Reasons WHY Father Christmas cant bring x, y or z?

[Whenisitmysleepytime]

Ds is 3.5yo and this Christmas he will really 'get it'.

BUT I am almost certain he will ask father Christmas for an iPad. He is obsessed with his aunties one and would love it but
A) they are too expensive
B) he'd not understand about having limited screen time and would be on it 24/7 or have a melt down everytime we took it away.

So... What are the best, most believable reasons to give the dc when explaining why father Christmas can't being them whatever it is their hearts desire?

[Approximately]

I have always told my 2 that when they write to Santa they can ask him for whatever they want but they will not necessarily receive it. I have always suggested that it is a good idea to give Santa some options (cost/size), and that Santa will always choose what he thinks is the perfect present for them for that year, which may or may not be on their list.
This works well in our house and in the past when they have written their letters and asked for eg a DS, they know that Santa may not think they are old enough yet, but that he will select something he thinks is perfect for them instead. Generally my kids will ask for 3 things and Santa has no problem with at least one of them! They are always thrilled with Santa's choices, so much so that my 6 yr old is planning on asking Santa just for a surprise this year! HTH.

[TheUnsinkableTitanic]

i'm with Maryz
santa only brings 1 pressie in this house
the rest are from mum and dad :)

although he does stop on xmas eve morning and leave a goodie box with new pj's, dvd, sweets, etc :) makes for a chilled day

[ratbagcatbag]

I was always told by my parents that adults got the presents but sent them in secret postboxes that only adults could see to be wrapped and delivered by Santa after he'd checked they were ok, i spent many Decembers trying to spot a magical postbox :)

[LadySybildeChocolate]

I'm pretty certain that Father Christmas can only deliver gifts which cost under a certain amount. The poor bloke will go bankrupt if he buys all of the girls and boys an iPad.

[insanityscratching]

Father Christmas only brings stocking presents because he wouldn't have enough room on his sleigh to bring big gifts Presents under the tree are from family and friends only.

[DilysPrice]

Stockings full of little goodies from Santa, big pressies from actual human beings. Otherwise surely he'll wonder why you didn't give him a present.

[StaceymReadyForNumber3]

My kids get stockings and 1 present from Santa and the rest and biggest from us. And generally they don't get what they ask for as Santa just 'doesn't have enough' but they've always been chuffed with what they have got!

[halloweeneyqueeney]

the elves already started making something else?

[Tinkerisdead]

My dd plays with our ipad and she's 3yr 10m but we tell her its a grown up gadget that she can use if we say its ok. So i think if she adked for one i'd be reminding her that its a grown up thing and the elves make toys fir children.

[poozlepants]

I told DS (4) that Santa only brings things he thinks are really good and he would know if toy x or y wouldn't be any fun for him.

I've also told him his father and I have to send a written report to Santa to tell him whether DS has been good or not. This was due to a long prolonged conversation about how Santa knows everything. It also explains why Santa doesn't send some kids presents- their parents forget to send the form in.

[Fosgoldlady]

I'm with Maryz, although Father Christmas brings 1 special present, but it can't be anything too big or too expensive as he has so may boys and girls to buy for. I also get rather fed up with FC, because he ALWAYS brings the stuff that dd has asked for and I've said NO WAY to - so we end up with tubs of slime, joke books, moshi monster crap etc........

[Fosgoldlady]

Oops - posted too soon - in her stocking!

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

because a christmas list is not a shopping list, but some ideas so that FC knows the kinds of thing that you might like.
because FC knows best what the right toy for you is, even better than you do. it's all part of the magic.
because FC is magic, but the toymaking elves aren't, and need to ensure that there's enough to go round.

[EauRouge]

Apple will sue Santa if his elves make an iPad?

We do the same as Maryz. The DDs both have a small stocking (only DD1 is old enough to get Christmas) and they get small toys, sweets etc. I don't want to set a standard that I can't afford to live up to! Chances are your DS will forget about the iPad when he upwraps all his other, cheaper and more suitable presents.

[SecretNutellaFix]

i-pads are not toys.

They are for grown ups. Auntie might let him play with it, but it isn't a toy.

[VoldemortsNipple]

Father Christmas would always bring all the presents under the tree here. Here's a few things that worked for us over the years.

Fc can't bring that because it costs too much money.... DCs answer "oh ok"

Fc doesn't have enough Wii's for all the dcs who have asked for one so he might not be able to bring one. (A flight to dublin where nephew worked in Smyths solved that one

Simple talk them out of it or show them something else and make it sound like the best thing ever. Little ones are quite easy to brainwash.

Fc can not bring a puppy because the puppy might jump out of the sleigh. I had to remind ds2 this fact for about 3 years in a row.

I miss Father Christmas :(

[olibeansmummy]

I'm sure that at 3.10 you can just say an I pad is a grown up thing and Santa brings toys, now lets have a look in the Argos catalogue at all the lovely toys he could bring you...

[olibeansmummy]

Sorry 3.5

[5inthebed]

All the presents are brought by Father Christmas in this house. To get out of my dc thinking they are getting everything they have asked for I have always said that they cannot have every toy as ha would mean other children would go without as the elves only make so many presents. Has worked for 9 years so far and no questions asked.

[Milliways]

We did the Santa brings a Stocking + 1 present (that they could play with as all other pressies opened after lunch).

Everything else from family so you can explain about affording things, AND they get to say Thank You to Granny etc for what they were given.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

My DC will be 13 and 10.6 yo (so waaaaay too old to beleive in FC)

When they try it on ("Father Christmas will bring me an X-Box though Muvver")
I tell him the elves make toys from wood and nails, painted.
So trains and planes. not X-Boxes

[marriedinwhite]

Our DC are 14 and almost 18. DS got a gameboy when he was 7 (his birthday is also on Christmas day). He wanted one when he was 6 and was told Father Christmas would probably think he was too young and he accepted that.

But what I don't understand is why a three and a half year old would even begin to think he could have an ipad.

[Shaky]

I love this thread, ds will only be 3 this Christmas so we still have plenty of time to keep the magic alive.

Some very good tips for the future though!