Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Original poster

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

151 replies

B0bbin · 06/12/2019 06:39

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.

OP posts:

reginafelangee · 06/12/2019 20:41

Santa delivers everything in our house when they are little.

ThebishopofBanterbury · 06/12/2019 22:21

Little things in the stocking here.

mathanxiety · 07/12/2019 03:13

I saw a facebook meme doing the rounds a few years ago pointing out that if one child gets something small and thinks Santa brought another child all kinds of wonderful things, it just looks like even Santa discriminates. This article shows the post.

The post really struck a chord with me. So Santa is very much a bit player in our house. Santa puts some sweets and small things in a sack* and the big presents come from us.

So the child with the small pile of presents just sees that her parents are either poor or mean, as opposed to Santa discriminating. It's not much of an improvement.

Better by far to teach your child that comparison is both unseemly and the thief of joy, and/or not to brag.

Or outlaw Christmas entirely.

AlliKaneErikson · 07/12/2019 04:17

In our house Father Christmas delivers it all, but we send the stuff to him for him to bring (that makes no sense at all, really, but that’s how it has ‘evolved’).

RollOnNextYear · 07/12/2019 04:53

Stocking at the bed from. Santa
Everything under the tree and the main from us..

YesIReallyDoLikeRootBeer · 07/12/2019 05:56

When my boys were little and believed they received their "Main Gift" (the big gift they would get that year) from us Parents. Then the Stocking and all the other gifts were from Santa. It never bothered me that "Santa" got the credit for most of the gifts. Once they were old enough to know the truth they realized that it had all been from us and appreciated all we did for them.

cuckooplusone · 07/12/2019 06:13

Presents are from us but delivered by Santa/FC (we use interchangeably) and if you are not good, he may swap something and give to a more deserving child. This helps diffuse any disappointment. Tooth fairy gets the night off as all houses are visited anyway.

When I was a kid we had one present from the fairy, but I have a star on my tree!

Andonandonan · 07/12/2019 06:32

In our house FC brings their stockings and the one thing they’ve asked him for when they see him. So that’s often quite a big thing / main present.

We give everything else.

ChristmasCakeLover · 07/12/2019 20:24

Stockings and a selection box from Santa. Everything else from whomever. That's how i had it as a child and dc unwrapping their gifts.

Whiskeylover45 · 07/12/2019 21:02

Santa brings the stocking filled with cheap(er) stuff. Everything else is from me and DH. We do it out of respect to other families, and that what we can afford each year varies. So I wouldn't want DS coming home asking why santa got H at school an xbox, while he got a remote control car for instance. We explain it to DS that with all the children in the world, santa cant buy big expensive things as he has a budget which has go include all children. That's why mummy and daddy buy things to send to him, which is why some children get more or less. It works for us

HairyToity · 07/12/2019 21:04

All the presents, as that's what DH grew up with and wanted. There is always a small token gift from us. I like the idea of Santa just bringing a stocking.

damnthatanxiety · 07/12/2019 21:11

Everything bar one gift from us. One special gift from Santa. Wrapped in different very sparkly paper and hidden at the back of the pile.

sue51 · 07/12/2019 21:16

My children are now adult but Father Christmas just brought stockings and we bought the big presents. It helps manage expectations.

MuddlingMackem · 07/12/2019 21:17

Our DC are too old for Santa now, but when he did visit us he brought everything we paid for. :)

Sneezeandooops · 07/12/2019 21:24

In our house the stocking is from Father Christmas, everything else is from us but wrapped and delivered by him. The elves deliver our tree overnight (to save on arguments and decorations all being in one part of the tree) then every year in the stocking is a new bauble for the child to put on the tree.

Marmite27 · 07/12/2019 21:28

Just the stockings, but he delivers all the presents from parents. Parents either buy them and send them to Santa or send the money for them.

Xenadog · 07/12/2019 21:42

FC brings one (maybe 2 at a push) present. We do the stocking and other presents.

mathanxiety · 07/12/2019 21:43

Wrt managing expectations - I always told the DCs that SC wouldn't bring everything on their lists, that lists were 'advisory', if you will.

They were perfectly happy with one or two items from their lists plus a surprise, and chocolate coins and Christmassy figures in their 3 inch stockings which have their names embroidered on them placed beside each one's gifts. The little stockings stay on the Christmas tree until Christmas Eve.

Bourbonbiccy · 07/12/2019 21:43

Santa will be bringing all the presents under the tree. We don't need thanks, that seems weird

Family will give presents when we visit them, which he will know are from the family member.

Hadn't really thought about stockings, I suppose from Santa,

Bourbonbiccy · 07/12/2019 21:45

Why do people tell OP to look at the other million threads, just don't comment if it bores you !

MutedUser · 07/12/2019 21:47

Santa brings all the presents that appear in stockings and on the couch. Presents from family go under the tree when we see family members on the run up to Christmas. We the parents buy one present for under the tree. But Santa brings the big presents ipads , phones etc.

thecatsthecats · 07/12/2019 22:01

For the people who do it (wrong) all presents from Santa, do your kids not buy presents for anyone?

I bought gifts for my family for as long as I can remember.

GlendaSugarbeanIsJudgingYou · 07/12/2019 22:07

Everything on Christmas morning is from Santa.

DS1 doesn't believe anymore but he never questioned why he didn't get presents from us.

We have always exchanged family gifts in person when visiting over Christmas time.

We all agree it's nice to see everyone's reactions and give them a big kiss and hug to say thank.

mathanxiety · 07/12/2019 22:49

thecatsthecats Sat 07-Dec-19 22:01:57

For the people who do it (wrong) all presents from Santa, do your kids not buy presents for anyone?

Yes, mine do. They are now aged 18 to 29.

But it was never a question in my home of 'all presents from Santa' or even just the one gift-opening occasion. We did a family gift exchange on Christmas Eve, and the presents under the tree on Christmas morning were all from Santa. The DCs wrote thank you notes to all who gave them a gift, which were mailed asap after Christmas.

They made the transition from receiving all Christmas morning gifts from Santa with family gifts given on Christmas Eve to the tradition we have now of a family gift exchange, with all five DCs exchanging gifts with each other after our festive Christmas Eve dinner. The family/godparent gift giving was replaced by our own nuclear family giftapalooza plus gifts from my mum and sister, and anything exH gives.

We have SC too, on Christmas morning. I provide everything. Yes, they know it's me.

The DCs buy gifts for their friends too, and friends give them gifts. And for each other's cats in the case of DD1 and her best friend...

MutedUser · 07/12/2019 22:49

@thecatsthecats why would getting all their presents from Santa mean they don’t buy presents for anyone? My kids buy presents for family and also we buy presents for the food bank who collect presents to give out.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Swipe left for the next trending thread