what's a 'normal' father christmas delivery method?

[farewellfigure]

Hello

We're going away at Christmas to be with 2 other families. Our family ideas of how Santa delivers presents are quite different, and I just wondered what other family traditions are. My childhood Christmases obviously seemed 'right' to me as I grew up so I'm finding it quite hard to think that my DS's (age 3) Christmas this year might have to be different because we're spending it with a family whose Christmas traditions are different. I'm pathetic...I know. Age-old problem eh?

Anyway, in our family, Santa delivered one stocking, one pillow-case with a few bits and bobs in it (a game, something crafty, something chocolatey, maybe something useful like a duvet set, and some books) and then one main present. We were allowed to open the stocking and the pillow-case first thing in the morning as long as the rest of the family were awake and present.

What are everyone else's experiences? I'm not looking to go 'nurr nurr nurr nurr I'm right' btw. I'm just curious.

[MissPentChristmasBudget]

We got a pillow case instead of a stocking with small/medium-sized presents (including obligatory satsuma and chocolate coins). Bigger presents were in a pile under the tree. Everyone had their own pile. We'd all go downstairs, Mum and Dad would watch sister and I open our presents, then they'd open theirs. Once we were older we'd all take it in turns to open a present (although it bcame a free-for-all once we got to the smaller stuff).

[Hassledge]

Santa delivers one stocking filled mostly with chocolate and tat, with maybe one more sizeable present. Recipient drags stocking onto Mum and Dad's bed at around 5.30 a.m. and finds noisiest bits of tat to play with. Mum disappears to put oven on, Dad makes coffee. Eventually everyone else gets woken up and we all go downstairs for proper (non FC) presents. Then breakfast, then everything else.

[ViviPrudolf]

My Mum is Austrian so celebrate Weihnachten on Christmas Eve. We have a big supper and then are allowed to go and see if Santa has been. No stockings, just a big pile of goodies under the tree that we take turns to open.

It's dark and sparkly and magical.

[cantspel]

stockings at the end of the bed. When they were younger the stocking had things like small lego set, book or annual, sweets, gold coins and selection box and a few bits of poundland tat. Now older they still have stocking but they countain loads of lynx spray and shower gel, socks, pants, key ring, stress toy sort of things.
After breakfast it is presents under the tree. The tree presents are the main ones and the family ones. I tend to do a budget so the number of presnts will reflect whether they wanted lots of smaller things or a couple of more expensive things. They have never counted and says he has more than me.

[KatMumsnet]

Hi, we've moved this into Christmas!

[farewellfigure]

Is there any way you could move it back? I'll get lots more people answering! Thanks

[AlmaWalkingInAWinterWonderland]

We had a stocking (or 3 in my case but quite little ones) all from Father Christmas then presents under the tree from friends/family. Stockings opened first thing, other gifts over the day.

[HappyAsEyeAm]

FC delivers everything to our house. Stocking, big presents etc for everyone, from everyone. We tell him that FC decides what he gets, but people can suggest things to FC for him, or 'send to FC' for something for him. Which explains why presnets are labelled 'fom mummy and daddy', 'from aunty jean' etc.

I'm not sure how this will stack up in the future though. DS is only 3, so he's quite accepting of this. But when he sees people buying Christmas presents in shops, or bringing them round to our house (trying to hide them behind themselves!), and also when he hears other people's experiences, I'm sure there will be questions asked!

This is the way my parents always did it with me. In DH' house, FC just delivered the stocking, and all other presents were bought and paid for by whoever they were from, and FC had no role in delivering them at all.

[Trills]

No such thing as normal.

Everyone will have different ideas, many will be shocked that you don't instinctively know to do it exactly as they do.

Best you talk about it beforehand. If your boys are 3 then they probably won't remember in detail what happened last year.

Oh, and YABU to have posted in AIBU without even pretending to ask an AIBU question.

[farewellfigure]

I know but you just get so more many people reading it!

[Trills]

The reason non-AIBU topics are busy is precisely because people think "AIBU gets more responses so I'll put my thread there".

Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.

[babyonbord]

it varies every year with us as me and my ex have to share my eldest son. This year i have him on xmas day but not xmas eve so the kids will have a big santa present and then a toy sack full of "smaller" presents and i always use different wrapping paper so it really looks like they came from santa. They get to open these on christmas morning, then we are going to my mother in laws for christmas dinner and they will get presents from my dh's family there then back home and they will get to open their tree presents from me and my dh. Then going to my mums on boxing day and they will get loads of pressies there as well. Next year will be trickier/ more expensive as my ex has my eldest and we will be having 2 christmasses with santa visiting our house twice one on chrsitmas day for my youngest and one the following sunday/monday for my both of them and they will be allowed to open their tree presents on the "christmas eve"/ sunday night and santa presents on the monday morning.

