To ask if Father Christmas brings main presents or just stocking?

[B0bbin]

When I was little it was just the stocking from Santa and I was very grateful to my parents for the main present. I just wondered what people are doing and if Santa's bringing EVERYTHING or just one present or just stocking...
This year DS is very interested in the idea of Santa/ Father Christmas, so need to start as we mean to go on.

@penberrh you can come to our house for Christmas anytime!!

Following what my mum did when I was a kid, a stocking in our home is more like a sack and is from FC in the morning.
My gifts to DD are under the tree for after lunch.

If I ever did it again, I'd do a smaller stocking from FC in the morning.

Stocking (more of a sack) from Santa. Main presents from parents under the tree. Very similar plan to thesunwillout.

Everything we bought the kids was in their sacks. As was their godparents gifts ( they enjoyed doing that for tham even though they didnt see them open them and got no " credit". ) I remember a few Christmas eve dashes to get the one thing they really wanted and the look of how did Father Christmas know on their faces.

I had this debate with dh.

For me the main gift that the child asks for should come from FC. So this year DD is getting a bike and then some other small things she wants (like elsa gloves which are v cheap) from FC.

Then she will get a few other bits from us, then whatever family buy her.

DH on the other hand wanted the main present to be from us, but my rationale was that ruined the idea of FC - this is the first year she's written a letter and sent it, so if we then give her the main thing she's asked for doesn't it make thd idea of writing to FC a bit pointless.

Stocking always from Santa, and the big gifts from me . My two were always so grateful for the ones the received from me. As a single parent they understood how hard I work to save and give them a nice Christmas and no fat man in a red suit is taking the credit.

All presents were from Father Christmas growing up in my house. My husband says he always knew his parents did the presents and he has no recollection of believing in Father Christmas which I find incredibly sad. He said his parents used to tell him they worked too hard for a man in a suit to take the credit.

I've agreed to do one or two presents from us but the majority from Father Christmas. My parents used to make Christmas the best time of the year as they worked a lot and we didn't have much time together outside of it.

Stockings from Santa and maybe one gift under the tree. I didn’t see why Santa should get all the credit while i looked like a meanie to my own kids for not getting them presents!

Main gifts from us and a pillow case with one or two items from the list, books, chocolate, bath stuff, novelty etc lots to keep them busy unwrapping at stupid o’clock. This is left in their room and they have permission to open this first thing without waking us 😉. This approach seems to make it less traumatic when they stop believing as main presents always from family.

DH’s family do Father C as postman. All presents bought by family then sent to the North Pole to be delivered on Christmas Eve. I think this is daft and as I organise Christmas we do it my family’s way.

Just stockings are from Father Christmas. Main gifts are from family and friends.

Stocking. Otherwise it's hard to get the kids to write thank you letters to grandparents.

Just the stocking from Father Christmas. Everything else under the tree and given by family/friends.
This was to our advantage when DD was given a bike for Christmas aged 4 and one of the parts was missing which meant we couldn't assemble it. Not sure how I'd have explained that the bike came from the North Pole but I've got to take it back to Halfords to get the missing part. (No room to pre-assemble it in secret in our house).

Friends did the 'everything comes from Santa' thing but it did annoy some family members because they were never thanked for presents they'd given.

Father Christmas brought everything.
However they all knew that we bought the gifts and sent them off to him for him to bring everything all together on Christmas Eve.
That way the magic exists but each present was from a specific person and they could be thanked in person

He just brings the one main present in this house and we buy all the rest. When I was growing up my Mum said she bought everything and sent it to Santa to deliver but looking back, that doesn’t really make much sense .

Stockings with little presents from Father Christmas and presents from who they are from. It means your children can thank the gif buyer, the gift buyer feels happier and when you have to tell them Father Christmas isn't real it should be less of a problem.

Santa does stocking and one biggish present and we buy the rest

Father Xmas just brought the stocking when my children were small- main presents were from named givers ie us, grandparents etc.

DH and I both had a similar Father Christmas experience as children. FC brought a sack full of presents big and small (no stocking) and left them either at the end of the beds (me) or in the living room (DH).
Presents from family and friends were separate, and parents only buy when children are too old for Father Christmas.

I didn't realise anyone did anything else like stockings etc until DC1 started school!

Ours have things slightly differently to us because they have a stocking in their room and them the bigger gifts downstairs. Friends and family presents are under the tree on Christmas Eve if delivered before Christmas and they get opened on Boxing Day.

Santa brings one present per child otherwise he will run out of room on the sleigh. He puts some stuff in stockings too.

Nothing to do with gratitude or credit etc... They know that some of their friends will only get a few presents at Christmas due to money etc. Every child getting just one present from Santa makes it fairer. Also they help chose presents for friends and family.

We have two teenage children. When they were little we decided to follow what we had both had as kids - a sack of presents from father christmas and extended family presents under the tree. We have never done stockings.

In hindsight his was entirely the wrong thing to do, as the kids always thought we didn't buy them anything at all, and there was all the issues of other kids receiving more or less than them. If I had my time again it would be main present from parents, stocking from father christmas. And less. Much less. They generally get about 10-12 presents each from us and it's too much and too expensive and hard to go back from once you're into the cycle.

Father Christmas brought everything here. DC had a pillow case, all presents from FC went in it, presents from family and friends went under the tree. That's what I had as a child - there's nothing more exciting than feeling the rustling weight of a pillow case full of presents on your feet.

Father Christmas just does stockings here. I love getting DS to hang his empty stocking (half a pair of tights 🤣 following family tradition) by the fire and then watching his face as he finds it full up the next morning. All other gifts are from who they are from x

Completely up to you, however, I'd recommend that Santa just bring stockings.

I've heard from a family friend (social worker) that some children don't understand why Santa brought their friend an "ipad" but santa only brought them a "small toy". They think they've been bad/on the naughty list when really it was all their parents could afford.

If you're going to give your kids an expensive present, take credit for it yourself. They'll still get the present (you'll get a hug and some thanks) and santa can bring all the small fun stocking fillers that won't make anyone else feel bad.

Just stockings

Santa brings the main present, the stocking and some smaller bits.

I also buy presents for my DS from me though. Best of both worlds. .

I remember thinking it a bit odd as a child that my parents bought presents for everyone else apart from me!