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Mum accused of ‘abusing’ and spoiling her children by lavishing them with Christmas gifts.

Last year, Emma Tapping, received widespread condemnation for showering her three children with 87 presents each.

This year she is going one better and will be making sure they each get 96 gifts – even though they still haven’t used many of the items they were given last festive season, reports Daily Mail.

The 28-year-old, from the Isle of Man, hit the headlines last December after a picture of her Christmas tree with 300 presents piled underneath went viral.

She was accused of ‘abusing’ and spoiling her children by lavishing them with the gifts that cost £1,500. ($2500 au)

But the mother-of-three said the criticism hasn’t put her off spending lavishly again this Christmas and this year she started her present-buying in July when she armed herself with a suitcase to carry everything home.

Appearing on Channel 5’s Xmas Excess: Parents Splash The Cash, she admitted she’s bought her daughters – teenager Mia and nine-year-old Ella – and toddler son, Tatum, even more presents this year – around 96 each compared to last year’s 87 – as well as getting gifts for her partner James.

Emma said she hasn’t been deterred from her excess spending as she said seeing her children’s faces when they open all their presents on Christmas Day is priceless.

Emma said: ‘When it first happened I felt like I had to stick up for the kids and say they are not spoilt. I felt I had to justify what I was doing, but now I couldn’t give a toss what anyone thinks.

‘I will put a picture of my Christmas tree up this year, if you don’t like it scroll on and it is a good job I am not your mum.’

When Emma shared a picture of her tree last year, it was taken from her Instagram account and circulated with the caption: ‘Nearly time for all the materialistic parents to compete and broadcast how many presents their kids have on Facebook! Just remember theres some children’ who dont get much.’

Emma spoke to news sites including MailOnline and appeared on shows in the UK and USA to defend her spending and to insist her children aren’t spoilt. She said she’s just a ‘normal mum’ who saves and bargain hunts all year in order to have an indulgent Christmas.

She said: ‘If you ask me if I spoil my kids, I say at Christmas yes I do but I don’t throughout the year. They get the necessities, the school uniform, the things they need but we don’t go on holidays abroad or big shopping sprees.

‘Anything they want they get for Christmas.’

However, she admitted she can get carried away at Christmas as she loves the ‘magic of it’.

‘I do go overboard at Christmas definitely. It is loads of pressies, loads of food, stuffing your face, just relaxing having a good day,’ she said.

She revealed she keeps a detailed notebook of all her purchases to ensure all three children get the same amount.

‘This year they have a few more bits – 96 presents each. I am proud of this year’s pile!’

This years tree is pictured below. Emma wrote, “Another year of hard graft, saving and planning. Another year of my family making me proud everyday. They deserve a great Christmas. The haters will hate but nothing and no one will change how I do Christmas.” 

Emma also said she is sick of seeing the memes about parents who make Christmas a competition. “Why should parents who graft their arses off be made to feel bad because they buy their kids presents. There’s 365 days in a year to gather some prezzies up. I will NEVER feel bad for giving my kids a good Christmas. LOTS of presents, LOTS of food and drink, LOTS of family time, LOTS of love. If ya don’t like it. Tough shit!”

Do you think it is way too excessive?

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  • I actually think there is way to much excess at Christmas time and it is only one day of the year.

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  • ridiculous, but each to their own.. hope the kids get a mountain of love too

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  • It’s definitely over the top. But I like how she does it. Going to sales and looking out for bargains all year round picking up items as she goes. If more people bought a little something each week, they could probably do a better Xmas fir their kids

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  • I also know a family like this . There is no appreciation from the children , it’s like greed .BUT I don’t blame the children, it’s the parents . They did it . BUT I don’t understand why they do it

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  • May as well not bother with the Christmas tree – you can hardly see it. Talk about setting yourself up for a very big fall in the future – just silly. A few presents is all any child wants – not 100 each.

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  • The only query I have is, how will these children be able to be grateful for what they have ? Is this helping breed future behaviours that will be come hard to manage later in life? And potentially breed greed!

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  • Yes it is excessive, she is setting the bar high for future…. I wouldn’t want to store all of that in my house!

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  • It makes you wonder how many of the presents are just useless junk including articles which may not be safe. I would love to know if she keeps a list of what she buys during the year. It would be pretty hard to remember unless she has a photographic memory.

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  • Oh my! It looks a little bit much to me, but if she’s happy this way, why not? :-)

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  • that is a little over the top but if i had the money I would probably do the same! I love spoiling people for birthdays and christmas

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  • Wow! I won’t judge her kids, this is their mom’s issue. They have a very insecure mom! Also…yes I will judge her because she posted it for the whole world to see and be judged! Did she ever think that giving her kids 96 gifts is right? What will they do when they become parents! Copy their insane mom, and if they cannot then they will feel bad about their parent skill. This is a stupid move not just spoiling her kids but also a way for her kids to fail as parents in the future!

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  • It does seem excessive to me!

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  • Honestly this is just way to OTT for my liking. She admits they havent used all of what they got the previous year. Why not donate some of those to kids in need and teach her kids how to be generous and kind and not spoilt little brats? I get wanting to spoil your kids, hell i want to spoil mine but 2500 just for Christmas is to much.

    Reply

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