Confessions of a serial present buyer

Here is the run down on my Christmas preparations ...

Baking? Not done.

House decorated? Not yet.

Cards posted? Almost. I just have to stick stamps on and take them out to the post box. (And yes. I know I have missed the last posting date for Christmas. Still. I can hope!).

But here I sit with all presents bought and (almost) all wrapped.

I confess. I like buying Christmas presents. And I like wrapping them. Almost anything I buy for the girls during December (or even November!) is likely to get put away and wrapped. Even the jogging pants Angel needs for school got wrapped. Cold legs in December? Tough!

I don't think I am an extravagant gift buyer - certainly the amount I spend on each child is a great deal less than the average parental spend (£137 in 2005, according to Google). The same article points out that this is much higher than the £86 spent by over-50s when their children were young. Well, Tevye is over-50, our children are still young, and we don't make it up to £86 either.

I couldn't find an average number for presents, but I bet I beat it. I think I must be the queen of stocking fillers. The girls get one main gift, but all sorts of bits and bobs I wouldn't normally buy find their way into Christmas stockings and under the tree.

I truly hate the outbreak of Christmas materialism every year. So why am I a serial present buyer?

Is there a cure?

Do I need one?

Maybe. Maybe not. But I do need to get those cards posted ...