Anyone forgot to 'do' Xmas for their dc ?

[hollywoodhills]

Quite random, but it has me worried and I've had nightmares about it

I'm concerned that I will mess up the magic of Xmas morning.

Last year Santa forgot to take the card that dd had made for him. Dd was a bit confused about that.

Then dd had a present which was actually for ds.

Im worried about staying awake to sort it all. My dc will not sleep on Xmas eve if they hear me walking about.

Last year was horrendous and I went to bed at 2am in the end.

The thought of the stockings are giving me a headache as any noise and they will be wide awake.

This is all based on the last 2 years on Xmas eve. I try to tire them out but the excitement just takes over and my eldest will not sleep until I am in bed and all is quiet in the house.

Has anyone fell asleep on Xmas eve and Santa has forgot to leave the presents?

[Poppyismyfavourite]

Father Christmas always comes down the chimney, so stockings have to be put in the living room in front of the fireplace.
I think one year we spent Christmas somewhere with no chimney and I was quite upset, so my mum suggested we put the stockings by the window in the living room so he could come in that way!

[PrivateD00r]

I don't really understand this idea that we should all cut back at Christmas because some people cannot afford it. You never hear it about anything else, eg holidays, extra-curricular activities, birthdays etc. If it is just about Santa, then surely its the parents responsibility to explain to the dc that Santa brings a few bits and the rest is from parents, hence their being a differing amount? That is what we have always told our dc, no problem.

OP I have this dread too. I am not allowed to take annual leave in the Christmas holidays and so will be working my usual hours over Christmas. One year, I got called out on the evening of Xmas Eve (after working all day) and wasn't back until 5am Xmas day. DH and I sort everything together in advance, so even if I am not there, he knows what to do. Everything is wrapped well in advance, he just builds up a few toys so they have something to play with right away. It all goes in the lounge, even the stockings. I don't know anyone who puts the stockings in the bedroom (maybe its regional?).

[rosydreams]

usually my other half and i help each other remember but what about a check list

for stockings i put them on the banister ,so that i dont have to worry about waking the children and dont have to go sneaking down stairs either.We take the stockings off it and stuff them in our room.Then put them back .The presents under the tree are from us and family

If father christmas forgot the card i would just say he must have read it and left it for you to keep,its a very lovely card after all

[Roselilly36]

After one particular fraught Xmas eve, when I was still up wrapping at silly o clock, I made a promise that I would wrap every gift as I brought it. I hid gifts in suitcases, as I knew if my DS went snooping they wouldn’t think to look there. We always kept things very calm on Xmas eve, as DS2 was very excited about Xmas. I used to get up very early in the morning, put presents out, tree lights on etc. Try not a worry, too much pressure for the perfect Xmas, just spending the time together makes it perfect IMHO.

[Friendsoftheearth]

echo When you have children celebrating christmas IS magical and joyful. Perhaps one of the nicest times of the year to be a parent in fact. A lot of thought and care goes into creating wonderful things for our children at christmastime.

Some of my happiest memories in life are family christmases as a child, and those I have shared with my own children. I am sorry you haven't experienced that.

[Friendsoftheearth]

I am definitely NOT cutting back this christmas, I intend for it to be best, given the truly horrendous year we have had, what better excuse than to go all out at christmas. It does not need to expensive and commercial at all, but it can be very very memorable with some planning.

[BluebellsGreenbells]

its the parents responsibility to explain to the dc that Santa brings a few bits and the rest is from parents, hence their being a differing amount?

That’s not how a lot of parents work!

We have always had small gifts from Santa and big presents under the tree from us/family/friends

DHs family send all the gifts to Santa and he brings them all back re wrapped from him, so no thanks from Aunty or friends or parents just Santa!

Then another friend never buys her kids wrapped gifts all from Santa, but grandparents presents are sent to Santa and returned!

No clear path!!

[Redwinestillfine]

I wrap their presents in different paper so I know whose is whose. Stockings are white pillow cases so I can pre pack the week before and just swap on the night. DH is on duty to help make sure we don't forget to eat the treats for Santa etc. DD no longer believes though so the pressure is off a bit this year and she can help with the magic for her brother.

