1st year not doing "santa" presents for teens??

[rudolf54321]

I was the youngest of four kids. When I was 12 that was the last year my parents got us "santa" presents. I had great christmases as a child, waking up on xmas morning and finding a pile of presents under the tree waiting to be opened! But when I turned 13 it changed completely, my family opened presents on christmas eve after midnight mass. I got one xmas gift that year: a hair straightener from my parents. While I was very grateful I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed since i was used to waking up on christmas morning to lots of santa presents! A lot of my friend got lots of presents and I remember being embarrassed and making up lies of things I received! Of course my parents had 4 kids so I completely understand concerns for money..

How did other people transition their kids from not believing in santa? When I have my kids I want to spoil them a little on christmas like I was but I dont want them to be ungrateful spoiled adults/teens. However I dont want their first christmas as a teen to be disappointing.

I felt that was the way for a lot of things, as soon as I turned 13 it was as though I was no longer a kid.

I am thankful that my parents gave me magical christmases and raised me to be happy and appreciative as an adult but I feel that there was a better way for them to do it?!!


P.S. sorry to be talking about christmas in August!
Also When we did santa presents our parents didnt give us presents from them! And relatives live abroad so it was only our parents giving gifts!

[Gottagetmoving]

I stopped getting a Santa sack when I was 12 and just got one present. To me it was part of growing up and start being treated like I was going to be an adult.
It's a bit sad to leave that part of your life behind but it shouldn't go on forever?
My own children stopped at 14 but they got two or may be three gifts usually something they really wanted or needed.

[ImOnMyTumbleTap]

I still get presents in a stocking from 'Santa' and I am engaged and have my own DD. My Dsis and my family all stay at my DPs for Christmas with some family friends and we all (me, my sister, my DP and my DD) take our stockings into my DP's room to show them what Santa gave us. We have loads of other traditions. Too many to list on here.

To be honest though, I don't remember having presents from Santa and presents from my parents. I just had presents that I was grateful for. I think I will tell my DD that the stocking presents are from Santa and the rest are from Mummy and Daddy so that if she has friends who get more or less than her, she won't think it is Santa favouritism.

[RepentAtLeisure]

I may get a bit flamed for this, but for my DS's first non Santa year, I basically bought everything on his list for the first time ever. He was fine, funnily enough!

[Noodledoodledoo]

My mum announced one Christmas (when I was about 18) that she wasn't going to do stockings for us anymore. I then negotiated that this was unfair as my older sister had had two more Christmas's than me so I was being short changed!!!!! I got two more and she stopped at 20!

All that happened is the presents from the stocking became part of other presents - my mum loved Christmas and could never resist buying odds and ends for us both!

[TwoLittleBlooms]

There wasn't any real transition with regards presents - I always bought set an amount and then decided after I had bought all the gifts and then decided which gift(s) was coming from Santa (it was an even split often, half from us and half from Santa). Now the eldest(13) doesn't believe she gets the same monetary wise as she would have just all the gifts are from us. The little one is only 18 months so we will be doing the split version again for her and possibly giving the eldest a small token gift from "Santa" (or splitting so the little one doesn't cotton on!) haven't yet decided on that.

[itfcbabe]

My kids are 20,19,17,16,14,12(will be by Christmas)

I doubt any of them still believe in Santa but they still get a sack in the morning,normally smellies,a book,a DVD,socks,underwear,chocolates,gold coins and an orange. Then they have about 7 presents under the tree including 1 main present if I can afford it,my mil gives us £40 per child in November and that goes in the pot to help with the under the tree presents.

I have said Santa stops when they leave home so aren't there in the morning.

[stonecircle]

No transition here either. Presents were never identified as 'from Santa' - they just had the child's name on it. They're now 21, 19 and 17 - same applies. I'm not sure at what age they realised the presents weren't brought by Santa (a lot younger than 12 I'd imagine!). And they all still get stockings which I hang on their bedroom doors - usually when I get up on Xmas day rather than Xmas eve though!

[everybodysang]

It's 1 August.

I love Christmas. But this is ridiculous.

[Gottagetmoving]

I am a bit surprised how many over 16s expect and get 'santa' presents even more surprised that parents continue with it for so long.
Children get so much these days, throughout the year as it is.

I suppose Christmas has changed from how it used to be. I can't believe it is as special now as it was before everybody got so much .
I know people who go into debt to buy presents because of all the constant pressure of what other peoples kids will be getting. It's sad.

[Hulashaker]

Personally I LOVE Christmas, once my mum realises we no longer believed in Santa she just changed the label to say her name and not Santa - the amount of money spent remained the same so Christmas stayed the same just the name on the gift changed is all. We did it that mummy's and daddy's give the list to Santa and he gets the gifts from that - other gifts are from that person so they know to say thank you to the gift giver

I think it's a personal choice as all families are different and do different things. You can change it for your family if you felt it was unfair

[pearlylum]

Children get so much these days, throughout the year as it is.