[MrsMuddyPuddles]

What do the other two familes typically do?

Growing up, we had St Nicholas visit on 6 Dec, with what sounds like the typical stocking filler stuff (an orange, some change, nuts, candies, and one little pressie), then santa left one thing under the tree (pressies from everyone else piled up on the 24th in the build up to Christmas.) my DH doesn't want to do the Santa myth and I don't have the money to get DD something nice from both me AND from santa am not bothered either way (St Nick did still visit though, damnit! )

(and yeah, this could easilly have been pharased "AIBU to want santa done MY way" if you had wanted an AIBU post... but it's better in the Christmas corner, anyway )

[JarethTheGoblinKing]

Well, you could have put it in chat, rather than AIBU but somebody probably would have reported you for not posting in the right topic there as well

[Pascha]

As a kid it was one stocking (a hockey/football sock) with little bits of tat in with satsuma and a one-bar twix on the beds at 5am and one main present from parents under the tree about 7am. Other presents that had previously arrived were opened after church.

[babyonbord]

its really strange to read that some people just got stockings or pillowcases from santa i think we were probably a bit spoilt, my kids are definatly being spoilt, i don't do the whole one big thing they just get what they want (or in my 6 months old case what i want to buy him) my 2 year old has quite a lot of "medium presents" this year (although i class a big present as something costing a fair way over 100 pounds, a medium 50-100 and a small 0-50) he didnt ask for anything i'd class as big. oh and i used to hate getting an orange in my stocking so will definatly not be contiuing that tradition lol

[babyonbord]

and definatly no church ugh i hate church sorry i'm not religious in the slightest

[LieInsAreRarerThanTigers]

Well I'd say you'd need caesarean definitely, don't fancy a vaginal delivery with a big fella like that. And his sack.

[Indith]

Father Christmas just does stocking here and did in my childhood too. Stockings of my childhood had school bits and bobs, socks, chocolate, maybe a book or CD. All other presents were from the person that gave them. I don't like the idea of Father Christmas bringing everything, if he is magical then where is the limit of what you can ask for? how do you explain that Father Christmas brought a really expensive present for their friend but just a couple of books and a toy car for them even though they asked for a games console? I tell my dcs that you tell Father Christmas your wishes but he only brings lilttle presents for stockings because he can't fit big presents for all the children in the world on his sleigh.

[hub8allthemincepies]

we do stockings for everyone (me dh dm 2dc's and dsil) each item in the stocking has to be less than £2. All the adults contribute little items towards the stockings. FC brings the stockings and 1 pressie. Stockings by the fire before breakfast, sugar puffs or bacon waffles, then 1 pressie at a time. We always try and make it really special for dc's and will be doin talc footprints etc. I am so looking forward to seeing their faces.

[babyonbord]

me and my sister wanted to ask for a barbie mall one year (you couldn't get them back then) i have no idea how my mum talked us into asking for something else

[babyonbord]

ooo we always do talc footprints my mum used to go to extreme lenghts to make santa claus real and i will be doing the same for my two

[Doitnicelyplease]

Growing-up it was FC stocking type presents in pillow-case at end of bed, then one or two from FC under the tree, maybe a game or big thing or two which was for everyone.

Stockings and one present from under tree could be opened in the morning, the rest had to wait until after church and visiting and dinner was prepped, when everyone was up, dressed nicely etc.

We are doing similar with our DD except she has a santa sack type thing which she leaves by the fireplace.

[Doitnicelyplease]

Oh re what babyonbord said we also got plenty of other Christmas presents but they were from mum & dad, grandparent, aunts etc, they were under the tree well before Christmas Eve and nothing to do with FC.

[WhatWouldLeoDo]

When I was growing up everything from the stocking at the end of my bed plus selection box and annual (which didn't fit in the stocking) to all the presents under the tree, except those from other relatives came from Santa. I don't remember getting presents from my parents, nor did it bother me. DS is only 3 so it's not really been an issue so far, but I suspect we'll do it the same way. DH got a pillowcase instead of a stocking, so DS also has a small Santa sack to put little things in (dvd's, smaller toys etc).