Celebrities Who Won’t Give Their Kids Christmas Gifts

They might be rich and famous, but there are plenty of celebrities who have made the decision not to shower their children with gifts at Christmas.

From trying to teach life lessons or creating memories that will last for years, some of the biggest names in Hollywood have decided to keep their children humble.

Here are the celebrities who don’t give Christmas presents to their kids.

Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore has never bought gifts for her daughters Olive, 10, and Frankie, eight, but she does take them away on a special vacation for the holidays.

“I always take them on a trip every Christmas. I don’t get them presents, which I think at their ages they don’t love, but I say, ‘I think we’ll remember the place and the photos and the experience and that’s what I want to give you,'” she told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month.

“They get plenty of things throughout the year, so I’m not like some weird, strict, cold mom who’s like, ‘You don’t get any gifts!’ I just feel like a better gift would be a life memory.

“I’d rather invest (in that than in) a dollhouse or something. It all evens out and it’s fine.”

“I’m glad I do what I do,” she said.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher

The married couple decided early on that they would not give their kids presents and instead make a charitable donation on their behalf.

They are parents to daughter Wyatt, eight, and son Dimitri, six.

“Our tradition is no presents for the kids. 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,” the couple told Entertainment Tonight in 2017.

“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.”

Kim Kardashian

While the Kardashian family are known for their opulent family functions, Kim Kardashian once said she does not give her four children with ex Kanye West gifts.

“We don’t do gifts,” Kim told Allure in 2017. “[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.”

Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw

The famous TV psychologist and his wife chose quality time with the family over presents.

“You need not buy them material goods in order to create a bond,” he said on his show in 2015. “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.”

Kristin Cavallari

The Laguna Beach star has a very old-fashioned approach when it comes to her kids’ gifts at Christmas, they either get a gift or a lump of coal.

“Growing up, the elves would come every day before Christmas, and if you were good, they’d leave a little something in your stocking, and if you were bad, you got coal,” she told Us Weekly in 2018. “It’s a good way to keep your kids in line and have them be on their best behavior.”

Cavallari is mom to Camden, 10, Jaxon, eight, and Saylor, seven, with ex-husband and former NFL quarterback, Jay Cutler.

Kailyn Lowry

The Teen Mom 2 alum does not buy any of her four sons gifts at Christmas, instead preferring to take them on vacation.

She also revealed one of the reasons was so the boys could have “something they only do at their dads’,” Lowry said during an Instagram Q&A in 2021.

Lowry is mom to Isaac, 12, with Jo Rivera, Lincoln, nine, with ex-husband Javi Marroquin, Lux, five, and Creed, two, with Chris Lopez.

“Every time I got the kids for Christmas my other family members were on opposite years with their families/kids & we started doing big vacations about 5 years ago,” she told her fans.

“So Christmas can be with their dads & they don’t have to worry about splitting it.”

Lowry added: “My kids don’t want or need for anything & I am thankful for that. Maybe one day we will celebrate without gifts on another day.”

Chip and Joanna Gaines

The stars of the HGTV show, Fixer Upper, don’t give their children presents, instead making sure they give to those in need.

“I started to think about how we could impact our kids’ lives in a real big-picture sort of way,” Chip wrote in The Magnolia Journal’s 2017 winter edition. “They were still young, but we’d been through enough Christmases … to know how quickly presents can get out of hand.”