To ask you to clear up Santa for me?

[Waltermittythesequel]

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.

Reading that, it sounds weird. Things go under the tree when they're wrapped or received - I'm not quite so obsessive as to insist on wrapping other people's presents when we get them.

Also, Father Christmas and the elves buy as well as make presents here.

Ohmigd clock that is awful on so many levels.

Our house Santa brings everyone stockings which are all small bits including smellies,books, clementines, flannels, hair bobbles and socks. Everything is wrapped but in left over bits of paper from previous years.

Everything else came from the person who gave it.

Santa is not dhl, he doesn't move other people's presents. Obvs.

What are stocking presents? We never had stockings, just presents in a big sack at the end of the bed. They sack arrived with the presents - we didn't leave it out empty to be filled.

I remember ex-mil doing stockings and putting a Satsuma and nuts in. Everyone just put them back in the fruit bowls where they had always been available anyway. I just never understood why she did it. All the 'presents' in them seem to be things you have access to anyway. (i am English and from west London btw)

We didn't/don't do Santa/FC. We do do stockings because I think they are fun, and our children write lists with ideas for gifts for relatives/parents.

We moved abroad when our children were relatively young, and we get parcels in the post throughout December so it's always fun seeing them stack up. I've never missed having Santa in my own Christmasses and didn't really want to do something that I'm not really engaged with for my children. They seemed to enjoy Christmas very much regardless :)

We do what you do.

Santa brings stockings and his own separate gifts just from him.

Other presents are given from the people who got them, including a small separate one from parents.

Father Christmas brings one or two "main" gifts and fills a stocking. We and relatives give the rest. This way the DC can understand if something's too expensive. They can't just expect the Elves to make it!

Santa is not dhl, he doesn't move other people's presents. Obvs.

This, this and more this.

I grew up with everything from Santa, however with my own kids I wanted them to appreciate the things they got - not that they came from a mystical source (I was spoilt!). So one smallish pressie from Santa and stocking then everything else is from relatives, also set them up not to expect loads from their list - 1 or 2 things.

Everything off Santa here no credit needed for all my hard work the look on face is worth it. We give the Xmas eve hamper off us but that's another thread. All presents of family are from them and under the tree when they have been given.

In this house Santa brings a sack of small presents. Children write a list and send it. They usually get 1 or 2 things that they ask for in the sack along with stocking fillers. All other presents are labelled from whoever bought them.

An Elf brings our Christmas Eve box

And Santa brings everything they put on their lists (only allowed ask for two things and a surprise but they also get extra toys and books and board games).

Only thing he doesn't bring is anything alive.

I'm making them sound massively spoiled, aren't I?

Here Father Christmas used to get sent a letter with some gift suggestions on it. He would then decide which he would get (he always got everything as dd is a lovely girl who has never asked for much) and they, along with a pile of other stuff, would be delivered on Christmas Eve. He also filled stockings for dd and myself and dh. He liked to do themes and the stocking would reflect that (dd gets a new stocking every year). In return we would leave him a drink and a snack 😊

Everything else came from specific people. I also never understood why Santa would be used as a courier service. Dd once asked why she got so much more than some of her friends and I told her that FC sends gifts suitable for the household, so as not to make the parents feel bad so, for example, millionaires children would get ridiculously expensive presents.

Now dd is 14 so we don't bother with the letter or drink/snack but everything else we still do. Though I now admit to buying/making the new stocking for dd, and dh and I get a small pile rather than an actual stocking as it's quicker for me to arrange in the wee small hours (yes, we still only put the gifts out once dd is asleep....which is a pain as I go to sleep before her)

Father Christmas has a reputation for buying the expensive stuff, the stuff that we, as parents, would say no to. This year dd only asked for a bit of cash, which dh and I are giving. FC would never give something as boring as cash and has decided to buy the outrageously expensive BB-8 droid, special design converse boots and box set of anime books etc etc that dd will adore but which I've dismissed as overpriced.

