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Original poster

Presents under the tree

73 replies

DappledThings · 02/12/2019 18:39

When I was small Father Christmas only ever brought stocking presents. No pretence that anything else was from anyone other than who it was from so no other presents were hidden and went under the tree as soon as they were wrapped.

DH's family were the same and our tree us up now with a good few presents underneath.

It's only in the age of social media I've realised that for some families FC brings everything and even if the actual present giver is credited FC still delivers them so they don't appear until Christmas morning.

Are we really unusual in having presents already there? I'm just curious!

OP posts:

countdowntochristmas · 02/12/2019 19:21

Should say fc not dc brings the presents, Auto correct on phone

CoodleMoodle · 02/12/2019 19:25

Santa brings stockings here too, everything else from family etc. DD does ask for a couple of presents and Santa "helps" us get them. But they're from us and DD knows that.

Was the same when I was growing up, and for DH as well.

Ffsnosexallowed · 02/12/2019 19:27

When DC were smaller all presents came from Santa. Now that they are older all presents still get delivered Xmas Eve from Santa, but they know who they are really from.

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PigAuntie · 02/12/2019 19:28

Presents come from whoever bought them apart from stockings and a main present.
Don’t put presents under tree until Xmas eve though, when Kidd were little it was to stop them opening them! Now they are a bit older just because they’d probably get stood on/kicked/water spilt on them!

SlightlyStaleCocoPops · 02/12/2019 19:30

Santa brought everything and it was never under the tree, but put out the night before. I'm 34 and my mum still gives me a few things at Christmas "from Santa". I've never heard of this Santa bringing stocking presents/parents get everything else stuff until MN. Oh, and the presents are never wrapped either!

GiveHerHellFromUs · 02/12/2019 19:30

Presents go out on Xmas eve because DP has this really fucking annoying habit impressive talent where he can guess what any present is just by feeling and shaking it so it's best to avoid all temptation for him.

dementedpixie · 02/12/2019 19:31

I wouldn't leave presents on show throughout December in case it prompted a break in. Ours are put out on Christmas eve. Presents from us were from Santa and presents from other people were from them, not Santa

ImportantWater · 02/12/2019 19:32

We are the same as you. But I knew other families did it differently as a child because my cousins did “everything under the tree is from Santa as well”. (Not the presents we gave them though, they were handed over!). My mum just managed to give us the impression that for some reason some children’s parents chose to pretend the family pressies were from Santa too.

Lunafortheloveogod · 02/12/2019 19:35

We plan on doing it the same way as my dm did. Santa brings a certain amount but presents don’t go under the tree until Christmas..

Never understood it but she’s explained it now, christmas trees sit in the front room usually can be seen from a window and possibly the door.. big pile of crap under the tree earlier on can attract burglars. And if you, like we do, have dogs you can’t bet there’s no chocolate in the parcels and she had our old jrt munch a whole box of sweets while we were out.. dog lived many more years no traumatic Christmas.

StarlingsInSummer · 02/12/2019 19:36

FC brings everything on Christmas Day, but he is a glorified postman - he delivers things that relatives/we have asked him to get for DC.

30not13 · 02/12/2019 19:39

Stockings from FC. Everything else goes under the tree as we are given it.

StarlingsInSummer · 02/12/2019 19:46

FC as gift-delivery service means that a) you get the magic AND the credit, b) you scape any awkward questions about why Santa brought Little Johnny an X box while he brought Little Pete a few books and toothbrush and c) if relatives bring gifts late, then Santa delivered it to them by mistake - easy dine, it’s a very busy night after all!

Celebelly · 02/12/2019 19:47

Stockings and one proper gift from Santa, everything else under tree. As for when, it always depended on how organised we were when I was a kid! We are getting married in 10 days or so, so we've already wrapped and put most of the Christmas presents under the tree this year as we are going to be quite busy and easier to do it now.

Plus part of the fun is reading the labels to see which ones are for you!

RachelEllenR · 02/12/2019 19:54

FC only brings the stocking here with smaller bits in and everything else goes round the tree as soon as it is received/wrapped. I used to love putting presents round, reading the labels and getting excited!

My in laws hide everything until Christmas Day and then put each persons in sacks so they literally don't see them until they unwrap. I love the anticipation of deciding which to open next.

Biancadelrioisback · 02/12/2019 20:00

Ah see none of our presents are wrapped! Usually they're unpacked and assembled/have batteries in ready to play. The main present will be in a decorated box but I can't stand wrapping paper.

KipperTheFrog · 02/12/2019 20:03

Father Christmas has only ever brought the stockings. However, no presents go under the tree until Christmas Eve. This is partly to avoid snooping, but mostly so as not to encourage burglars. .

countdowntochristmas · 02/12/2019 20:04

@Biancadelrioisback really you don't wrap presents?

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 02/12/2019 20:07

We've always had little things in stockings only from Father Christmas. Everything else from family or whoever.

We don't put non FC presents under the tree until Christmas Eve, though. Probably dates back to when dds were small and would be endlessly feeling/fiddling with them otherwise.

TheChosenTwo · 02/12/2019 20:10

Here we do stockings from Santa which will also contain one of the ‘big ticket’ type items they have asked for.
Everything else is from whoever bought it.
Stuff goes under the tree when it’s wrapped, mainly so I’m not faffing about hiding things and then forgetting where I’ve put it.
I do most of my shopping online so it stays in the original packing boxes/packaging until I’m ready to do some wrapping and go straight under the tree so no risk of them finding anything before Christmas.
They’ve never opened anything under the tree before Christmas either, even when they were babies. I don’t ever remember having any problems with small children pulling down trees or ripping wrapping paper open!

TheChosenTwo · 02/12/2019 20:11

Haha the wrappers and non wrappers divide the entirety of MN!!
I always wrap stocking things and everything else. That’s part of the fun.

MsJuniper · 02/12/2019 20:15

When I was little FC brought a stocking pillowcase full of presents - a mix of big ones and small. Parents/relatives exchanged gifts later in the day. My mum did keep most of the family presents hidden away and put them under the tree on Xmas eve but there was no suggestion Santa had done this.

I do similar for my DS but fewer presents and big ticket items - these definitely come from us, not for "the glory" but because I don't want him to think expensive items can magically appear at no cost and because I know other relatives do stocking-filler-Santa so I'd rather there weren't big discrepancies.

Mysteriously FC always brings a few of the toys DS knows I hate, such as the "surprise" type.

Biancadelrioisback · 02/12/2019 20:16

@countdowntochristmas nope! Never. I adore Christmas and go all out in many ways so I'm in no way a Scrooge, I just hate wrapping paper. DSs birthday is a few days before Christmas so I wouldn't wrap in advance incase I mixed up the presents so I would end up wrapping the night before or something and it seems like such a waste of paper for a few hours. I've got a nice, reusable box for the main presents though

Mumthedogsbeensick · 02/12/2019 20:17

When we were small all our presents from our parents would magically appear in the pillowcases we had left on the floor next to our beds. We never had stockings. Then we would carry our pillow cases into our parents bedroom shouting 'He's been!' and open our gifts whilst sat on their bed. Any big presents (bikes, Sindy houses etc) would be waiting for us downstairs. Then on Boxing Day our grandparents would arrive with presents Father Christmas had delivered to their house for us. Bloody loved my childhood Christmas's!

Cornish2 · 02/12/2019 20:22

Santa fills the stocking with surprises, and all other presents are under the tree but not just for the children, my parents would put the presents under the tree a day or two before so we could rattle and shake and see what had our name on which was exiting but I'm afraid I'd be too worried of burglars these days so I put the presents under the tree before bed Christmas Eve, so the children see a stocking on their door and run in our room to open it and then go downstairs and see all the presents under the tree from us.

countdowntochristmas · 02/12/2019 20:32

@Biancadelrioisback genius idea I hate wrapping, always put it off to the last minute. I think there would be riot with my family if I started not wrapping.

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