News

Mum who buys 300 presents at Christmas hits back at critics

Emma Tapping spends £1500 on gifts for her three kids

| Updated:

A mum divided opinions when she revealed she spent over £1500 on her children’s Christmas presents.

Emma Tapping, who has bought her children 100 Christmas presents each has slammed trolls for saying she’s “abusing” her kids.

Emma bought 85 presents each last year for Mia, 14, Ella, ten and baby Tatum and she hasn’t let the backlash put her off going present crazy – she’s added ten more this year!

Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning, the 36-year-old defended herself.

Emma, from the Isle of Man, said: “After Christmas, the kids asked me, ‘Is the way we spend Christmas bad?’ and I said ‘Absolutely not, because I love you!’.

“I think if I was doing it 365 days a year and giving them gifts everyday, I’d be spoiling them.

“You won’t find me out clubbing or doing Jager-bombs. Me and my husband work hard and if we choose to spend money on this one day of the year, who are you to judge?”

She’s got a very good point!

Emma also explained the gifts – that include things the children need for school – take three hours to open.

She said: “I’m an ace bargain hunter and I’m in no debt.

“I don’t use credit cards and I start buying at the beginning of the year.”

Emma and her family are now the stars of a new Channel 5 documentary – Xmas Excess: Parents Splash The Cash.

She explains: “What I love about Christmas is the magic of it, and it’s family time for me, it’s about being with my loved ones and I love seeing their faces when I give them gifts.

Emma Tapping received a huge backlash last year after posting a picture of her Christmas tree showered with 300 presents costing over £1,500.

Read more: Susanna Reid admits how she really feels about co-host Piers Morgan

The 36-year-old and her family are now the stars of a new Channel 5 documentary – Xmas Excess: Parents Splash The Cash.

She explains: “What I love about Christmas is the magic of it, and it’s family time for me, it’s about being with my loved ones and I love seeing their faces when I give them gifts.

If you ask me do I spoil my kids, I would say at Christmas, yeah I do.

“I do go overboard at Christmas, definitely. It’s loads of pressies, loads of food, stuffing your face and just relaxing, having a good old day.

“I think they had about 85 presents each last year. This year they’ve got about 96 each, so they’ve got a few more bits.”

The average person buys about 14 presents for Christmas, but Emma bought around 300.

So many that her tree has almost disappeared!

Not content with the shops on the Isle of Man, Emma flew to Liverpool armed with an empty suitcase ready to hit the high street.

She explained: “I’ve got about £250 with me in cash, then I’ve got my card, so I’ll just keep going until I’ve had enough.”

Read more: Matt Terry romantically linked to another fellow X Factor finalist

Telling what goes on on Christmas day, she said: “It’s a bit like Jenga – if you pull the wrong one out you might lose a child for a few hours.”

Oh dear!


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor