Not to buy new wrapping paper for SC?

Surely kids don’t give a stuff about the wrapping just what’s inside!

@Fishingboatbobbingnight the OP made it clear that Christmas gifting is a joint effort between her and her DH, and that it just so happens that buying the wrapping paper is her job. No one is suggesting she should be facilitating the entire Christmas experience for her DH's child...

What a bizarre thing to say ! Of course she treats her children differently to her children! Because one set are HER children and the others aren’t !! How have we come to this place where make crap up just because someone deemed it should be so. The ONLY person with a moral responsibility to treat both sets of children the same is the partner of the OP if he is also father of her children. Other than that she needs to be kind and welcoming.
My husband had 4 kids from his first marriage who we saw every other weekend. This was the norm in the 90s/00’s . Even this required an epic battle through the courts - but for me to pretend I treated them the same as my own would be utterly ridiculous. They were lovely kids and great adults now , I enjoy their company. They visit a lot so I presume they enjoy ours .. but no, what I do for mine, the effort I put in and the lengths I will go to for my own kids is far greater than I would do for SC and if step parents should be honest on here and admit it - and stop this stupid politically correct crap that dictates that marrying a man with kids means you MUST adore and treat them exactly as you have given birth to them . That duty falls to the father if he’s father to both .. and works in exactly the same way if he is only father to the OPs SC. HE should be making them feel special. Not the SM job !

I think the crucial point here is whether or not the stepchild knows the difference. If it’s obvious to them that you are lovingly choosing wrapping paper to reflect your children’s tastes and they are getting the leftovers, then I think for the price of a few pounds I would buy extra wrapping paper that is personal to the stepchild. If they really have no idea and don’t care, then go ahead and use what you’ve got.

Tbh different wrapping paper makes it easier to tell whose is whose surely? I’d likely buy a different t one just for that reason but I’m disorganised so I do things like that to make life easier.

For the sake of a fiver- tenner just get the step child their own colour wrapping paper. This is a tradition in our house blue for the son and red for the girl, purple for the doggie. Make them part of the tradition doesn’t matter if they are there or not.

You don't have to "do labels". We literally write the person's initials on the paper when we wrap so you know whose it's whose. I think it's mad to buy new paper, but also if you are doing that for your DC then you should do it for your DSC.

Wow, first world problems. For a child that won't even notice the wrapping paper ......

Santa wraps in different paper in our house. Presents from Santa have a paper with a picture of Santa on it and it's different for each child. We also wrap the presents from us in a specific paper like op does. Makes it easy to identify who'd are who's. The older ones/ adults get labels, the little ones don't.

isn‘t this making a mountain out of a molehill?

OP colour codes her wrapping so those there on Christmas Day can see at a glance which presents belong to them.

SC isn’t there on Christmas Day, so doesn’t need their own colour. There is unused paper left over to wrap SC‘s presents nicely. Presumably these stocks of paper are used for anyone else not at the mass opening on Christmas Day.

I‘d also ask to what extent any of the children pay attention to the wrapping…

FWIW I use labels because I like to finish one roll of paper before starting another. Whoever gets wrapped last may not even get Christmas paper

I'm sure if your stepchild was there on Christmas day they would get their own paper to differentiate their presents.

It's a purely practical thing and it reduces waste.

YANBU and people's extreme reaction to this are strange.

I do not think the children will care in the least about your wrapping paper strategy. Of all the things to get het up about, this is not one.

Your friend has misunderstood the reason why you need different paper for your two kids. Of course it's fine what you are doing.

Seriously? Who cares what wrapping paper you use. The children definitely don’t, they’ll just rip it off to get to the present.

Different paper for Santa presents, and so you can differentiate between different children’s presents makes sense. But new paper just for the sake of buying a new
roll of paper?

This. The OP is not being unreasonable. The SC will not see the others' presents wrapped up. It will make no difference to her.

YANBU. It would be silly to have more paper lying around all year than you need to, when you could use up as much of it as you can by wrapping SC’s presents with it.

Agree. It does sound a bit shit.

OP if you had another child who wasn’t with you at Christmas, would you give them the leftovers or buy them their own roll? And do you not put all the presents under the tree, including the DSC’s?

But it is new paper it’s just a roll that already been cut up and you used your children’s presents.

why would you buy a brand-new roll when you’ve got loads of left

I have maybe seven or eight rolls going cause everyone gets a different paper and if 6 of us are together on the same day and they’re all different

I get different paper with matching gift bags for both my DC and my SDC, I always have done

Maybe tone down the present buying if you have 100 gifts between three children.

as for labels being outdated, smh. So the presents have to be wrapped fashionably then?

is he bothered about how you use the paper?
if not - carry on as per
if he is - he can buy the paper as well as wrapping all the presents for his child.

job done

Yes. And it’s not just about the DSC seeing it or noticing. It’s also the OP’s own kids. They will see their mum specially buying new paper for them each year and their half or step sibling getting “what’s left over”.