Do your twins get the same presents?
Dear Florina, tell me, do your twins get the same presents for Christmas?
Nik Niethammer, Editor-in-Chief
I recently went on holiday with a friend for a week. I came across two fluffy pyjamas with fire engines on them in a shop. My heart immediately skipped a beat, it was the perfect gift for my two boys at home. What's more, one «Pischi» was grey and the other white, and the fire engines had slightly different designs. The perfect starting point, the same gift but not exactly the same.
In the end, however, I walked out of the shop frustrated because the pyjamas were only available in small sizes. My friend had eagerly helped me look and remarked in amazement that there really were certain things to consider that you couldn't imagine as a «mum of one».
Gifts for my twins: Similar but not the same
So when I give my almost three-year-old twin boys presents, I usually look for something that is similar, but not exactly the same. We do the same with clothes: I like to dress them similarly, but not identically. So I like two pairs of jogging bottoms, one in grey, one in blue.
And we usually do the same with presents: one receives a puzzle with a digger on it, the other a puzzle with a farm on it. One doll is blonde, the other brown-haired.
However, I know some twin parents who, for the sake of simplicity and peace, really do give exactly the same thing. As my boys recently fought over two identical tennis balls in the playground, I'm sceptical as to whether this really always works.
Previously published in the section «We ask ourselves»:
- Editor-in-chief Nik Niethammer answers the question: Dear Nik, do your children still believe in Father Christmas and the Christ Child?
- Editor-in-chief Florina Schwander answers the question: Dear Florina, do your twins get the same presents for Christmas?
- Senior writer Claudia Landolt answers the question: How does it feel to be a woman with five men and a dog?
- Deputy editor-in-chief Evelin Hartmann answers the question: How do you manage bilingualism between High German and Swiss German?
- Patrik Luther, Deputy Publishing Director, answers the question: What is it like when the children have a big age difference?
- Florian Blumer, Head of Production, answers the question: How do you manage to divide work, family and household equally?
- Bianca Fritz, Head of Online, answers the question: What is it actually like to work for a parenting magazine when you are (still) childless?
- Sales Manager Jacqueline Zygmont answers the question: How does it work to let go when your son (20) is slowly fledging?
- Sales Manager Corina Sarasin answers the question: How is the relationship with your godchildren?
- Publishing assistant Dominique Binder answers the question: What is it like to grow up as an only child?
- Managing Director of Stiftung Elternsein, Thomas Schlickenrieder, answers the question: Family in different time zones: What is it like when your son is studying abroad?
- Author Claudia Landolt answers the question: What to cook for four gluttonous boys?
- Sales Manager Renata Canclini gives tips on how to make life work as a patchwork family.
- Foundation Secretary Éva Berger explains how she went from being a full-time mum back to working full-time.
- Benjamin Muschg, Head of Production, gives tips on what you should bear in mind as an unmarried couple with children.
If I give similar things as presents, then they really have to be equally attractive for the boys, otherwise my strong sense of justice (zodiac sign Libra!) gets in the way. Last winter, for example, one of the boys was allowed to inherit a winter jacket from a family friend.
So I only bought one new. This one had a cosy lining on the inside. When I got home, I realised that I couldn't and didn't want to choose which of the two boys would wear the fluffy jacket and which would wear the other one.
New or not makes no difference here, I'm all about the cosiness, the pampering effect. The very next day, I bought exactly the same jacket again so that the two were on an equal footing in terms of comfort.
Another thing you shouldn't forget is that our twins have an older sister and the «similar but not the same» principle also applies to her. Of course, the boys are younger and have different interests, but I always try to give her something that is comparable to the gifts her brothers have given her. Conclusion gift status: It's complicated, but it's fun.
