The Real Reason Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis Refuse to Give Their Kids Christmas Presents
Most people assume that having celebrity parents means the kids are automatically spoiled. This attitude makes sense — especially considering that A-list Hollywood actors often have millions of dollars in the bank. But not every Hollywood kid is guaranteed to live a life of excess. And in the case of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’ kids, there aren’t even Christmas presents to enjoy.
Kutcher and Kunis got to know each other well on the set of That 70s Show and continued their friendship for many years before it developed into something more. One thing these two bonded over was their humble upbringings. Their backgrounds have helped influence their parenting decisions.
One major way that Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher ensure their kids don’t get spoiled is by limiting how many Christmas gifts they receive.
Mila Kunis says Christmas presents ‘don’t matter’ at a young age
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis share two kids together. Daughter Wyatt Isabelle was born in 2014 and son Dmitri Portwood joined the family in 2016. The couple has been very vocal about their plans to keep the kids from getting spoiled — even if they can certainly afford it.
Kunis explained their unique approach to holidays during a 2017 interview with Entertainment Tonight. “So far, our tradition is no presents for the kids,” she said. “We’re instituting it this year because when the kids are [younger than] one, it doesn’t really matter.”
This was partially spurred by Wyatt’s third Christmas when the couple looked around and realized their daughter “didn’t appreciate” anything because the piles of presents were all “too much.”
“I come from communist Russia,” Kunis explained to ET, saying her home was “where you’re not allowed to be happy, so my holiday traditions are ‘be quiet.’”
Their kids won’t inherit their fortunes either
It’s not just during the holidays that Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher choose to be frugal with their kids. Kutcher also went on record saying he has no plans to share his multi-million dollar fortune and instead expects his kids to earn their own money.
“My kids are living a really privileged life, and they don’t even know it,” Kutcher said on Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert. “And they’ll never know it, because this is the only one that they’ll know.”
To keep them from becoming spoiled, Kutcher is planning to give his money away rather than bequeathing it to his offspring. “I’m not setting up a trust for them,” he continued. “We’ll end up giving our money away to charity and to various things.”
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are behaving like typical millennials
This approach of giving fewer gifts at Christmas is actually becoming quite popular. Even though the holiday is associated with excess, more people are requesting “experiences” rather than material items for gifts, especially for kids who already have too many toys they never play with.
It may seem cruel to limit Christmas gifts for kids. But Kutcher and Kunis are following the new minimalist ideals that sometimes less really is more.
