Father Christmas presents - bedroom or living room?

[BossWitch]

Moved house in the summer so dd has a new bedroom. She's 3 so will really 'get' father christmas this year for the first time. Her new bedroom has a little (empty) fireplace, but no mantlepiece. Living room has a gas fire, which is very 80s and underwhelming from a festive "look" point of view, but does have a cruddy mantlepiece.

So - the big question: which chimney would father Christmas rather come down? Should dd hang her stocking up (somehow!) in her bedroom or should she hang it in the living room, where there'll be a tree and I can bang a nail into the crappy fire surround?

Would father Christmas be able to get out from behind the gas fire?

Would he scorn an eighties fake fire and prefer to squeeze out of the tiny bedroom fireplace?

Would purchasing dd a little fake tree (and allowing her to independently decorate this one, thereby hopefully allowing me to decorate the living room tree solo without toddler 'help') for her bedroom make it sufficiently christmassy for St Nick to pay a visit?

Decisions decisions!

[dementedpixie]

We don't have any fireplace so Santa used to use a magic key to get in our house. Stockings were hung on the outside of the bedroom door (easier to remove and fill without disturbing the child if they are on the outside) but the rest of the presents were left under the big tree downstairs

[dementedpixie]

Both mine had a small fake tree in their bedrooms too

[wobblywonderwoman]

We have a fireplace with a stove and DC have been asking how will Santa get out of the stove - so I bought a magic key

[GingleBelle]

Stockings are hung up on bedroom doors...and are opened together, all piled on our bed, first thing.
We then go downstairs for Christmas breakfast (and to put the oven on!)
Then we go into the living room, where (hopefully) there are presents waiting under the tree . We take turns to open a present each, watching each other's turns, until all the presents have been opened.

[GingleBelle]

Sorry! Completely misunderstood the thread title- that will teach me not to read through the posts first .

We have an electric fire in our new build home - luckily, watching The Santa Clause explained to DC (and us) how Father Christmas overcomes such things.... perhaps a good film to watch??

Having Father Christmas visit DCs is their bedrooms wouldn't suit me. I like everyone to be together when opening presents

[Isadora2007]

We don’t do santa, but if we did I’d do downstairs. You want a tradition that will be continued so always having the gifts in a bedroom could get difficult- second child? Whose room would you go to first? Etc.

All our gifts are downstairs and we have to all be together before the lounge door gets opened (I sneak in and switch the tree lights on and the light on low too first!)

[Minidoghugs]

I like the idea of it being in her bedroom because we have always said dd can open her stocking whenever she wakes up even if it's really early. Could you put some decorations around dds fire to make the look of a more traditional fireplace?

[BossWitch]

I was leaning towards bedroom, then telling dd (and subsequent dc) that the rule is that they bring the stocking into our room to open on our bed. I definitely think that the Fat Man would prefer to drop presents off in her room while she sleeps!

[CocoPuffsinGodMode]

Well as he’s got magic, the fat old guy won’t have any problem getting past the living room fire place

One thing to consider: at 3 this is probably the first year she really gets the whole FC/Santa thing. Bear in mind that although she may be very excited and seem to embrace it all, she may as the day gets closer become bit concerned with the idea of someone sneaking into her room while she’s asleep! They’re funny little creatures 3 year olds, you could find that something intended to be very lovely actually ends up scaring the bejesus out of her and makes her afraid of her own bedroom. I’d play safe and stick to the living room!

[dementedpixie]

Having the stocking on the outside of the bedroom door means he doesn't go in the bedroom. My 2 always came through to us with their stockings and opened them on our bed before going downstairs for the rest of the presents

[phoenix1973]

Front room. Less risk of them seeing the delivery.

[CandyMelts]

My mother has given me one piece of parents advice after years on her falling asleep on the landing at 2am as excited children wouldn't sleep... presents downstairs.

[WhoKn0wsWhereTheSlimeGoes]

Stockings always on beds here, nothing beats the excitement of feeling a full stocking by your feet when you wake up. I have never been caught and love sneaking them out of the rooms and back again when filled. My DCs never asked how FC gets down our tiny chimney but the answer to all questions FC related is "he's magic".

[StorminaBcup]

I agree with Coco, I’d check with your DD where she wants the presents leaving. My ds (young 3 last Christmas), was so excited about Christmas last year but when I asked him he said he was scared of him coming into the house while we were sleeping so I had to collect the presents from the porch!

[QueenInTheNorth26]

If there's a question you can't answer the simple answer is 'he's magic'.

We have a fireplace in the kids rooms too, They get their 3 wise men presents there and then a stocking is hung outside their bedroom door, which we open on our bed.

[ohanabanana]

My dd was also scared of Father Christmas going into her bedroom while she slept. She’s a teen now and still finds him creepy! We always left presents downstairs around the fireplace.

[AJPTaylor]

stockings downstairs so you arent waiting for them to go to sleep.

[ajandjjmum]

I wonder if having FC come down her chimney might open her mind to the idea of other not so welcome visitors doing the same?

Christmas is wonderful and we loved making our own traditions. Stockings on beds still (DC are in their mid 20s!) and presents downstairs, which we take it in turns to open - although these days I'm not there with a pen and paper writing down the sender of each gift!

You can make the downstairs look wonderful, especially if you're not worried about a few nails!

We also had a Christmas tree which the children could dress, and then the proper one in the hall which was supervised!

[SoftSheen]

Stocking in her room so she can see it when she wakes up!

[Cleanermaidcook]

Stockings on bedroom doors which they open upstairs together buys me an extra 10 mins in bed wrapped gifts downstairs that we all open together after they wake us up.

[Lovemusic33]

We started off by having stocking in their rooms but this became hard when they refused to go to sleep, one year it got to 2am and dd2 was still wide awake and I couldn't go to bed until I had done her stocking, eventually she went to seep around 3am and then woke at 5am, I felt like a zombie for the rest of the day.

We now do stockings downstairs but they can go down and bring them upstairs to open, we do the rest after breakfast.

[May50]

I leave DDs stocking downstairs by the tree on her request as she's a bit scared of Father Christmas coming into her bedroom. She's never been one to wake up early anyway, around 7am.

[Theseaweed]

Stocking in bedroom, can be opened when they wake. All other presents Santa leaves downstairs to be opened with parents.

[alletik]

In the bedroom. There’s nothing as magical as waking up to see that FC has been and seeing all those presents.

[BossWitch]

Hmm good point about the possible fear factor of father Christmas coming down the chimney! I think I'll ask her about it nearer the time - it might be something we include in her letter, the delivery instructions! I still like the idea of her waking up to seeing it in her room so she knows that father Christmas has been as soon as she wakes up. She's a heavy sleeper once she's out so I think that I'll be able to sneak in and out easily enough.

God I'm so excited, I keep having to remind myself that it's only October!