[SweetpeaOrMarigold]

FC brings a few little bits for the stocking and the main present and a few little bits in special paper- different for each child. That way presents are already sorted and if they hear you making noise its just the presents from us. Then when they finally fall asleep, FC present under the tree and the little bits in the stocking outside the room. Much easier than hauling the whole of Christmas into the living room, plus why should he take all the praise and we apparently get them nothing?! Also explains why some people get 100 presents and others get 1 if FC can just get the 1 for everyone!

[TicTac80]

Oh lord this thread reminds me of one Christmas Eve from my childhood. My poor Dad used to dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve (and creep into our rooms to put pressies in our stockings). We're from the Middle East, so you can imagine how sweltering he must have been in that bloody costume!! One Xmas, my younger brother and I decided to figure for once and for all if the legend of Santa was true....and set a Santa trap. I learned that night that when "Santa" gets tripped up in the Santa trap and lands in a pile of soft toys, he can swear like a sailor in Arabic. Moral of story....keep stockings in the living room (far safer for all). To his credit, my lovely Dad actually complemented us on trying to research the legend of Santa Claus and then undertake our own experiment...but then told us to look at it like a Christmas legend and keep the magic going for other children :)

The stocking presents that we got were only very simple things: a tangerine, packet of sweets/chocolate coins, books/colouring pens, socks, small things like that. My parents didn't want to set a precedent that Santa was the one buying the more expensive presents: they didn't want Santa taking the credit, but also they were very aware that "Santa" in many other households couldn't stretch to buying lots of expensive presents. I do similar for my kids (now 7 and 14): "Santa" gives only very small, simple pressies for stocking pressies. Santa is left a small carrot and a mince pie. My 14yr old will eat these once his sister is in bed. Stockings are left either in living room or handing on the stair rail.

Back to OP, I've not forgotten to leave out presents (yet!), but have often worried about forgetting actual Xmas food and so on. I normally plan and buy Xmas pressies from Sept/Oct. Food is normally just a simple veggie roast, some mince pies, veggie sausage rolls, Xmas pudding and cheese/biscuits. We don't buy in a lot.

[Summerfreeze]

I’ve had the ‘Santa forgot’ nightmare! My favourite bit of Christmas is when they are opening their stockings and I’ve made the magic.

I buy everything, wrap in different coloured paper for each child and store them from October onwards. Wish I’d thought of identical stockings to switch! But we have personalised ones off some craft lady so that ship has sailed. Stockings downstairs as I can’t deal with creeping about.

When I recently spent Christmas with my mum, she was most put out to find everything wrapped and said half the fun was the frantic wrapping on Christmas Eve! We, no. Interestingly, I worked out about Santa after hearing my parents frantically wrapping on Christmas Eve...

[Copperblack]

One year some friends came round in Christmas Eve and one bottle of wine turned into 3. We decided in our tips state that it would be fine to leave the present sitting till morning! Luckily I came to my senses at 2 am and Sorted it.

Another year my mum was staying. She got very drunk on Christmas Eve aNd came down at 3am setting off the burglar alarm and freaking the kids out ( it was a very early start)!!

I do stockings outside doors and presents in named sacks now, which I get ready weeks in advance. It makes it a lot easier.

[Ruex]

Every year I have a recurring nightmare that it's late on Christmas Eve and all the shops are shut and I haven't bought any presents. I now do stockings downstairs because trying to get it into their rooms without waking them is too much.

[AlwaysLatte]

In our house Father Christmas only brings the stocking presets, not anything else, and the contents of those are all prewrapped in separate named bags ready to put into their stockings - all we have to do is sneak in and swipe the stocking, fill it downstairs then put it back. Both mine are deep sleepers though. The other presents would have been wrapped a week or so before and we keep them in a locked storage room downstairs and just put them out on Christmas Eve.
I think if they didn't go to sleep one year I'd probably do something like a clue on their bedroom door then hide them downstairs somewhere for them to find!

[DontDribbleOnTheCarpet]

We've never done stockings because for the first few years I forgot and after that nobody seemed to mind. They've certainly never mentioned it, and they definitely would if it bothered them!

Kids only really bother about the details if the adults make a fuss about it.

[ODFOx]

Stockings are hung on the mantlepiece ( or wherever downstairs). They are replaced in the blink of an eye as you go up to bed by identical stockings which you filled back in the middle of December: only the satsuma is a last minute addition. These can be left outside the bedroom door if you don't want dc downstairs too early.

