Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

santa presents??from others?!!

81 replies

crazygal · 18/12/2011 20:20

right ok,im from another country,and in work the other day ia asked the girls what they were getting there children for christmas from santa? they all said one maybe two toys.....i asked is that all?(i mean,they werent much)
they said, well,friends and relatives get them stuff from santa....
i asked,what do you mean??they said all the gifts others get are put away from there childs sight untill xmas morning,and the child thinks santa brought them all!!!!!!
i asked them,dont they get to "thank" your friends and relatives for the gifts they purchased? they said well yes coz it says on the tag that they asked santa to get it for them!!!
im finding this realllllllly odd!
were i come from in ireland,santa was seperate from everyone elses gifts,
and thats the way i continue to do it,
is this the way it is done in the uk and other areas?

OP posts:
Kladdkaka · 18/12/2011 21:06

We used to put pillowcases in the living room. In the morning the whole family would creep downstairs (because if you disturb santa he might not leave anything) and take turns to peek in the door to make sure Santa wasn't still there. Once everyone was in agreement that he'd gone, we'd go in and open all our presents.

My dad is from Roscommon and my mum's family from Cork. Don't know if that makes a difference.

Original poster
crazygal · 18/12/2011 21:10

i think mummotmachine is right,i think its regional,im from dublin,an lots of my family are in meath,galway and carlow,i moved here 5 yrs ago :)

OP posts:
mumeeee · 18/12/2011 21:10

In our family only stocking presents are from Santa.all other presents are from parents and relatives.

Akiram · 18/12/2011 21:11

I still get presents from my dad Father Christmas and I'm 35 Grin If I try to thank him for them he says "wasn't me, it was Father Christmas!"
By the way this is something he does off his own back and no matter how many times I tell him he doesn't need to anymore he still does Xmas Grin

Original poster
crazygal · 18/12/2011 21:12

kladd your post did make me smile, :) as we done that as kids to....mam told us he would leave us a bag of coal if we didnt go to sleep!!! bad mammy!!!lol

OP posts:
Original poster
crazygal · 18/12/2011 21:13

i think thats lovely akiram,x

OP posts:
mummytime · 18/12/2011 21:13

When I was little most of my presents came from Santa and I think te same was for DH (judging by the fact his Dad took forever to cotton on that we did things differently).
We though have always had stockings and everything else comes from "people". DH is a northerner and I'm southern so I don't think its especially regional, just the way families organise themselves.
I also used to have a stokcing/pillowcase delivered to my bed. We have stockings downstairs, no strange men roaming around bedrooms here.

Bunbaker · 18/12/2011 21:16

In our house Santa brings the stocking, and the under the tree presents come from people. Children need to learn to thank people for presents. MIL doesn't agree and I remember she told me off when DD was little and I read labels out to her saying "and this is from auntie so-and-so and this is from mum and dad" etc. I said that I didn't want DD growing up with

It makes for less explaining later on as well.

Bunbaker · 18/12/2011 21:17

I forgot to say that one of my nephews was distraught on returning to school and finding out that all his friends had received presents from their parents and he hadn't - all his had come from Santa.

Original poster
crazygal · 18/12/2011 21:17

we have a stocking with little things in,and then 3-4 nice gifts,we have connect 4...launchers,we have a dsi,a child dart board and hexbugs...which hes gonna love!! and like i said earlier,hes lots of gifts from everyone else,x

OP posts:
madrose · 18/12/2011 21:24

we do stocking and a present or two from Santa. Rest from us or family and friends. But DD's godparents bring a sack with presents from Santa?? Don't think she twig yet.

onefatcat · 18/12/2011 21:26

YABU!!!!!! Each to their own.

In our house Santa brings as many presents as I can squirell away, plenty of time for learning who their presents are really from once they stop believing in Santa. (which in my experience is about 7 or 8 ) Relatives and friends are all in on the game so they are not offended and they all do the same with their kids- we all tell the dcs that we have sent gifts off to Santa for them if there are any questions.

It makes the Santa thing more exciting and special if they can't just ask mum and dad for things, they have to ask Santa and he may or may not grant their wishes.

Original poster
crazygal · 18/12/2011 21:34

yes thats fair enough onefatcat,it is each to there own,i have to admit i do find it odd,but equally wanted to know how it is done here,as i only heard of this for the 1st time on saturday, :)

OP posts:
Foxy800 · 18/12/2011 21:41

In this house pressies in stocking are from Santa, the rest are from parents, friends etc and I explain this to dd by saying santa is a busy man and asks for help from the people we know and dd always knows they bought them. I also explaining buying presseis for others as santa asking for help. Dd accepts all this and it helps her understand the giving to others.

Foxy800 · 18/12/2011 21:43

We had finished ours and got dd what she wanted at the time. She then decdied she wanted something else which we were gonig to say to her she would have to save up for but my brother phoned asking what she wanted so we told him, he got it and we will tell her it is from him and that santa just gave him a hint of what she wanted so she always knows who they are from and thanks them.

CornflowerB · 18/12/2011 21:44

Is 7 or 8 about the normal age to realise then? I was made to feel like a monster mummy the other day when I admited to some parents that I had confirmed to my child that it wasn't really true. I have been racked with guilt since although said child has decided that she believes anyway, which is great Xmas Grin
Oh and to the OP (sorry!) - I have heard about some families in England doing it the way you describe i.e. santy brings everything, but never in Ireland.

Foxy800 · 18/12/2011 21:47

I like to make the most of the magic as I can, dd 6 next year so know I only have a year or two left of her believing.

Original poster
crazygal · 18/12/2011 21:49

yes foxy...
its sad when they stop believing Xmas Sad
mine is 7 and i wonder how long he will go,x

OP posts:
CornflowerB · 18/12/2011 21:50

But the people I was with seemed to think 10 or 11 was the normal age to find out. Surely most children have put two and two together by then?

Seona1973 · 18/12/2011 21:51

mine are 5 and 8 and still seem to believe although dont know how much longer we have before dd twigs that we buy the pressies.

Original poster
crazygal · 18/12/2011 21:54

mmmm i think so...i was 11,my brothers son is 10 and he says he believes...im not so sure tho!
i think they are getting a tad younger now,not sure what age tbh,i assume my ds will be around 9-10,or id like to think that anyway! :)

OP posts:
onefatcat · 18/12/2011 21:55

I wouldn't tell my child, ever!!! I want her to believe as long as possible, but I expect her to figure it out long before she is 11, I know I did, even though I didn't tell my mum and dad that I knew the truth till i was about 10.

Original poster
crazygal · 18/12/2011 21:57

lol...i think i was the only one in my class tbh at the time that believed Xmas Blush

OP posts:
tigerlillyd02 · 18/12/2011 21:57

People buy the presents and Santa delivers them all here.

ginmakesitallok · 18/12/2011 21:59

I don't think it's bonkers - it's how things are done here when the DC are small - EVERYTHING comes from santa. We and relatives get the DC presents because of the joy and magic of Santa- not for their thanks. Our children say thank-you to people for every other thing they get given during the year - but Christmas day is about them, not the people who get them stuff (of course we thank them for them). Doesn't seem weird now that I'm used to it (DP family tradition rather than mine!)