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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:

Lulu1919 · 02/12/2019 20:37

Father Christmas brings the stocking...infact a pillow case kinda bag with kids names on them ..which are placed outside bedrooms ,
Under the tree are presents from us or any family or friends that have given....they go under the tree once children are asleep Christmas eve....
So nothing under the tree before then...

Cornish2 · 02/12/2019 21:18

I do remember one year that Father Christmas had the same wrapping paper as us!
He must have shopped where we shopped.

Witchend · 02/12/2019 22:11

We have 3 sets of presents:

Stocking: From FC. Mostly useful things they will need over the next few months.
Family: to and from everyone else. They open these after Christmas lunch.
Tree: Little fun presents, one for each day until they're back to school.

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Original poster

DappledThings · 02/12/2019 22:19

I never thought about burglars!

This is the first year that DC1 is old enough to really get it (will be 4 in February) but I think he will be thrilled with finding his stocking in the morning and not bothered all the other presents have already been hanging around.

My brother and I were never bothered. I don't know why but my poor mum used to do loads to make it special and we just weren't that interested. We were both always late risers and she said there were plenty of Christmasses she was up early impatient for us to see FC had been and find our stockings but we both loved our beds too much to be up before about 9.30 even when we were small enough to still believe

OP posts:

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 02/12/2019 22:23

We did Santa being the delivery guy for our presents and everyone else’s went under the tree. The children knew who they were from and child thank them.

Comradesally · 02/12/2019 22:25

We had a few gifts from any early present givers under the tree and growing up the same. Part of the fun was shaking and prodding presents...

But of course... The Big Event was Christmas morning when the tree yields its bounty....

A bike... A dolls house... The big ticket items and a stocking. I've never understood this... He's not getting all the glory idea?

Presents from everyone else are from everyone else..

CherryPavlova · 02/12/2019 22:27

Everything under the tree except stockings here.

JigsawsAreInPieces · 02/12/2019 22:35

Father Christmas brought one ”big” present like dolls house, bike, cassette player (show my age there!) plus odd fun things such as an annual, chocolate, satsuma, a small hobby thing to try like a knitting Nancy, Airfix kit etc. We then had another present at the breakfast table, this was something like a watch or jewellery to keep. Family presents (the entire argos catalogue of toys, slippers, bubble bath, sweets etc) always after the Queen's Speech. Boxing day we visited aunties and uncles for more presents. We had little presents off the tree just before midnight on New Year’s Eve. This was invariably a book (possibly to amuse youngsters while adults recovered from the hangover of Doom!)

Hadenoughofitall441 · 02/12/2019 22:41

No we have presents under the tree, he ain’t getting all the credit 😊

shirleyschmidt · 02/12/2019 22:42

In our house, as with my own childhood, Santa brings everything during the night - that's the magic!

The way we give adults any 'credit' is to stick a label on with "aunty so and so asked FC to bring you this". Young children have no concept of what people have spent anyway, and by the time they do, they don't believe in Santa in the same way, and the actual labels can go on.

Pipandmum · 02/12/2019 22:46

My kids are teens but they don't want to see any presents under the tree until Christmas morning. So I have to hide them somewhere.

DelurkingAJ · 02/12/2019 23:27

How do you say ‘thank you’ if all the presents are from FC?

We do stockings and a big present. But everything else is from who gave it.

TrainspottingWelsh · 02/12/2019 23:38

Fc always brought everything on Xmas eve for dc. They knew we had asked him to bring it, and that parents have to give him money when they got a bit older, but never saw the presents till Xmas morning. At 18 & 16 they are far beyond believing in fc, but presents stay hidden till they're in bed Xmas eve.

Just as well, because we've never had a Xmas where we didn't have at least one pet that would have got into the presents long before Xmas day.

VickyLouT · 03/12/2019 00:04

The stocking is sacrosanct FC action in my book and 1 special gift that appear on Xmas morning. Other presents are from the people that gave them and mount up under tree to build anticipation. I've asked DH to veto MIL saying Santa also came to her house with a sack triple the size of the stocking at home full of tut he doesn't want or need (she has tried this on since DS was born and it properly pisses me off) I've told DS when he doesn't understand why he has a second 'Santa sack' that Santa only delivers once and Grandma just likes to pretend. AIBU To want to keep the stocking/FC magic at home and not dilute it with multiple visits? She has had her turn at FC with her own kids.

BadMomma81 · 03/12/2019 00:11

I dint trust an unsupervised 4 yo with presents...

BadMomma81 · 03/12/2019 00:12

Don't

JoGose · 03/12/2019 00:14

Santa brings everything, family members still put name tags on the presents but say that they asked Santa to bring them. It’s always been that way for me.

dreaming174 · 03/12/2019 00:37

Santa brought everything at my house, then grandparents, aunts etc would come over with their presents. I didn't notice I didn't get anything from my parents. Everything appeared in the morning, it was great

Lipperfromchipper · 03/12/2019 00:39

This year Santa has brought,
Two main gifts per dc
One between them
Everything else including stocking is from us.
Gifts from others are from them.

RollOnNextYear · 03/12/2019 01:21

Same as you OP

ffswhatnext · 03/12/2019 01:25

Not a chance was I ever giving Santa all the credit. Those main gifts came from whoever bought them.
Santa has a stocking to fill.
Used to put a couple of presents under the tree from about a week before. Was never really a problem until we got cats. Now they appear overnight and the cats are given stuff to distract them.

ffswhatnext · 03/12/2019 01:26

Although should add, because of the aforementioned cats, we also don't have a traditional tree.

Zippetydoodahzippetyay · 03/12/2019 01:35

Growing up in our family, we put out a pillow case at night on Christmas Eve and Father Christmas would put presents in there for us to open on the morning of 25th. Things such as toys or games, dolls etc. Parents and Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles etc would buy presents too and these would all be out under the tree whenever they were wrapped and ready, but wouldn't be opened until after Christmas Day lunch. We never had stockings.

Now my husband and I have our own kids and do it pretty much the same. Father Christmas brings a handful of toys, games etc and the kids also get a couple of presents from us. My FIL likes to prepare a stocking for them which has things like a new bauble for the tree, chocolates, small toy or game.

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