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AIBU?

1st year not doing "santa" presents for teens??

79 replies

rudolf54321 · 01/08/2016 10:36

I was the youngest of four kids. When I was 12 that was the last year my parents got us "santa" presents. I had great christmases as a child, waking up on xmas morning and finding a pile of presents under the tree waiting to be opened! But when I turned 13 it changed completely, my family opened presents on christmas eve after midnight mass. I got one xmas gift that year: a hair straightener from my parents. While I was very grateful I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed since i was used to waking up on christmas morning to lots of santa presents! A lot of my friend got lots of presents and I remember being embarrassed and making up lies of things I received! Of course my parents had 4 kids so I completely understand concerns for money..

How did other people transition their kids from not believing in santa? When I have my kids I want to spoil them a little on christmas like I was but I dont want them to be ungrateful spoiled adults/teens. However I dont want their first christmas as a teen to be disappointing.

I felt that was the way for a lot of things, as soon as I turned 13 it was as though I was no longer a kid.

I am thankful that my parents gave me magical christmases and raised me to be happy and appreciative as an adult but I feel that there was a better way for them to do it?!!


P.S. sorry to be talking about christmas in August!
Also When we did santa presents our parents didnt give us presents from them! And relatives live abroad so it was only our parents giving gifts!

OP posts:
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Missgraeme · 01/08/2016 10:37

Well I may ask my 27 year old dd about this. She still has a stocking. Why does it have to end???

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Tiggeryoubastard · 01/08/2016 10:39

What do you mean by 'Santa presents'? Do you mean just getting them one present instead of more?

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NapQueen · 01/08/2016 10:39

It doesn't have to end surely? I still got told "you best get to bed so Santa can visit" when I was 19!

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RufusTheReindeer · 01/08/2016 10:39

Dont believe, dont receive is the motto in my house Grin

I would assume that my 13, 14 and 17 year old know santa doesnt exist

But they pretend for mummy Grin

so i am not much help to you

All presents are from santa and there are no big ticket items, mostly tat useful or otherwise

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TheSconeOfStone · 01/08/2016 10:39

I was still getting presents from Father Christmas when home from Uni. It was shower gel, socks, couple of paperbacks by that stage. Always a selection pack, chocolate coins, a satsuma and a handful of nuts too.

I'll do the same until kids get bored of it.

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Porcupinetree · 01/08/2016 10:40

I'm clearly old and cynical but I find it hard to believe that your 13 year old still believes in Father Christmas! But as far as stockings and making Christmas special goes it doesn't have to end abruptly at any age.

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RufusTheReindeer · 01/08/2016 10:41

They still do the carrot and mince pie for santa and rudolf

And put the magic key outside for santa to use

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LadyCallandraDaviot · 01/08/2016 10:41

I think this is the problem with piles of presents from Santa in the first place - if most presents come from parents/family then loosing the one/stocking from Santa is not an issue.

Having said that, my teen DS's still get a present in their stocking from 'Santa' but they do have a much younger sibling, and it's all done in a jokey way

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MrsJayy · 01/08/2016 10:42

Well santa still comes to my 18 and 23yrold you dont have to stop having christmas morning just because they are older my dc knew from they were 8/9 but i wouldnt like to do presents christmas eve. Dd was working last xmas day she was backshift but still got her presents xmas day. Everybody does it different but you dont have to transition into anything it can just evolve

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mrsfuzzy · 01/08/2016 10:43

we are pagans and celebrate winter solstice, lots of food and drink, no pressies for anyone though, scrooge or what ? Grin

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BillyNotQuiteNoMates · 01/08/2016 10:44

We had stockings up until we left home. My own kids get the same. Stocking presents vary year on year, depending on budget and age of DC. Sometimes we fill them with more practical stuff, which saves us money later on, maybe sports kit or smellies. Sometimes we splash out if we are feeling rich! Then they get one gift under the tree. That's it. Just the one from us. I don't think any of them feel hard done by.

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ghostyslovesheep · 01/08/2016 10:44

Why stop? Mine get a stocking from Father Christmas- I'm sure only the 7 year old believes 😀
Big presents have always been off me

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Champagneformyrealfriends · 01/08/2016 10:44

My parents got us the same amount of gifts but when we were children they'd wait for us to be asleep and sneak them into our rooms. As older teens were were given them on Christmas morning as a family.

