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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the idea of a christmas stocking is so parents can get an extra hour in bed??

136 replies

TheCunnyFunt · 10/12/2014 08:03

DP and I are disagreeing about this. DD (3.6yo) has a stocking which is currently hanging on the fireplace. DP thinks it should stay there and be opened just before the tree presents. This has been done every year since she was born and the first year she is really old enough to understand at least sort of properly! I think we should put it in DD's room on christmas eve after it gets filled so it's there when she wakes up.

His argument is that she always wakes up, gets out of bed, opens her door and stands at the safety gate shouting for us and would open her stocking or ignore it and then shout us straightaway anyway (sometimes saying her room is too dark). Plus there'll be chocolate in it.

My argument is that bed is where stockings are meant to be opened! DD gets excited at the sight of presents so if she woke up and saw her stocking she would open it (plus one of the presents for it is a torch!) and play with whatever is in it!

I hand it over to you MNetters, who is being unreasonable here? I KNOW it's not me

OP posts:
WalkingInaWhippetWonderland · 10/12/2014 10:53

It's not a problem we have ever had because our dc have never got up before us. They like their sleep!
Stocking are downstairs and they open them with their presents in any order.

findingherfeet · 10/12/2014 11:01

Got to be opened in parents bed surely?! I can't wait for snuggles and wrapping paper wripping on Xmas morning with my two, eldest is just 3 and to my delight now 'gets it' so it'll be lovely having her come in stocking in hand!

And definitely chocolate coins are to be eaten before breakfast :-)

NotCitrus · 10/12/2014 11:03

Stockings in the living room last couple of years, for opening first thing. Kids are either too small to open packets or may be scared of upwrapping, so tend not to open without an adult - my hope is to cope down, make tea and assist and then leave them playing with new toys. It worked when ds was 2 and found a toy farm under the tree - didn't move for much of the day! Not so well since then.

May do stockings on bedroom doorknobs this year, if the kids want. I put the maximum amount of chocolate in that I'm happy for them to eat at once. Ds might be distracted with a book, but dd will wake me no matter what - she's 2.

I had a stocking on my door from age 4, and the idea was I'd be quiet with it.

weegiemum · 10/12/2014 11:18

Chocolate before breakfast? We have chocolate for breakfast!

whois · 10/12/2014 11:28

Stockings on end of bed! However I always used to take it though to my mum and dad and get into bed with them until I was quite old so no extra sleep for them!

Allegrogirl · 10/12/2014 11:29

YANBU to attempt to use a stocking for an extra hour in bed. Ours have a pillowcase with books, chocs, colouring books and stickers, a few £1 shop bits of tat and one bigger present. The main presents are from family and do not get opened until after breakfast. I expect DD2 who is 4 will be in at 6.00 ish dragging her pillow case to show me. DD1 is 7 and sleeps like a teenager. We will probably have to wake her up.

DD2 managed to throw up at the breakfast table after stuffing her face with chocolate when she was two. I had a chest infection and the 3 other adults in the house failed to monitor her consumption.

vvviola · 10/12/2014 11:50

Just to confuse matters, in our house at the moment (last year & this year) stockings go in the car Grin

We drive for 2 hours to MIL's on Christmas morning after breakfast, so stockings wait on their seats in the car which is decorated with tinsel because DH is a sucker for Christmas

So it's Santa and parents presents under the tree, then breakfast, then stockings in car in their pyjamas.

More presents when we get to MILs (although she tried to convince DH that we should wait til Boxing Day for presents. Thankfully he has talked her round on that one)

fuzzpig · 10/12/2014 11:57

Stockings are left on DCs' door, they bring them into our bed as soon as they wake up :)

Bogeyface · 10/12/2014 11:58

I am not a great sneaker at the best of times, bits of lego seem magnetically attracted to my feet and if something can be knocked over, it will be!

By bed time on Xmas Eve I have usually had a few so the thought of trying to sneak stockings in whilst under the influence of Baileys brings me out in a cold sweat. Downstairs by the fireplace here!

fuzzpig · 10/12/2014 11:59

FWIW I had to open my stocking in my bed on my own when I was young and it wasn't exactly magical! Rather lonely really.

Mrscog · 10/12/2014 12:00

The location of opening isn't an issue (although we do downstairs) but I'd be so gutted to miss watching DS open his stocking!!

WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes · 10/12/2014 12:01

Stockings on beds, always, there's nothing like waking up and feeling the heavy filled stocking by your feet. The DCs bring their stockings through and open them in our bed. I love getting up with them on Christmas Day, no way would I want to snooze while they opened the stockings, in fact when they were younger I used to have to go in and wake them up to do it, my two are not early risers. Now they are a bit older it's generally around 7am.

WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes · 10/12/2014 12:04

I agree though with pp about the difficulty WRT to stockings on beds of wakeful children, now they are 10 and 8 they will very happily stay awake till 10 or 11 when I want to get off to bed myself. I love the excitement of sneaking the stockings in and out of their room though, downstairs just wouldn't be the same.

ithoughtofitfirst · 10/12/2014 12:07

Ooooooh that's what stockings are for. I feel like i've been mugged off by making ds a stocking when he's clearly too young to leave me the fuck alone sleep in on Christmas morning.

Wellwellwell3holesintheground · 10/12/2014 12:08

Stockings on bed, opened in our bed.

And may I recommend telling the gullible midgets that Santa's magic will not work properly if they open their stockings before 7am. I informed my lot that the presents will turn to dust if they open them before then. It worked for three years. Mind you, this was after the year when DD woke up at 10pm on Christmas Eve and thought it was morning...

Aliennation · 10/12/2014 12:08

Last year I individually wrapped all ds's stocking gifts & told him he could open them in my bed in the hope of an extra 20 minutes. He managed to open them all in 5 minutes flat and we were up by 5.30am Xmas Sad
Might try treble wrapping them this year. But yes, for me the sole purpose of stockings in the bedroom is an attempt at extra time in bed.

Fallingovercliffs · 10/12/2014 12:09

Definitely should be in the bedroom. The excitement of waking up and immediately realising 'he's been' is something that I have never ever forgotten.

Songofsixpence · 10/12/2014 12:09

We have stockings downstairs.

My DDs were always terrified at the idea of Father Christmas going in their bedrooms so we put them by the fireplace downstairs.

They've never been early risers though, even on Christmas morning. I had to wake them up at 9am last year Grin

They open their stockings first thing, breakfast is usually the selection pack inside. The rest of the presents we do after lunch

DH and I usually peel all the spuds and veg on Christmas Eve while sharing a bottle of Baileys so am usually half cut by bedtime. Sucessfully sneaking stockings into their tips of bedrooms without breaking my neck is highly unlikely so I've always been rather grateful for them not wanting stockings in their bedroom (and not being early risers)

WhereIsMyHat · 10/12/2014 12:09

Oh I remember that rustling from the bottom of the bed as you stir on Christmas morning and the sheer joy that 'he'd' been. Then it would be a quick jolt with my stocking into my mum's bedroom to beg her to be able to open them. This was usually around 4.30am Grin

dashoflime · 10/12/2014 12:11

OMG!
Stockings in the bedroom, extra cellotape, books and puzzles?
It was all a ploy?!
I never realised Shock
This is like when I found out what Sunday School was really for they were having SEX!! ShockBlush

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 10/12/2014 12:11

I wouldn't recommend getting in the habit of a having to sneak into the child's room and leave their filled stocking. It was sometimes well into Christmas morning before my brothers and I were alseep from the night before... This is why The SmallDragons have always had theirs down mpby the fireplace.

Strangely, they have never woken up at godforsaken O'clock. Confused

Mrscog · 10/12/2014 12:12

Presumably this all partly depends on what is in the stocking - if stockings just have small stickers/chocolate/book type presents then I can see less need for those, but we tend to put all FC presents in so it would potentially mean missing out on the whole lot if we slept through the opening.

Wellwellwell3holesintheground · 10/12/2014 12:14

Stockings always small presents. No way Santa is getting the credit for the other presents.

OldAntiquity · 10/12/2014 12:15

Pillow cases in bedroom with keep quietly occupied presents like annuals and colouring books/felt tips or whatever.

Stockings on fireplace for chocs and fruit when come downstairs and tree presents after breakfast.

Obviously you have to at least take the chance she may remain occupied even if you are still disturbed!

Aliennation · 10/12/2014 12:17

I should add I wouldn't attempt to sleep through stocking opening, just need a bit of time to come to.
Also can't function without a strong coffee, got a top tip on here last year and took a flask up to bed so I can have my coffee whilst ds opens his stocking before the madness.

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