Mine don't.

[YelloDraw]

We didn;t have 'santa gifts'. We had gifts from mum, dad, sister, aunt etc. And a stocking from santa.

I got a stocking until I was late teens, although from about 12 onwards not put on the end of my bed.

[YelloDraw]

I don't like the idea of santa gifs, I think it is nicer to thank the person who gave it to you.

[megletthesecond]

When I lived at home everyone got a stocking. mum Santa even made them for boyfriends staying over on Xmas eve. Stockings are only little things like socks, shower gel, chocs though.

Mine will have a stocking as long as they're here on Xmas eve. And I love the idea of a previous poster who has her stocking posted to her .

[pearlylum]

Even my 84 year old mother gets a stocking at christmas from Santa- she loves it.

[CancellyMcChequeface]

We stopped having Christmas stockings when the youngest stopped believing in Santa - everyone still got presents, including chocolate oranges and other little things! They just weren't 'from Santa' but from the person who actually bought them.

People who have Christmas stockings for mum, dad, grandma, etc - if you have children who still believe in it, is the Santa story in your house that he brings presents for everyone, not just 'good children?'

[tibbawyrots]

If I said no stocking this year I think my 20 year old daughter would give me a Look.

[MyLlamasGoneBananas]

17 and 15 in our house. They get a sticking from Santa. A small gift from Santa and the Christmas fairy still visits on Xmas eve with their Xmas pj's.

They do understand Santa's not real. They're normal happy teens.

We just do our family traditions every Xmas and for us some of those revolve around gifts from fictitious Christmas characters.

[Hulababy]

Dd is 14 and clearly doesn't believe but come Christmas she will go along with it all. She still likes the tradition of laying out a drink and biscuit, scattering reindeer food, and yes - a Santa present. We don't do stockings (wasn't something my family or Dh's family did) but FC does bring one gift - when dd was little it was often the one gift she had consistently asked for or craved. Now it is similar - some years it's a bigger item, other years less so. It is unwrapped and laid out ready for use (depending on what it is - in past it was often a toy so was left all set up ready to play with.)

All other gifts are wrapped and labelled from whoever they have come from including presents from me and dh.

TBH she doesn't get any less now and infact her gifts probably add up to a much greater value as she has gotten older.

[Ed1tY0urPr0f1le]

So you stopped getting Santa presents at 12 but your siblings had them for longer as you were the youngest? I'm sure your parents had their reasons but it does seem a bit miserable for you.

Or did they do stockings for each child until they were 12?

I dunno, it's tricky one and all families do it different so no right or wrong really. Perhaps you could be guided by your DC? I know my 21-year-old eldest isn't really bothered by the whole opening presents malarky and would rather sleep in till late and then have either one big present or money instead of lots of little bits - he has his own money now and can buy himself things like sweets and aftershave as he needs them.

I am of the same mentality as him but my parents (well my Mum, Dad isn't bothered and goes along with it for a quiet life!) insisted on giving me a stocking till my late twenties and even now (I'm 46!) Mum can't resisit buying little bits for us all!

I'll probably ask each of mine what they'd prefer this year - I suspect the younger two (late teens) would like a stocking but with fewer, slightly bigger things, like make-up and DVDs (from their lists - I am awful at choosing so I like a list!)

None of them believe in Santa!

[Hulababy]

Oh and all gifts are opened Christmas morning. All but the Santa gift is under the tree in the run up to Christmas. Family and friends gifts are put there too. fC's gift arrives Christmas Eve after bedtime.

[ThinkPinkStink]

This will be the first year I do not receive a Christmas Stocking. My mother would deliver it a week-or-so before Christmas (I have no idea how Santa knew to deliver it to her in advance, he's a magic guy).

I am 36. She has stopped because I am married and expecting our first child. She has briefed my husband to pick-up-the-mantle.

Which reminds me, I must let him know that I don't really expect a stocking any more (it's a big deal in our family, the pressure is real).

I have been a pampered princess

I EFFING JEFFING LOVE CHRISTMAS!

[ApocalypseSlough]

I don't think my dcs ever believed in FC they're incredibly cynical savvy and always have been. DD told me, her observant Christian dm that she was 'pretty sure that when we die that's it and worms eat us'
They still get decent stockings now they're in their teens as do anyone else staying.

[ApocalypseSlough]

^^ that bombshell was from DD aged 3- FC never really stood a chance chez Apocalypse 😂

[stonecircle]

I love doing stockings for older/grown up dcs. It's easy to give them cash/pay for clothes/buy something they've said they want. But stockings require a bit of planning and thought to fill them with lots of interesting things that each person will like.