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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Looks shit right?!

159 replies

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 18/12/2016 00:06

We just did the bulk of our wrapping and DH wants to leave the stuff for our girls under the tree...

Our DD's are 3 & 6 and totally believe in Santa. I've kind of perpetuated the myth in our house that Santa brings the stuff on your list so they just ask for one or two things. That's in separate wrapping, hidden in a cupboard. (Hatchimal x 2, Lolly maker and paints!)

This is (pretty much) everything else.

My worry is.... it doesn't look impressive anyway... but it's going to look even less impressive Christmas morning when we just add the four Santa presents to it.

Don't you think we should keep it all locked away until Christmas Eve / morning reveal?

(In our defence we have given the best stuff to my mum! As we're going there for family Christmas morning straight after and they need stuff there! Still not loads though!)

DH thinks I'm being ridiculous and we should leave it there. I'm thinking he can't be fucked to carry it upstairs and doesn't care that it's the first year our three year old has cared about Christmas! Hmm

I'll go with the majority !

OP posts:
Original poster
MaryPoppinsPenguins · 18/12/2016 00:07

Forgot the picture!

Looks shit right?!
OP posts:
Original poster
MaryPoppinsPenguins · 18/12/2016 00:08

Should add... I've pulled it forward to make it look better! There's nothing more behind there!! 😂

OP posts:
TheWitTank · 18/12/2016 00:09

FAR too tempting for such little ones -they will probably be in them as soon as your back is turned Grin
I would put them away and go with the Santa magic.

TheSnowFairy · 18/12/2016 00:09

YABU.

It looks lovely 🎅Wink

TheGrandHighWitch · 18/12/2016 00:10

I'm with you. I think the best memories of Christmas as a child is that moment on Christmas morning when you come in the room and see all the presents under the tree. Plus if they're left out beforehand, that leaves them time to feel the presents to try to work out what they are (which can also lessen the surprise if they're right).

FloatyFlo · 18/12/2016 00:10

Whether the presents are from Father xmas or us, all presents stay hidden away until Xmas morning. I couldn't possible handle 'can we open a present?' × 100 everyday for the next week. My two are 6 and nearly 3. They couldn't handle it lol.

NoTractorsAtTheTable · 18/12/2016 00:14

Hide it. Hide it all.

Hell hath no fury like a DC being told to leave presents alone.

NicknameUsed · 18/12/2016 00:15

I never leave presents under the tree until Christmas day morning because it is far too easy for burglars to look through the window and assume that there might be something valuable worth stealing.

This is the advice the police give out every year.

Eeeek686 · 18/12/2016 00:18

Definitely hide them - as a pp said it's waaaay too tempting for little ones! I already know of one lady who has 'cancelled Christmas' in a strop as her four year old opened half his presents that were stashed under the tree from early December.... why would you do that an age group work notoriously poor impulse control??!

Original poster
MaryPoppinsPenguins · 18/12/2016 00:28

I don't want to! I'm in the 'put them away' camp!

OP posts:
monkeywithacowface · 18/12/2016 00:29

Was having this conversation with someone last night and we both agreed that the best bit about Christmas morning is coming down to a pile of presents for that weren't there when you went to bed the night before regardless of whether you still believed in Sandra or not!

ThanksForAllTheFish · 18/12/2016 00:29

Hide the presents. Far too tempting for small children if they can see a gift with their name on it.

Maybe a compromise would be to store any gifts for other people under the tree (grandparents / aunts / cousins etc) until they are collected or dropped off. This is what I do now so the tree looks nice but DD knows that the gifts under the tree are not for her. We do Christmas a similar way to you (Santa brings 1 or 2 gifts and fills the stocking but all other gifts are from us or family)

If your DH really wants presents under the tree you could go down the wrapping empty boxes route to make the tree look nice (and can reuse each year)

thecolonelbumminganugget · 18/12/2016 00:33

Ooh, love your curtains!

mummydawn07 · 18/12/2016 00:39

i haven't read all posts, I wrap all mine xmas eve while watching telly and enjoying a nice alcoholic drink, my girls don't see any presents under the tree until xmas day and it make it so magical for them, they go to bed with no presents under the tree and wake up to see all their presents, and they come in to my and oh bedroom shouting father Christmas has been he's left us loads of presents.. I love it!! they think its all magic which make it magical for me and OH

AnnieAnoniMouse · 18/12/2016 00:40

Tell him to stop being such a lazy arse & get them put away.

If he needs shaming I'll tell him how much stuff my friend makes her hapless DH put into & out of the loft, repeatedly, in the run up to Christmas. The man is a SAINT.

...and no, she can't do it, she has a bone in her foot.

Your c.tree & presents look really beautiful, perfect for small children!

JosephineMaynard · 18/12/2016 00:51

The gifts under the tree look fine.

I wouldn't move them on the grounds that it doesn't look impressive. But I would consider moving them on the grounds that a 3 yr old may not be able to resist the temptation to open the presents before Christmas.

ALittleMop · 18/12/2016 01:05

That looks lovely and impressive enough to me.

They are little tiny children - they will be delighted!

However, hide them, or the paper will be peeled back and they will be prodded and bashed and shaken. And the whinining......oh god no, hide them

Floralnomad · 18/12/2016 01:08

They look lovely , as does the tree btw , but move them otherwise the DC will spend all week either shaking them or trying to guess what's in them .

myoriginal3 · 18/12/2016 01:10

I still believe in Sandra.

PhilODox · 18/12/2016 01:13

The paper is lovely! Smile

It looks plenty, really... but put them away until Dec 24th. It's such a temptation for small children.

AddToBasket · 18/12/2016 01:40

I love presents under the tree so I do what a pp suggests and put the presents that I've wrapped for other people under there until I give them to them.

I agree it is tempting for the DC.

haveacupoftea · 18/12/2016 01:42

Yep hide them. Are you doing a stocking too?

TrollTheRespawnJeremy · 18/12/2016 03:42

Hide them all. I have pretend presents under the tree for display purposes :P

They are in naice paper with lovely ribbons and all the shit I can't be bothered doing en masse.

Baylisiana · 18/12/2016 04:11

It looks like quite a lot, best hide them though to avoid any 'damage'.
Nice tree/floor/cupboard!

Proudmummytodc2 · 18/12/2016 04:29

I'm with you my DS is 5 and DD is 3 I'd love to put them under the tree but they would rip them opened so yeah I'm with you out then away until xmas eve