Gift expert's four words that will help families save cash this Christmas

The expert suggests breaking your Christmas lists into four key categories

With Christmas getting closer and closer many families are already busy planning what presents to buy as well as how to fund the cost of ensuring their children get everything they want on the big day. A 2022 study found that the average amount spent on Christmas gifts per child in the UK was £420.

Parents of children aged 7–12 spent the most, at £472 per child, while parents of children aged 0–6 spent the least, at £368 per child. However, Prashant Patel, Christmas gifting expert at PersonalisedBee, has a handy tip for parents that will slash that cost by over half - and keep children’s Christmas still magical.

The Gifting expert explains, "Ask Children for their Christmas gift list in four categories: Want. Need. Share. Read. This category-based gifting style encourages thoughtful and personalised present-giving. It suggests that each gift should fall into one of the four categories.

"This will ensure every gift has a purpose. It will avoid disappointment, and encourage delight on the big day - as well as cutting your Christmas present bill significantly.”

By making the list focused, through clear categories, children will really hone in one what they really do want, and may even reveal items they have to have or need, LancsLice reports. There’s no need to specially limit the list to 1 category as these gifts can be distributed to families.”

The categories:

• Want: Something they really want above anything else on the list.

• Need: Often something more practical; new pair of shoes, a winter coat, or a kitchen appliance.

• Share: Something to share over the Christmas or winter period.

• Read: A book by a favourite author, a magazine on a topic of interest, or a subscription to a digital library.

But the expert says for a truly personalised Christmas gift list, if a category doesn’t work for the age bracket, you can easily swap - read, could be watch or listen, whilst ‘need could be Play or wear.

They added: "A final benefit is that by ensuring less money is wasted, it allows money to be spent elsewhere during the Christmas period - such as buying Christmas eve boxes, fresh Pyjamas, attending Christmas events - or even making New Years’ Eve special.”