That camping trip your family still talks about? Science says it’s worth more than any toy under the tree.
Before you throw hate at Tammie Kelton, she wants you to hear her out.
The four-time grandmother took to TikTok on Nov. 20 to reveal that she has never bought Christmas presents for her grandchildren — and will continue that tradition this year, no matter what you think of it.
“You think you hate me, don’t you?” she said of her shocking revelation.
She went on to explain that her grandchildren have nine sets of grandparents, as well as a large extended family who they receive Christmas gifts from — which amounts to a lot of toys come Christmastime.
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And she foresaw this 10 years ago when she first became a grandmother.
"If you can imagine all of the toys that they get from all of these people. I saw this coming, and I talked to my son and I told him I'm not going to be the one to buy gifts,” she said in the video.
Instead of going the gift route, Kelton came up with an even better Christmas present idea.
And it comes in the form of monthly payments into a custodial investment account.
"Every month, I invest a flat amount and then every birthday they get a bonus, and every Christmas they get a bonus," she said. "I just want them to have a better future, or a better start at adulthood than what I had."
It’s the type of Christmas gift that keeps on giving — and has been giving since the day they were born.
“You thought you hated me… Maybe not so much anymore,” she said at the end of her video.
Kelton doubles stands by her 'no Christmas presents' rule
Kelton returned to TikTok four days later to help others who want to start doing the same thing.
In the video, published Nov. 24, Kelton explained that the easiest way to get started is to open a college 529 savings account in the child’s name.
A 529 college savings plan is a state or educational institution-sponsored investment account that offers tax advantages for saving for future education expenses, per the IRS.
READ MORE: Babies born in California now qualify for automatic college savings through the CalKIDS program
Kelton went on to explain that parents (or grandparents) have full control over what goes into the account.
Whether that means doing a one-time investment and watching it grow or investing every month, every year or periodically throughout the child’s life until they enter college — that’s up to you.
In an interview with People, published Dec. 16, Kelton explained why she started looking for alternative ideas for Christmas gifts.
"I was born and raised in poverty and had both of my children while on welfare," she said. "I obtained my first degree at 30 and knew that I wanted to change my legacy and break the chains of poverty."
"I raised my children to be financially responsible but couldn't really help them get started in life. I can set my grandchildren up to have a better start than what I had or what I was able to give my children," she added.
As for how much to invest each month, Kelton says it depends on what you can afford.
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"Some families can afford $10/mo and some can afford $500/mo,” she told People. “You have to pick what works best for you and your family, because every little bit helps.”
