Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask you to clear up Santa for me?

162 replies

Waltermittythesequel · 09/12/2015 20:48

What's the deal with Santa in the UK? Or anywhere for that matter.

In my family we it's:

Kids write to Santa.
Santa brings the presents they ask for, made by the elves, from Santa and only Santa.
Santa also fills stockings.
Grandparents, parents, aunts etc buy totally seperate presents for the children which are given by them to the dc when they see them.

Dh is English and says that santa only brought stocking fillers and delivered presents from relatives who he then had to thank?!

So, what's the general consensus of what Santa does?

PS Everyone I know and knew as a child did it the same way.

OP posts:
Lariflete · 09/12/2015 21:32

We tell the DC that we buy the presents, the elves wrap them and Santa delivers them.

I started this with my children as I want them to realise that some children don't get as much as them / they don't get as much as others not because they've been good / bad but due to circumstance.

dementedpixie · 09/12/2015 21:35

It's always been Santa where I am in Scotland and I can't get my head round calling him Father Christmas - sounds very pompous

Moln · 09/12/2015 21:35

I'm English, and growing up there were Santa aka Father Christmas presents - which would include the major desire of the year and a stocking (opened in the morning). Then there'd be 'tree presents' which were from whoever was on the label, included my parents. These were opened after dinner.

I do it like this - though not strictly holding to the opening times. My sister does it differently - Santa brings cheap tat and the big stuff comes from mum and dad (Santa not getting any credit for expensive gifts!!)

Had a friend (German) who'd remove labels of the presents you gave her children and all presents where delivered on Christmas Eve and were from Santa regardless of who bought what.

Also had friends for who Santa delivered all gifts - like a postman.

Weird isn't it that i don't cotton on sooner!!

EponasWildDaughter · 09/12/2015 21:35

My DCs used to write a note to santa on xmas night and leave it in the hearth with a mince pie. I would gently guide them on what to ask for (based on what they'd told me they were going to ask for during the run up) so it would tally with what we'd actually bought and got hidden upstairs.

One year DD2 totally changed her mind about what she wanted 2 minutes before note writing time! She said she was going to asked for something she'd not even looked at sideways all year! (Some 'Brat' car or something iirc.) Panic! Shock

We talked her around. Phew. Chimney size came into it, elves experiencing last minute rush, late order/popular item sort of reasoning. 5 mins i'll never forget Grin

LumelaMme · 09/12/2015 21:39

Yep, when I was a child Father Christmas half-filled the old pillowcase: one or two large, cheap items, and lots of little inexpensive bits and pieces. I think DH got an old sock stuffed with an orange, a book, and various oddments. All other presents came from the giver - they might arrive before Christmas and be under the tree, or they might arrive after Christmas when someone came to visit.

Our DC have proper Christmas stockings which are from Father Christmas, and all the rest is from the person on the label - and not delivered by FC.

Though, for a few years when they were little, a friend of ours used to dress up in beard and red suit on Christmas morning and drive around the countryside delivering presents, wrapped, labelled and given to him in advance by the parents, to various children. I used to make sure he arrived at our house with something small but desperately wanted for each child.

Scarletforya · 09/12/2015 21:40

You do, you send a list of demands. It's a form of extortion. Parents throng Smyths toys daily for weeks. Granny's attics groan with plastic booty. Then drunk parents set it all out on Christmas eve while a ham bubbles violently in the kitchen. Them's the rules.

Original poster
Waltermittythesequel · 09/12/2015 21:42

Scarlet you have to be a dub like me with that username!

So we've had it the same way (and called him Santy!)

It's never Father Christmas in Ireland!

I definitely can't get my head around the Santa as a courier thing!

Why go to all that effort to send the presents to the north pole just to have them wrapped??

Although I'm particularly shit at wrapping so there is merit to it, I suppose.

OP posts:
ElasticPants · 09/12/2015 21:45

When I was little Santa bought one present, usually something we had asked for in a letter to him. He left them in a pillowcase hanging on the end of the bed, along with a book, some pencils a satsuma and chocolate coins. Our parents have us gifts from them, which we left under the tree on Christmas morning, and other family gave us gifts when we saw them.

These days it's the same, although there is more crap left in the pillowcases now.

InternalMonologue · 09/12/2015 21:46

I agree MrsKoala. We did the letter writing business, but I don't remember ever actually thinking Santa was one real person. I remember from at least 6 years old trying to find where my mum had been squirrelling away presents, or where she had stashed THE wrapping paper. Off the top of my head I can think of being told that Santa:

  1. Came down chimneys
  2. Actually had a magic key ("But muuum, our back door doesn't take a key, it has the deadbolt!" "He must come in the window then" "BUT they're painted shut!" "The Velux window!")
  3. Had magic dust that put everyone to sleep at 9pm so he had enough time to get round the world (My granddad's claim - probably to try and get overexcited children to go sleep, "but what about midnight mass grandad?!")
  4. Santa presented parents with a bill, to explain why presents had to be limited.
  5. Parents had to go on days out to the city without us to "visit Santa and make sure he had our lists right".

