other toy was several years younger than their level.

We opened them because we were visiting family in another state for Christmas.

I was asking...has anyone else opened and donated gifts, and it’s not even Christmas?!

OP, I did this last week! I unwrapped all the gifts from my parents and in-laws and got rid of about half. (I rewrapped the ones we are keeping.). My kids are 1 and 3. They don’t need 10 presents from one set of grandparents, and our house is too small for this crap. Plus I was able to donate the extra things to a toy drive since they were still in their original packaging. And now I don’t need to have a fight every day with my three year old about wearing a too big frozen costume to daycare.

This is too sad. Why wouldn't you let your DC wear a too-big frozen costume, that her grandparents gave her, to preschool? I seriously don't get it. Also, this would be something she would grow into -- obviously.

I suspect the PP above is actually the OP....

Haha, I’m different, though I felt a kinship with the OP. I don’t think it would be kind to my daughter’s daycare teachers to send her in an outfit that restricts her movement, and I don’t like having outfit fights. Look, if that was the one present they had sent, I would have kept it, but they sent 10 things. (Actually 11, another package with a frozen doll arrived after I posted that.). Our house is small, so we would not have kept all these toys anyway. Since they weren’t opened, they could be donated. I don’t feel bad about this.

Anonymous wrote:Skipped several pages, but I can relate to the OP in that our ILs spend lots of money on “stocking” gifts for each of our 4 kids, DH and me. Absolutely the most useless stuff on the planet and 99% of it gets donated.

MIL used to ask for a list. I put down a wide variety of items we could use that could be purchased at Walmart (where ILs shop). I always included items at low price points, including Cetaphil soap, Carmex lip balm etc. DH (THEIR SON!) and two of our kids have severe skin allergies, and always have. MIL knows this, yet she would buy crazy products like Axe body spray and scented soaps. After a while, I gave up. We just dump everything into a bag on Christmas night and donate it. At least someone somewhere will get good use out of it.

The $30 they spend on each of our stockings could buy a nice dinner out for our family during Christmas (where we live). We don’t get nice dinners out very often. All of us would love a gift card for something like that, but it will never happen.

NP. Ha, I just got off the phone with my mother who said she bought my kids lots of little grab bag type gifts (similar to your stocking gifts). My mother is also not into wish lists or suggestions. Sigh. Instead we get useless junk that we don't want or need (or have space for!).

Why are people bashing OP. I understand what she is saying. The GP did not get anything from the Amazon wishlist. OP took time and effort to put things at different price points. But they just went off to buy some toys that the kids did not enjoy.

As an aside, my inlaws take the kids shopping every few months. They come back with a lot of toys. So my kids feel like whatever they want, they act as if they can just go ask Grandpa to buy it for them.

Between those regular outings, the X-mas gifts from the relatives, the birthday presents from classmates, they get way too many toys. But the thing is, these toys are not necessarily the ones I would prefer my kids play with (so many Barbies! Character themed plastic crap. But since they already have too much, I feel like buy them what I would have preferred they play with is adding on to their slowly developing sense of entitlement. My older one is turning 7 next year, maybe it will be a good time to go the "No birthday gifts please" route. She is now old enough to understand and accept.

Anonymous wrote:Skipped several pages, but I can relate to the OP in that our ILs spend lots of money on “stocking” gifts for each of our 4 kids, DH and me. Absolutely the most useless stuff on the planet and 99% of it gets donated.

MIL used to ask for a list. I put down a wide variety of items we could use that could be purchased at Walmart (where ILs shop). I always included items at low price points, including Cetaphil soap, Carmex lip balm etc. DH (THEIR SON!) and two of our kids have severe skin allergies, and always have. MIL knows this, yet she would buy crazy products like Axe body spray and scented soaps. After a while, I gave up. We just dump everything into a bag on Christmas night and donate it. At least someone somewhere will get good use out of it.

The $30 they spend on each of our stockings could buy a nice dinner out for our family during Christmas (where we live). We don’t get nice dinners out very often. All of us would love a gift card for something like that, but it will never happen.

Why would you ask for Cetaphil soap and lip balm as gifts for your kids? How fun is that.

Why don't you ask for a gift card to a restaurant as a family gift? Certainly better than asking for soap and lip balm.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

I mentioned “experiences” because I thought other people would: “why didn’t you ask for experiences?” They want to gift toys, and ask for a list. So I provide one.

My boys don’t have interest in the gifts because they were items from a show they don’t know or watch (no, we aren’t “screen free”) and the other toy was several years younger than their level.

We opened them because we were visiting family in another state for Christmas.

I was asking...has anyone else opened and donated gifts, and it’s not even Christmas?!

OP, I did this last week! I unwrapped all the gifts from my parents and in-laws and got rid of about half. (I rewrapped the ones we are keeping.). My kids are 1 and 3. They don’t need 10 presents from one set of grandparents, and our house is too small for this crap. Plus I was able to donate the extra things to a toy drive since they were still in their original packaging. And now I don’t need to have a fight every day with my three year old about wearing a too big frozen costume to daycare.

This is too sad. Why wouldn't you let your DC wear a too-big frozen costume, that her grandparents gave her, to preschool? I seriously don't get it. Also, this would be something she would grow into -- obviously.

I suspect the PP above is actually the OP....

Anonymous wrote:Everything about your post is obnoxious and irritating OP.

1. You have two sets of grandparents who would like to be involved and use the list you give them. How wonderful.
2. You are in a position to have plenty of gifts and toys for your children. How wonderful.

Except it's not wonderful for you. Ok. That's fine.

Then grow a pair of balls and tell the grandparents you don't want gifts.

And now let's get to hiding the gifts from your children to somehow prove you are correct they don't need or want the gifts. What the actual F???? If you somehow can't bring yourself to tell the grandparents to not send the gifts (that you asked for!), then don't get the toys out, hide them for a while, and then donate them. What a waste of time.

My sentiments exactly. OP is a real PoS

Anonymous wrote:You are annoying OP

+1

Anonymous wrote:You’re truly a horrible person, OP. Just remember, you reap exactly what you sow.

+1

Last Christmas, kids got three versions of monopoly, and they already had one. They had uno, got two more. Oldest was 9, but we got several DVDs, all rated PG-13, one rated R. Youngest was 5, but there were ring stacking and cup stacking toys. Oldest was wearing size 8 or 10, youngest was wearing 4 or 5, but clothes ranged from 2T to 16, with hardly anything in a style they’d wear that was also in an appropriate size. I get it, OP. There’s no reason to hold onto duplicates or wildly inappropriate items, and if they can be donated early enough to toys for tots, great!