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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:
ThatsWhatYouDo · 18/12/2016 09:50

I think it looks fine but a bit flat- I understand what you mean. I would add the Santa presents on Christmas morning and loads of glitter ( elf dust?!) and fairy lights etc. Cheap decorations can make something look really magical especially for children. You could scatter nicely wrapped chocolates and sweets etc around the area too.

crazycatzz · 18/12/2016 09:54

Oh god the whining will be awful and Christmas isn't for another week yet!

EweAreHere · 18/12/2016 09:57

Hide them.

Darthvadersmuuuum · 18/12/2016 10:03

The only presents we leave under the tree are this intended for other family/friends. Everything else gets hidden until Christmas morning.

Darthvadersmuuuum · 18/12/2016 10:03

Your tree looks lovely btw

NoahVale · 18/12/2016 10:15

we dont put them out until christmas morning.
too many curious fingers
plus dogs. and ruins surprise

Thebookswereherfriends · 18/12/2016 10:15

Ok, this is not meant to be boasty in any way, but am I the only person with a child who can quite happily see presents under the tree and doesn't ask once to open them nor does she even touch them. Even when she was 2.

thisagain · 18/12/2016 10:29

Definitely hide it. I can remember asking for a microscope for Christmas one year and it went under the tree for me to poke etc. I can remember the disappointment when I managed to see through the paper that it was a microscope and the surprise was ruined. All ours go up in the loft. I've had my poor husband up and down with the lot several times for "comparison" purposes! Grin

ragdoll700 · 18/12/2016 10:30

Your tree is lovely that looks like a nice pile of gifts I wouldent worry, and thebookswereherfriends my kids dont touch presents under the tree either we have always left them for others and for the kids from others under the tree (you cannot see them if you look in the window) they dont touch them my youngest 3 warns adult visitors not to touch them and tells them they are for kissmass :)

ragdoll700 · 18/12/2016 10:30

Age 3 not 3 kids :) I only have 2

JoffreyBaratheon · 18/12/2016 10:31

We always hid it all in the attic/at husband's work/in my locked wardrobe... And with 5 kids, that was a lot of physical space we needed in a very small house, to hide it all. But now the kids are grown up/older teens and tell me they never once stumbled on a present or guessed they were hidden. It was a nightmare, every year, but somehow we managed it. Although waiting til 3AM for every son to be asleep so we could get up into the attic wasn't much fun and led to Xmas Day when we were exhausted before we even started...

Glad we did it though. They'd see us buy presents sometimes if they wanted to choose, but the fiction was that it went to Santa and that he would add in some surprises if they were good. They swear they never suspected a thing.

UnicornInDMboots · 18/12/2016 10:33

It looks lovely and you seem to have got your kids loads of great stuff. If it's too much temptation pop it away but maybe they'd like the build up of seeing it , I don't know, we don't celebrate Christmas.

However I want to super gently and not at all bitchily (I absolutely know how horrible stuff can come across on boards and I am genuinely not cussing you or anyone out there) -- i don't think " impressive " or "enough" or any of these things are worth worrying over. You have family, food, roof over your head, peace to enjoy it in , a tree, some gifts..... take a look in the news. All of us who have this are truly blessed. Please just enjoy your day everyone with what you have. Don't worry about impressive kids will love it no matter what!!!!

JoffreyBaratheon · 18/12/2016 10:34

Tell you what, I also buy several different rolls of wrapping paper so I can change it up a bit, now we do have parcels under the tree - makes it more interesting to look at! I have got them a lot of chocolate and sweeties for stocking fillers, this year and all that is cacking up a cupboard in the kitchen though, as dog would eat it if we left it on or under the tree....

1horatio · 18/12/2016 10:47

It looks lovely and I like the tree (I'm coming around to the idea of electric candles... so, great to see such a lovely tree!)

I think it looks nice. There are many presents, imo,

However, your poor children. It must be excruciating to not open them. Unless you want to teach them a lesson... put them away. I'd be driven crazy by this setup. 😂

glitterlips1 · 18/12/2016 10:50

I never put the presents under the tree, I think the wow factor is seeing them all on Christmas morning.

viques · 18/12/2016 10:55

The only presents under the tree should be any that have been hand delivered by aunts, neighbours or family friends.

On Christmas Eve you do the carrot, mince pie , hot chocolate for Santa (never too soon to start the not drinking and driving message) next to this little heap , which of course wil have been well prodded and poked by now, and then on Christmas morning the heap has gone whoooosh!

crumpetsforteaa · 18/12/2016 11:01

Wait wait wait, presents under the tree?

This is news to me.

The only presents under my tree are for other people.

It's just me and husband and we still put gifts for each other in pillow cases/stockings late on Christmas Eve. I still like the magic. As a child the only presents under the tree were for other people or perhaps ones we had got from school friends.

NavyandWhite · 18/12/2016 11:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GreenTureen · 18/12/2016 11:11

Our presents to the dc go under the tree as soon as they're bought and wrapped. They have about 6 wrapped presents each from mummy and daddy which are there now.

The santa presents appear on Christmas morning and he gets most of the credit and brings the 'main' presents anyway...but they always have a few wrapped gifts from us.

I watched this clip on You Tube ages ago where a 4 year old boy was really upset on Christmas morning because his mum and dad didn't buy him anything...he had the pile of Santa gifts but there was nothing from mummy and daddy which really upset him!

AtSea1979 · 18/12/2016 11:18

Hide them but I'm guessing it's too late now?

ExcellentWorkThereMary · 18/12/2016 11:19

We've always put presents under the tree before Christmas. I live in a teeny tiny house with limited storage (no loft!) and there just isn't the space anywhere to hide them. I wrap as soon as I buy and they go straight under the tree. We do stockings from FC which are little fun things like bouncy balls and colouring pens and we open them first thing in the morning on Christmas Day. Tree presents are left until the evening. I can honestly say I've never had an issue with my kids trying to open the presents under the tree or anything, and we've always done it this way since they were really little. I have more trouble with the cat!

I think trees look lovely with presents underneath. It doesn't need to be piles and piles.

ChocolateDoll · 18/12/2016 11:20

There are times when one needs to put one's foot down, and this is one of those times!

There's no way you can leave that lot there until Christmas Day. Ruins the surprise for Christmas morning, and introduces a whole heap of hassle keeping them unfiddled with for a whole week.

This is a no brainer!

Wolpertinger · 18/12/2016 11:31

It's not excruciating, it's exciting! When you wrap your presnts for others you start getting weird shaped boxes to hide what's inside so they can't guess - we used to get giant boxes and then put tiny gifts inside Grin It's part of Christmas, like having the decorations up.

And yes to mum and dad presents under the tree. What kind of weird family is it if you get presents from aunts, uncles, grandparents but your own parents can't be arsed to buy you anything Confused? Santa does stocking grew to a pillowcase but there must be mum and dad presents.

farmerswifey2 · 18/12/2016 11:32

Ok, this is not meant to be boasty in any way, but am I the only person with a child who can quite happily see presents under the tree and doesn't ask once to open them nor does she even touch them. Even when she was 2.

Yes, almost certainly :D

whyohwhy000 · 18/12/2016 11:35

Say that they're just boxes with paper for decoration. Grin