Although Christmas is without a doubt "the most wonderful time of year," going big on Christmas gifts may not be doable for some families. The truth is that some parents have budget struggles that Christmas only makes worse. The pressure to spend big is only made worse by knowing your kid is going to go back to school to hear about the lavish presents that "Santa" brought for their friends. That's why an anonymous parent posted a message begging other moms and dads to stop telling kids their pricey iPhones and iPads are from Santa.
Drama broke out a few years ago when commenters on Facebook pushed back, saying this person went over the line in policing other people's Christmas decisions. Now the debate is back: Is it wrong to make expensive and splashy gifts from Santa?
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The statement was first reposted on the Facebook page MotherHood and got everyone talking.
"Stop telling your Santa age kids that their iPads and iPhones, and 200 dollar toys are from Santa," the parent wrote in the original post. "'Cause some families can't afford that. Little kids [will] wonder why they got socks or a coat or hand-me down toys from Santa and other kids got an iPad."
The unnamed poster explained, "This is the second year I've had a parent cry to me telling me that their kid asked if they weren't good enough or if Santa didn't like them as much [because they didn't receive expensive gifts]."
The poster's solution? Parents should take credit for the bigger gifts such as iPads or video game systems so less-fortunate kids don't feel left out.
But not everyone saw this as an easy (or fair) fix.
Some struck back, saying the person who posted the message needs to back off of their parenting decisions.
One mom named Jennifer got super defensive, arguing, "How about we all parent however the heck we want. I always just told my son not to brag about what he got anyway because some kids aren't as fortunate as he is."
This mom was not going to take the post lying down.
As if that wasn't harsh enough, another mom added that parents shouldn't "have to walk on eggshells around those who can't [afford bigger gifts]. It's sad but no one should tell anyone what to do with their Christmas gifts and who it's from. It doesn't matter if people participate with Santa or not," she wrote.
Not to be outdone on the mom mean vibe, another mom argued that she will "gift whatever the h— I want for MY children however the h— I please. I am so sick of this society we live in today judging everyone and thinking everyone else knows what's best."
But don't be worried that this world is filled with Grinches: There were some commenters who came to the OP's defense.
"Wow bunch of selfish stubborn moms on here. It's about the less fortunate kids," one person wrote. "No kid deserves to feel like he is loved less by Santa. That's what the post is trying to do … A lot of you have a lot of growing up to do."
Another parent is empathetic to the poster's cause.
Reminding other moms that there are kids, such as foster youths, who are really less likely to get big gifts, she shared that "[Less fortunate kids] already have to fight enough of not feeling worthy. Buy your children whatever you want because it's your money, but also remind them tomorrow could change. Be grateful and thankful."
We can all agree that no one wants to make other people feel bad this Christmas, especially children, so some sensitivity when it comes to big Santa gifts really shouldn't be this controversial!
