I didn't get much in the way of gifts as a kid. We did a lot to make the experience richer, and I didn't feel that I was missing out. After I moved out of the house, my dad had finally landed in a career, started making more than my mom, and things went a little off the rails -- as an adult, I was receiving hundreds of dollars in gifts for christmas... but I had a job and I could afford the toys I wanted. It was awkward. He felt bad about my childhood... but my mom was frugal and we never felt "poor" so that was never a big issue for me.