Is it ok to send money to nieces and nephews for Christmas?

Question

My sister has a houseful of kids...is it ok to just send them all money instead of trying to shop for them? I was thinking $50 each. Is that enough? Maybe $100 each?

Answer 1

Wow, you are an awesome Aunt! I think no matter how many kids she has, you should give all the kids the same amount of money (meaning don't give one $25 and one $50) and gift cards are nice, but with a check they can shop at any store and get whatever they want. I personally think $50 is enough...depending how many kids she has...if you have the extra cash and you want to be really generous, I think $75 is plenty for any kid.

Answer 2

Wow, that's very generous. You guys must be loaded!
Depending on their gender and ages, you might be able to come up with a family gift for all of them, especially if you were planning to spend that much. For that price, you could get a nice video game system or some games for one they already own, or some other electronic item that might be shared by the whole family.
Coordinate with your sister to see what might be a good idea (and of course to get her ok because parents object to different things).

If that idea doesn't work, then I would do a gift card for each child at a store you know they like. If you will be seeing them in person, you could put $$ in a card, but I really wouldn't send cash in the mail, and sometimes 3rd party out-of-town checks can be a pain to get cashed. For the younger kids, probably Toys R Us and for the older kids their favorite clothing store or Target or WalMart. (Come to think of it, the little ones would probably like those stores, too!)

By the way, I have two kids age 21 & 14---would you care to adopt them, too? (lol) I think they would faint and fall over if one of their aunts or uncles sent them that much for Christmas--they are lucky to get a card or a cheap soap set!

Answer 3

wow that will cost you a fortune. If you have not done that before I would not start now you are setting a precedence that you will have to continue. Send them each a magazine subscription you think they will like (gives all year-kids like to get mail) Go to magazinepricesearch.com and look around. You could do the entire family for 50.00 Discountmagazines.com in the 5.95 section is a good one too. they will be none the wiser.

If you don't like that idea depending on how often you see them I would think 15-20 each would be fine. If you don't see them all the time and live far away the less you should feel you have to spend on them.

Answer 4

I know growing up I was a lot happier getting gifts than money. If you could work it out with your sister, (if you trust her) you could send her the money and she can get gift cards for the kid's favourite stores. Usually there are gift cards for whole malls.

That's me though, I find gifts (even if they're cheaper in price) to be more thoughtful than money. Have you talked to your sister about what the kids would like, or if the kids are young enough, what she needs for them?

Answer 5

lol I wish you were MY aunt! (My aunts never did that!)

Some might consider it a little "impersonal" - like you didn't even TRY to get them something they'd like and are just passing the buck on to them - litterally, but I think it's perfectly alright to send them money for Christmas - and $50 should be fine. That way, they can buy what they had wanted for Christmas - instead of wanting something, hoping someone will get it, and then not end up getting it, you know?

I do this a lot for my neice, who is EXCEPTIONALLY hard to buy for! She never complains, and she always gets what she wants in the end! :)

My nephew, on the other hand, is too young to do that for (he's 3 years old), so I just stick to the good 'ole Spiderman toys for him - and he's always happy with his Superheros! lol

Even if your neices or nephews are too small, you could still send the money so that their parents can take them out shopping after they get it. That way they can point out what they like, and their parents can get it for them with the money you've sent.

Answer 6

Well depending on the age... maybe do gift cards at least... I personally love getting money for christmas but it seems like a gift cards look like you put some thought into the gift... it they are older like teen age, cash might be ok, but for 10 and under maybe give gift cards to toy stores or something...

Answer 7

Sure. Cash is fine. Hallmark even makes nice cards especially to put it in.

The amount depends on each kid's age. We sent our 21 year old niece $100. If I was giving money to our six year old niece, it'd be 10 crisp new $1 bills.

Answer 8

how old are your neices and nephews? if they're over 10 years old i would say cash is fine. if they're under 10 then maybe you could get gift cards instead. a gift card to toys r us, build a bear workshop, or even wal mart or target or something. a gift card shows that you took a few extra minutes to think about the gift. like, you didn't know what to get but you still wanted it to be personal.

Answer 9

I agree with the Gift Card idea. That way the money isn't just blown on fast food or whatever. Pick a store you know they like, or one you want to introduce to them like Barnes and Noble, and put an amount on the card for them to spend there. Cash is too easily "blown" on senseless things.

Answer 10

If they're over a certain age, money is perfect! My aunts and uncles usually just give me money too, and it's fine by me. And the amount to give them is only limited by how much you're prepared to spend on them.
If they're under a certain age (like 10 or so) it might be a better idea to ask their parents what they want, since money means less when they're younger.