And that's just off the top of my head. I think there's a lot more playing along going on than people give their children credit for. For us, there must have been an unspoken understanding that Santa/Father Christmas was really just a euphemism. We still do the "Weeeeeeell you'll have to see what Santa brings you!" as adults.

Scarletforya · 09/12/2015 21:49

I am, lol! My mind is blown at the idea of a child waking to find a Satsuma, a coin and a toy soldier in a pillowcase or stocking! There'd be riots!

FlameProofBoots · 09/12/2015 21:50

SE England. Father Christmas brings the stockings, small gifts and useful things like socks and pants etc. All the big presents are from us/family.

Alicewasinwonderland · 09/12/2015 21:55

Here, kids write (or dictate) a letter to Father Christmas. (More accurately, do a collage with toys from Argos catalogue!). They don't really believe in Santa by the time they know how to write all their wishes Xmas Sad

Father Christmas delivers all the presents and stockings, which are SOME of the presents they asked for, and some they didn't think about asking. I do like an element of (nice) surprise. Everything is made by the elves in the North Pole and arrives by the chimney at midnight.

Some of the presents can be delivered at the grand parents house, or relative house, because there was not enough space under the tree!

snuffykins · 09/12/2015 21:58

I'm in ireland and we were the same as you Walter.

Santa (santy) left a pile of presents and a sock filled with bits.

Presents from other people were under the tree or given when you saw them over the Christmas period.

No one I know says father Christmas

CocktailQueen · 09/12/2015 22:05

Oh, I can remember vividly looking for Santa in the sky on Christmas Eve on the way to midnight church service... Santa brought us stockings and some joint pressies.

Every other pressie was under the tree from whoever it was from. Mum and dad bought us separate pressies. That's how we do it too.

Original poster
Waltermittythesequel · 09/12/2015 22:13

Irish kids are definitely coming out of this looking spoiled rotten!

OP posts:
Lariflete · 09/12/2015 22:16

WalterMitty I think it is just because as much as I love Christmas, I don't want my DC to think that they can ask for anything my sister asked for a pony 6 years running. But really, I just hate the idea of kids feeling like they haven't deserved any / many presents, when it is a case of parents not being able to afford it.
So, by sending presents we bought off, they still get the magic while not having to keep up with Jones'.

LegArmpits · 09/12/2015 22:20

We have to buy and wrap ALL the presents, then Santa collects them and delivers them... (How do kids believe this shit?!) 😂

CountryRoadTakeMeHome · 09/12/2015 22:24

No, No, No FC brings all the presents, from him and the elves to family and friends. It's simply not true if you tell me different!

Seriously though, everyone "does" Christmas differently and so what as long as the MAGIC is alive and kicking. I obvs won the battle of xmas in my houseXmas Wink

Merry Christmas to all (I luvs Christmas I does x)

hefzi · 09/12/2015 22:35

Father Christmas brings you the things in your stocking: family and friends buy the presents under the tree. Why do people make it so complicated ?!

WiIdfire · 09/12/2015 22:38

MrsKoala and InternalMonologue - Thank goodness! I thought it was just me. We always had gifts from FatherChristmas - a stocking (chocolate, monkey nuts, sugar mouse and satsuma) and then any silly presents (comedy socks) or naughty presents (giant bar of chocolate) and the rest of the sensible presents were from mum and dad. But I never actually believed FC was really real, it was always play along, nudge nudge wink wink style. I didnt realise until recently that kids actually believed he was real!!!

Junosmum · 09/12/2015 22:40

We did as you said, though didn't get everything on the list. Relatives usually gave us presents pre Christmas to put under the tree and open on the day, but they were clearly labelled from each relative, Santa had nothing to do with it.

Evabeaversprotege · 09/12/2015 22:41

I'm in NI & we do the same as OP.

I buy the wee'uns a present & give them it on Christmas eve. Usually PJs, a book & smellies.

Other people give them gifts from them themselves! I can't imagine grandparents handing over gifts that are meant to be from Santa.

Original poster
Waltermittythesequel · 09/12/2015 22:54

Why do people make it so complicated ?!

Complicated? Just different, surely.

OP posts:
GinIsTheBestChristmasSpirit · 09/12/2015 22:54

We do stocking gifts from Santa, other stuff from others. The list gets sent to Santa as he is a great organiser. He helps us family/friends co-ordinate gifts! There is still magic in it all and our Eldest believed until we told her at 11 Shock

I don't like the idea of the kids thinking we haven't got them anything. A friends Ds told her that he thought she was mean for years as she "never bought him anything" but was too embarrassed to ask why! DH said he sussed early because his parents "never bought anything" and he knew that wasn't right.

Growing up we did similar but Santa also delivered, like a more reliable Royal Mail...

DisappointedOne · 09/12/2015 22:57

We have a 5 year old. Santa has never been a feature in our house, nor bought/delivered a single present.