Despite the tens of millions of dollars they rake in every year from movies, endorsement deals and product launches, there are a handful of celebrities who don’t believe in giving their kids presents, especially around the holidays. It might be controversial to leave your children empty-handed come Dec. 31, but these famous parents stand strong in their belief that a lack of gifts from Mom and Dad (or grandparents for that matter) will ultimately help their kids become self-sufficient — and more important, not brats.
To learn more about celebs’ minimalist holiday ideologies, we rounded up 10 A-list moms and dads whom you’ll be hard-pressed to find sneaking gifts under the family Christmas tree this year (even the 20-foot ones). From Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher to HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines, check out this list of celebrity parents who don’t believe in giving their kids or grandkids presents.
Originally posted on StyleCaster.
Mila Kunis & Ashton Kutcher
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher made headlines when they announced they won’t be giving their kids — 3-year-old daughter Wyatt and 1-year-old son Dimitri — any holiday presents beginning this year. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Kunis explained she and Kutcher are implementing a new holiday tradition to prevent her kids from becoming spoiled, something she saw potentially happening after their grandparents gave them extravagant gifts last year.
“So far, our tradition is no presents for the kids,” she said “We’re instituting it this year because when the kids are [younger than] one, it doesn’t really matter. Last year when we celebrated Christmas, Wyatt was two and it was too much. We didn’t give her anything — it was the grandparents. The kid no longer appreciates the one gift. They don’t even know what they’re expecting; they’re just expecting stuff.”
“We’ve told our parents, ‘We’re begging you — if you have to give her something, pick one gift. Otherwise, we’d like to take a charitable donation, to the Children’s Hospital or a pet [or] whatever you want.’ That’s our new tradition.”
Kanye West & Kim Kardashian West
After Kim Kardashian West was the victim of a burglary in Paris in 2016, she and Kanye West stopped giving each other presents and instead chose to find ways to spend quality time with each other on their birthdays and holidays — something she’s carried on doing with her children (4-year-old daughter North and 1-year-old son Saint).
“We don’t do gifts,” Kardashian West told Allure. “[Kanye and I] talk about it all the time, about not getting too much and trying to be as grounded and well-rounded as possible.”
Chip & Joanna Gaines
With four children, HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines used to go big for the holidays. But now, after years of gift-giving, the couple decided the piles of presents “wouldn’t be healthy.” Instead of giving gifts, the Gaines tell their kids to pick out presents to give to children in their neighborhood whose families are struggling.
“I started to think about how we could impact our kids’ lives in a real big-picture sort of way,” Chip wrote in his wife’s magazine, The Magnolia Journal. “They were still young, but we’d been through enough Christmases as a family of six to know how quickly presents can get out of hand.”
Dr. Phil & Robin McGraw
As a psychologist for more than 40 years, Dr. Phil knows a thing or two about how constant gift-giving can affect a child’s psyche. Instead of giving their children or grandchildren presents, Dr. Phil and his wife Robin recommend spending quality time with them.
“You need not buy them material goods in order to create a bond,” he said on his show. “Instead of tangible gifts, how about spending some time together? Be careful that you aren’t teaching them that emotions can be healed by a trip to the mall.”
Ewan McGregor & Eve Mavrakis
Ewan McGregor is a strong believer in not giving his kids what they want. In an interview with Express, the actor revealed that he and his ex-wife don’t buy their children gifts, which has resulted in the kids… not wanting much.
“I’m sorry but when you’re 12 you don’t need a new mobile phone every few months just because a new one comes out,” McGregor said. “I’m not going to buy [my daughter] the latest phone, I’m not going to buy her an iPod every time one comes out, and I’m definitely not going to buy her a pony. As a result, my kids don’t want for very much. They’re not greedy. They’re wonderful, wonderful children.”
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