Rich Parents Doing Away with Expensive Holiday Giftsby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 17 Dec 2008 09:43 PM Did you hear the one about the billionaire parents who plan to give their family members homemade gifts only this holiday season? Actually, it's no joke and you might have heard of the parents in question... their names are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Despite Jolie just earning the title of highest-paid woman in Hollywood, and Pitt raking in $20 million for starring in his new flick "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the parents of six little ones say they won't be placing pricey presents under the Christmas tree this year. In a recent interview with Hello! Magazine, Pitt explained that he and Jolie are not big spenders and that the entire clan plans to make homemade gifts to exchange this Christmas. The 44-year-old dad to six children ranging in age from five months to seven years says the family is in full crafting mode drawing, cutting and pasting holiday-themed projects to hand out on Christmas morning. So, exactly how do the rich and famous parents avoid being whined to death by kids begging for more expensive holiday loot? Eliminating TV. Pitt says he and Jolie have purposely nixed TV from their kids' lives. "The kids don't ask for the big gifts for the reason that they don't see a lot of the American cartoon television, which is packed with all those manipulative commercials for big toys that look so fantastic," Pitt tells the magazine. "When they do see that stuff is when they start asking for the toys, so we figure if they don't see them, they won't know they're there. So we have gifts, but we try to keep the money spent to a minimum." Hmmm... interesting. So does that mean that the kids live toy-free lives? I doubt it since the paparazzi has snapped Pitt's 2-year-old daughter Shiloh carrying around a bevy of dolls. What's more, with all the free gifts Pitt and Jolie get from manufacturers year-round (with the hope one of the items finds its way into a pap shot) the well-to-do parents really don't need to spend a dime of their own money purchasing overpriced presents for their children. What do you make of the Jolie-Pitt's choice to go homemade this year? Has the struggling economy forced you to do the same? Related Articles: What Do You Do With Pictures of Other People's Kids? Holidays and Family Dysfunction Santa vs. Generous Grandparents Keeping Your Kids Safe During the Holidays Hey Moms... What's On Your Christmas Wish List? Moms Sacrifice for Kids During the Holidays Who's In Your Christmas Card Photo? The Annual Holiday Family Newsletter-Yea or Nay? Family Holiday Viewing Traditions Holiday Family Bonding Around the TV What Kind of Parents Take Their Kids Shopping on Black Friday? Tales from the Holiday Kids' Table Countdown to Christmas: The Letter to Santa My Daughter's Very Merry Christmas Eve Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantparenting tags User Comments jap631 (39) 18 Dec 2008 07:38 AMI love their approach and I hope that since they are so popular in our culture, perhaps some will follow in their lead (and in their lead in charitable giving). I have a 2 year old and she doesn't watch tv either. She does go to daycare and, sadly, knows "Elmo" and a few others, but she doesn't ask for stuff (well, other than candy for dinner). On occaision I do take her grocery shopping with me, or to the thrift store, and she does like to look at the toys and dolls. Sometimes I've offered her that she can choose one to get, and she says "no want it". Now what 2 year old turns down toys?!! MINE! :) A little frugalite in the making! :)  Michele Cheplic (37339) 19 Dec 2008 03:31 AMThat's quite a kid you got there jap631! Get back to me in a couple years and let me know how long it lasts... hopefully a while. Thanks for the comment, I totally agree with you.  Lisa Jander (8) 31 Dec 2008 12:39 PMMy son is 18 and my daughter is 16. Just about 5 or 6 years ago we introduced a new kind of gift giving: instead of "presents" we give "presence." What that means exactly is that each member of the family gives every other member the gift of time - something they will do together in the coming year. Example: my daughter gave me breakfast on the roof, my son gave me a day at the indoor climbing wall. As a family gift one year, we all took ballroom dance lessons together for 10 weeks! They beauty of it is that we get to enjoy Christmas all year long and have tons to look forward to with the emphasis being on spending time together and making memories. The rule is that you have to "do" the gift with the person you gave it to - no shows not allowed! Each year our tree is loaded with envelopes - nothing plastic under our tree! Michele Cheplic (37339) 04 Jan 2009 06:20 AMLisa, that is an amazing idea. Sounds like your family really beenfits from the true meaning of the holiday. Thanks for sharing!  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 04 Jan 2009 07:25 AMWe haven't gotten there yet, but we do try to pick gifts that we can all enjoy together, such as board games or a membership to a local attraction. My little girl has to have her dolls, though, and my eldest always wants legos or K'nex. The youngest is more flexible. Community Tags Angelina Jolie, brad pitt, celebrity parents, parents and Christmas Discuss this article
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