Must. Stay. AWAKE!

My mum was scared of Santa as a child for same reason.

When I was little, everything was in the living room. I can remember my dad sneaking downstairs to check (just in case Santa was still there, because it was bad luck to see him) and coming back up to tell us he hadn't been yet. My sister and I went back to bed and desperately tried to sleep.
Apparently, he'd do that if we were up before 7am. "It was 4 in the morning and I was up until midnight building all your stuff!" 🤣

my dd is a believer again 😉

she’s in Australia and Santamum got her boyfriend to smuggle stuffed stockings back to Aus in September

My 5 year old doesn't like the thought of Santa coming into the house. So instead, it's all agreed that DH meets him outside with an empty stocking, a mince pie and a drink. Thankfully, that makes things easier when it comes to putting the filled stocking into her bedroom.

My 8 year old was still up at 11, so I set an alarm for 5. But my toddler just woke me up so I've done it all now.

The stockings were downstairs due to the toddler frequently waking up, but part of the magic is finding a full sack at the end of your bed, so I've put both in my 8 year olds room.

He's gonna lose his mind!

Reading these stories is so lovely. Dd is 16 and it’s the first year we haven’t put food and a drink out for Santa. I forgot. Lots going on this year. Stockings always go by the fireplace here. So much easier than doing it in her bedroom. My nephew is arriving about 1pm for a couple of nights. He is younger but too old to believe. Idk if his mum did him a stocking this year. She and my brother are separated so I’ve done him one as his Christmas present, which I thought would be nice.

@AlmostAJillSandwich
To be fair to all parties, unless there are mitigating circumstances, separated parents should alternate where the dc do Christmas or wake up on Christmas Day if they share the day 50/50. This sounds really unfair for your dh / dp.

That's so lovely.

I love this. I'm 37, my brother is 39, my mother still does Santa for us 😆

These stories are brilliant! I'm jealous at you all getting to play Santa, I've just decided i don't care if it's next year when he's 9 (unlikely) or when he's 19, one year i WILL be santa for DSS, Fiance's ex can't have him for Christmas every year for the rest of his life surely.

Me too (was about to turn 11, 4 weeks later to be exact). Magical memories.

It's lovely reading these posts as you can feel the excitement.

Also wishing I had a duplicate stocking. I had it all ready to go and 8 yr old DS woke up for the toilet 10 mins ago!! Wanted to know where his stocking was. I made some excuse about needing it to put some sweets from me in it and hastily unfilled it and duly brought it back. Now wondering how long to leave it before trying to reclaim it.

Pretty sure 12 yr old is asleep, 16yr olds tv has stopped playing Harry Potter so assume she’s trying to sleep. I wish I’d bought 2 of each stocking to switch out but I didn’t think of that at the time. They don’t believe but I still don’t want to be caught 😆😆

Just persuaded my 20 year old to go to bed so I can do the Xmas stockings. Yes, we all know it’s me but still like to leave them on the end of their beds.

22-year old still at work (hospitality) though no doubt they’re all drinking and not got customers this late. I’ve said he needs to pace himself but what do I know?! He will be in at some point. Starts again at 11am for Xmas lunches.

Time to do the stocking run

My does - don’t be such a killjoy!

I still believed in the final year of primary (I’d have been 11) and I haven’t grown up to be some gullible fool that believes ridiculous thing.

Took my 10 yo to church with the extended family (their Christmas tradition rather than ours) - which was either genius and will result in a good lie in, or disastrous and he’ll be exhausted 😬

All done just over an hour ago but too wired to sleep now’

Parent actulay go to bed on Xmas eve ? Then try to stay awake to sort father Xmas?
I never ever to bed before 3am on Xmas eve and if I did Xmas would be cancelled

We've just completed what felt like a Ninja Warrior course trying to get into the kids rooms to fill the stockings, DP did our sons and his stocking had fallen off the end of the bed down the side so he had to do an exorcist type hovering over DS to reach it.

I took on the task of sorting our daughters stocking, climbing over the baby gate, her door isn't straight (the whole house is on the piss but that's another story) so it creaks at the slightest touch, you have to be ridiculously fast in opening it to avoid making any sound.

Both kids have CCTV in their bedrooms so I decided to move DD Christmas tree which was blocking the camera so we can watch back her reaction in the morning but it has made for a good laugh watching the footage of us scrambling around in the dark trying not to wake the kids.

A hack for this, have a second identical sticking that you fill then you just swap with the empty one.

Not that unusual. In December there’s usually a few threads around whether the op should tell their child in the first year of secondary.

If he does still really believe it’s probably the last one though.

I had to wait till half 11. The 5yr old was sleeping for half 9 but the 2yr old didn’t nap today, fell asleep at 7 and woke back up at 8 then took me till after 11 to get him to sleep then had to wait till he was K.O’d as some presents were stashed in his cupboard. Still had a bike to build as well 🤦🏽‍♀️ bed time now though

My 13 year old is still faffing around, despite numerous words from me about going to sleep. Unfortunately we have an open lounge, stairs and landing and they have their bedroom door open so whilst I can sort bits in the kitchen moving everything to the lounge does require them to be asleep and I really want my bed!

Edited to add, this is the first year we've not left anything out for FC, however, I still don't want to be caught in the act!!

@MissusClaws A believer at 10 years old?