How Much Do You Spend on Christmas Gifts?

It might be slightly early, but it's nice to get the bulk of my Christmas shopping out of the way before crunch time.

When my kids were just little tykes, it was pretty easy to take care of their wants. Pokemon stuff, Barbies, etc. Nothing was very expensive. And you learn as you go along.  When my son (firstborn) was only about one, I think we spent hundreds of dollars on his gifts. You tend to get carried away with the first kid. Anyway, he opened his gifts and spent the rest of Christmas playing with an egg carton and the phone book. Should have just wrapped those up.

When my daughters were older, their wish list became much more expensive. IPads, cell phones and all kinds of electronic stuff which can really set a guy back a buck or two.

Now, I try to set a budget and limit my Christmas spending to a reasonable amount. My wife and I take whatever we would spend on each other and put it in a vacation fund.

How much do you usually spent on gifts at Christmas time?