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IfTheCapFitsWearIt · 01/08/2016 10:45

It the surprise element, that most people love.

My D

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JustHappy3 · 01/08/2016 10:46

I remember the first year mum and dad decided we probably didn't want "silly" santa presents - so no chocolate orange for us. Me and my brother (18/20 at the time) were horrified. We're not 41/43 and still look forward to getting our chocolate orange.
I think it's your job as a parent to keep going with silly things that make your kids roll their eyes but make them feel warm inside. It's shit being an adult sometimes - a few reminders that you're still someone's little girl/boy never hurt.

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LifeIsGoodish · 01/08/2016 10:48

None of my dc still believe, but they still get a stocking. The only 'transition' is that they get fewer tree presents (ie from named people), but they are higher value eg camera or bike.

Why change a fun tradition?

(Now that none of the dc believe, I make dh a stocking, too! Still waiting for him to make me one.)

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ASheepInWolfsClothing · 01/08/2016 10:48

As a child I didn't get lots of Santa gifts, we were not really poor but money was tight. Most things were second hand and I don't remember the shock of finding out it was my parents all along.
My own kids have been spoiled and my youngest has finally asked me if the man in red is real or not, I wish at the start we had worked it that Santa brought the stocking fillers and we the parents supplied the big gifts.

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IfTheCapFitsWearIt · 01/08/2016 10:49

Sorry! Bloody phone.....

We still do the pillow cases, that appear over night, they have less big stuff in, but they get an assortment of gubbings.it'll probably get less over the years.

My friend and her familystill hang stocking on there door when they have a big family Christmas together, the k

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MardyBra · 01/08/2016 10:49

Fucking hell. It's started already. At least have the decency to use the bloody Christmas topic so the rest of us can hide it.

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ImperialBlether · 01/08/2016 10:49

My kids are in their 20s and I've never admitted there's no Father Christmas. I get them as many presents as they always had.

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SimplyNigella · 01/08/2016 10:51

I still have a stocking every time I go home for Christmas and I am well into my 30s.

Big presents come from people, stocking from Santa but I will continue to do one for DS for as long as he is at home for Christmas. DSS still gets a stocking at 16 and presents from us and his extended family.

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ABloodyDifficultWoman · 01/08/2016 10:53

Fucking hell. It's started already. At least have the decency to use the bloody Christmas topic so the rest of us can hide it

THIS! With bells on. The 1st of August does not mean it's ok to start the Christmas pseudo-angst already!

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SpringerS · 01/08/2016 10:54

In my family we just carried on as normal once we stopped believing in Santa. Granted I was 7 years older than my youngest brother so the charade had to be kept up for quite some years after I stopped believing. But even after my brother knew the score, my parents still bought us nice gifts and put them out under the tree once we went to bed. Or if, once I was an adult and spending Christmas eve out with my friends and wouldn't be home until after my parents were in bed, there was an honour system in place that I wouldn't go into the livingroom until the following morning.

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BorpBorpBorp · 01/08/2016 10:55

I knew Santa was only pretend by the time I was 5 or 6, it would have been quite sad to stop getting stockings then. My siblings and I are all in our 20s and 30s and still get stockings even if we're not in the familial home on Christmas morning. Children-in-law get them too. This year DP and I got ours in the post. I wouldn't be emotionally scarred if it stopped, but I can't imagine it will until my DM the local Christmas Elf loses her faculties.

We've always had just stockings from Santa and all the big presents (opened after lunch) are from real people.

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Katedotness1963 · 01/08/2016 11:12

Santa has only ever brought one gift to our kids. He doesn't have room on the sleigh to bring a haul of stuff to every child, and on films you see him take one gift down the chimney. Wink for fun we still tag one gift from Santa.

Our boys are teenagers now but still get their stockings filled, on Christmas night they sit down to empty their stockings and show us exactly what they got in them.

Can I just say, I do find it odd to open a thread to tell other people they shouldn't be talking about something. Can't you just ignore it? I manage to with subjects that don't interest me.

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