to think bad and horrible children do not deserve Christmas presents?

[PreMadonna]

For the first time ever I have purchased and wrapped presents before December 23rd.

Bad and horrible children have been investigating, feeling, squashing and shaking presents.

They are now bickering about 'she's got mire than me' and 'hers is bigger than mine', and guessing what's in the boxes.

I am very cross and tempted to donate the lot to the nearest charity.

A precaution I took, when the number of Christmas presents was too great to find proper hiding places for, was to let my children see me fill a couple of black bags full of clothes, handbags etc for the charity shop and ostentatiously place them in my room, waiting to be delivered. I then delivered the clothes and substituted bags of presents. From time to time, I would complain that I still hadn't found time to deliver the clothes in the run up to Christmas. I was never rumbled!

Once we knew about Santa, my Mom always said that if we wanted to peek, we could go right ahead. We would be ruining our own surprises. I peeked once and only once. She was right. It made my Christmas much less fun and exciting.

May I suggest that you take a more relaxed approach. You're letting their choices ruin your fun.

The big fella occasionally substitutes potatoes for stocking gifts here... for especially naughty incidents.

It's quite eye opening to listen to the pair of them working out which misdemeanors the potatoes are for.

They're 14 & 16 and it's a Christmas tradition btw- its never upset them!

ExitPursuedByABear that made me I often find random items meant for stockings / birthdays etc when I am clearing up wardrobes cupboards and drawers. last year I knew I had bought calendars but could I heck as like fine em.... turned up in feb

I have a bad and horrible child. She kicked off this morning because I only bought one advent calendar for dd2. Bad and horrible child is nearly 20.

Love the black bin bag idea for hiding presents. My parents want to bring theirs round early to save them carrying them over on Christmas day (they come by bus). There's 18 presents! No way do I have space to hide them.

My mum always stored our unwrapped presents on top of the wardrobe. Then wrapped them and put them under the tree bit by bit in December. My brother and I never looked. We just got excited as the plastic bags full of surprises grew on the top of the wardrobe

I'd love to be able to do similar with my DC, but at the moment one is 7 months (so doesn't care) and the other is 3 and is already overly excited about Christmas so no way am I putting presents down before Christmas Eve! (after he's gone to bed...)

I naively thought my DC would be as restrained as I was. Maybe not...

It's quite eye opening to listen to the pair of them working out which misdemeanors the potatoes are for.

Careful...

There's going to be a year where you hear them go through the list of offenses to figure it out and you're going be all "Fuck the potatoes, Santa doesn't need to know this shit".

give them coal
I got told of by my PFB for not buying him and advent calendar.

(he is 22)