One year FC put some chocolate coins in her stocking, she had trouble opening them and I had to open each one for her. I cursed FC loudly for this pain in the arse job. So the next year he bought 1kilo of chocolate coins (and believe me, that's A LOT) and piled them up over her under tree gift pile 😄 I suspect that helped dd believe for so long as she couldn't imagine why I would do that to myself hehe

I luffs Christmas me 🎅🏻🎄⭐️

Our house is a confusing mishmash of all systems.

Basically Santa brings the presents but relatives help him out, either by giving him the presents in advance to bring or giving some extra.

Basically not thought through!

We call him Father Christmas rather than Santa in our house.

DC lay a stocking at the end of the bed, and he fills it in the night. Stocking presents can sometimes be moderately expensive, but small in size.

Presents from everyone else are under the tree and nothing to do with Father Christmas, he isn't a delivery man for us.

When i was little we had stockings and the big gift from Santa (bike, dolls pram etc) the rest were from family.

Santa's stuff was wrapped in santa paper in the stockings. Big gifts were not wrapped. He doesn't deliver all the presents though. DTs know that people bring presents and give them to me to keep until Christmas.

I think everyone has there own way of doing it though so i don't think either of you are wrong, you just need to find your own system.

Now that i have kids we do Santa brings stockings and a few little presents but everything else is from parents and family.

South East England. Father Christmas, or "FC" for short. Stocking only. We hung up Dad's old hairy cricket socks. My cousin who lived with us for a while put out a pillowcase and couldn't understand why we didn't, as "you get more". I said no, it's already bought, so putting out a bigger bag wouldn't result in more presents. He was quite confused. He was older than me too.

No Father Christmas/Santa rubbish in my childhood (Europe). Thank God. Presents always came from people. We used to celebrate Christmas with extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents), and had a ritual that involved the youngest person (ME!!!!!) being given their presents by everyone else, then the oldest person (grandma), then the next youngest etc.

All children got involved in making their own presents for friends and relatives, and wrapping them (e.g. homemade chocolates or biscuits, paintings, figurines etc).

Saint Nicolaus features on the 6th of December where it's tradition to receive a plate full of treats (homemade biscuits, chocolates, nuts, mandarin) and possibly a small present which will magically find its way into a shoe or boot left outside the front door overnight. (Always completely clear that the parents are responsible though.)

I am baffled by the whole Santa business here in the UK. I mean, what about Mother Christmas, for a start? And I don't get how spinning children a big fat (!) lie for years is attractive. (And a highly commercialised lie at that.)

For me, Christmas was always about music, Christmas concerts, spending time together, giving presents (no matter how big or small) to people you love, and of course receiving presents from people who love you and care about you.

NE England.

Santa brings everything we've (ie parents) paid for, as he did in both my family and DH's when we were kids. Although DH's family are from the NW.

In our case though we've always said that Santa sends us the bill afterwards so that they understand why some things are too expensive. It also means they've never questioned the toy appeals on the radio.

Mrs Claus oversees operation while her less capable husband does the deliveries.

She's the brains of the operation.

Mrs Claus is a bad ass.

Santa (or Sandra, who knows) Claus brings everything in this house, even for the teen and the parents.

Our father christmas fills dd's stocking with presents. But only if she's been good, otherwise he fills it with turnips. I doubt this will ever happen but dd responds well to threats
Other presents are from family.
We leave out a mince pie, a glass of sherry and a carrot out too.
We have a real fireplace now so I think DH and I will make some sooty footprints.

When I was a grubby student I once left him out a spliff. I heard Jim Hendrix being played at 2am.
My parents were more than slightly groggy in the morning moaning about not being able to do stuff like they did when they were younger.

Santa brings one present off the list and the stocking stuff to our DC- no way is he getting all the credit! Not for big stuff certainly.

He's a bit of a narcissist too because he always uses wrapping paper with his picture on

OP,

We do it your way but I'm working class Scottish. Wonder if region and class plays a part in the different traditions.

Stocking and one main gift from Father Christmas. Other gifts from family and friends.

BTW I forgot to say that I am NW England and DH is Central Belt of Scotland. I physically can't say 'Santa' first off and have to stop and correct myself from FC every time. Even when I lived in America.