Father Christmas brings one main special gift which is left slightly sort from the tree pile and decorated differently. Everything else comes from friends and family so it does not matter if these are seen in advance. It is part of the Christmas Eve ritual that each child puts the gifts that they have chosen or made under the tree before they go to bed. Thus if they hear you doing the same it won't ruin any magic for them.
The mince pie must be eaten and the sherry drunk, then use a crimped biscuit cutter to make reindeer bite marks in the carrot.
You won't fall asleep because it is exciting for you too! Remember they are little and want to believe, so don't over complicate it and there will be less errors to spot.

[IceCreamAndCandyfloss]

We put gifts under the tree as they arrive from others, don’t bother with stockings and our gifts are wrapped in individual paper per person to make it quick and easy to sort. Santa was just the delivery guy here though when they were young enough to believe as then it stops the asking for non existent items, wondering why others didn’t get what they want or had more/less etc.

[Laiste]

The double stocking/sack is bloody genius! Siting here thinking i might do that but the trouble is for us we have a biggish sack for little DD which has embroidery on it which i bought 4 years ago. I haven't seen the same design in the shops again and I'd be sad to replace it!

We always do the leaving out downstairs by the fire so it's not too bad. I just like to try to remember to get the presents downstairs and hidden somewhere before xmas eve so we don't have the ^rustle rustle bloody rustle^ down the stairs!

When my big 3 (20s now) were little trying to do all 3 sacks quietly was a bit hellish. One year i had all the santa presents for all 3 kids stashed in the same 'santa paper' in black sacks under the bed. Somehow i'd got them all mixed up. (Maybe i was thinking i'd remember who's was which on the night?) but i'd done the wrapping in Nov and on xmas eve i was confronted with 30/40 presents all in identical paper with no labels all still upstairs ( ^rustle rustle^ ) and had to sit downstairs at about 1am and open each one at one corner to peep in and then stick it closed again to get them in the right sack !!! Ye gods

[MadameMeursault]

It’s OCTOBER!!! Why are you stressing about this already?

[Littlepond]

The santa panic is part of the Christmas fun! Kids go to bed, DH and I get a curry in, we’re usually a bottle of wine in by this point anyway (Christmas eve is a celebration day In our family). We wrap the last bits (every year I swear I will wrap ahead of time and not on xmas eve. Every year I am wrapping on Xmas eve 🤣). Then, slightly tipsy, DH and I put the presents in the stockings - ours are by the fireplace downstairs - panicking and giggling with every noise in case it’s the kids coming down.
Then we have a congratulatory Baileys and go to bed. I love Christmas Eve!

[CovidNightmare]

Why on earth do parents make it more complicated than it needs to be?
Stockings from Santa, and presents from family. It also means that children learn to say thank you.

I agree with not making it complicated, but different families do it different ways. I don't know a single family where it is stockings only from Santa and the parents give separate presents. Personally to me, because everyone is different, that feels like a parent not coping with Santa taking all the credit, rather than for the child's benefit.

They have 364 others days of they year where they are more likely to learn to say thank you.

[ZolaGrey]

Father Christmas only brings stockings in this house, I'm not having a fictitious bloke in a red suit taking the credit for all the time, effort and money I put into presents.

Stockings are left outside the bedroom doors and I have everything wrapped and ready to just put under the tree before I go to bed.

When my kids were smaller I tried not to whip them up into a Christmas Eve excitement frenzy so that they didn't sleep and they were always told that the quicker they went to sleep, the quicker it would be morning.

Kids are allowed their stockings whenever they wake up but they can't go downstairs/into our room until 7.

[Notmydaughteryoubitch]

Just the stocking from Santa here, all presents under the tree and from whoever their from. I also book off a day to wrap DC presies solo with a nice Christmas film on. That and stockings downstairs makes it all pretty much stress free.

[MagicSummer]

Really, in the grand scheme of things, does it matter if things are not absolutely perfect? I'd try to reduce your stress levels, OP.

[Livelovebehappy]

I used to have a recurring dream where it was Xmas eve day and I had ‘forgotten’ to buy presents for DCs and frantically trying to find shops open to buy stuff.