Help! I have been asked to prove FC exists by...

[samqueens]

My DD has thrown me a Christmas curve ball (as if we don’t all have enough of those to deal with right now🙄) Her belief in Father Christmas hangs in the balance.... (apparently Sainsburys have been advertising that they sell stocking fillers and they would have no need to do if FC filled the stockings - thanks Sainsburys) She has therefore added an “impossible” ask to her list as a test of Father Christmas’s existence - and there’s no way he can deliver without some help!!

I’ve scoured ebay but no luck, and I get that everyone is at capacity right now, and also that maybe whether she believes or not is unimportant, but I’d like to provide a glimmer of magic if I can.

So am very hopefully asking if there are any London mumsnetters who might have an unloved, unused blue John Lewis hairband from last Christmas season lying around which I could buy from them? I can collect in socially distanced way from most areas of London. I’m attaching pictures - it was navy with a kind of knot at the centre and had swans and flowers embroidered down one side. Came from JL kids dept last Christmas (she lost it on an outing earlier this year).

I know it’s probably ridiculous to ask but... here’s hoping!

Couldn't FC leave a note saying that the elves in the hairband factory have been decimated by COVID?

Around here Father Christmas only listens to requests, not demands. Christmas lists are suggestion lists not shopping lists.
Would she accept that?

Good luck!

Would if it help to explain that ‘stocking fillers’ are also just small presents and can mean something separate to Santa? You can buy adults a few stocking fillers and they don’t get stockings.

We always told our kids that parents bought the presents, Father Christmas just delivered them.

Good luck!
When ds was 8 he left a note asking father christmas to take a photo of his reindeer. He left my digital camera by the note. I ended up outside shining a torch through some red cellophane at 12.01am, with dh taking a photo. Then we wrote a note explaining that the photo hadn't come out properly because of the dark, so all you could see was Rudolph's nose. DS was very impressed in the morning when he saw the picture

I ended up outside shining a torch through some red cellophane at 12.01am, with dh taking a photo
🤣🤣🤣 you win funniest comment I've seen on mn today

The lengths we go to to lie to our children 😂 can you cut some of the existing hairband off and leave a note saying one of his tiny elves loved her hairband so much he had to make a miniature version for the elf

The elves finished making this years gifts some time ago, they were onto doing the wrapping and packing by the time she made this late request.

Or (assuming the original was in last years stocking) - sorry, Santa can't do replacements if children break or lose gifts.

Lots of people do stockings for their partners, grandchildren etc. Plus the parents of the kids on the naughty list might have to buy it themselves.

Or maybe you could say that Father Christmas sometimes buys in stock to help with the workload?

If you can't get the hairband could you say that it's because you need to give the elves more notice, leave her an IOU and keep looking?

There's some apps out there that will superimpose pictures of Father Christmas in your house for you to screenshot if that could help at all?

If you can't find it, I'd jump on Fiverr with a picture of the headband and buy a quick delivery animation of Father Christmas holding the headband and the swan coming to life as part of 'Christmas magic.' He could say her name, and say that one of his elves found the hairband at x place, and felt there was a better way to prove his magic when he read her list. You could have it paused on the TV for in the morning, for her to play along with a new hairband of a different design or some swan cookies.

My middle son is a proper cynic. He's now 14 but many years ago when he was about six he challenged me about the existence of Father Christmas. I was desperate for him not to ruin the magic for his little brother so I showed him the NORAD Santa tracker.

www.noradsanta.org

It really appealed to the scientist in him and he watched it for HOURS and Christmas was saved fir one more year.

Now he can't believe that he actually fell fit it.

This year I have told his little brother that Santa has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating so there will be no presents. No more Nice Mummy.

Stocking fillers can be for anyone, they are not just an FC thing. At this late stage and with the virus spiking and lockdown I would forget the hairband and go for a nice letter from FC to your dd, acknowledging the request but explaining that it was too late notice, and that he hopes she still believes in him.

Isn't there a deadline for sending santa a letter ? Royal mail even put a notice on their website which states

"Our last posting date for letters to Santa was Friday 11 December. If you wrote to him before then we hope you’re enjoying your letter from him, or will be really soon!"

Maybe show her the royal mail notice and tell her it's too late for present requests as santa needs time to make the presents.

We say Father Christmas brings the presents if you believe and have faith in him, when you don't then the parents take over - it makes room for all the new children being born. If you need to test him - then maybe it's time your parents take over is what I would say to her and give her a hug. It's been a tough old year!

Santa can't perform every miracle asked of him. A letter from Santa explaining that due to covid and too short notice her request is unachievable should be enough.

Stocking fillers is just another name for small gifts.

This is the kind of thing my local Facebook group would sort out in minutes. Are you part of one, if not then join 😄

You need to watch this with her🎄 🎅

Could you put a request out on Facebook buy/sell groups and see if anybody into fashion/making accessories could make one?!

FC could leave a different headband and a note to say the elves embroidery machine is set to a special pattern each year and can't be changed. Or if you really want to go to extremes there are embroidery shops that will print on you own garment. Perhaps you could buy a plain navy headband and see if they will do the design on it. Claire's have a similar plain headband but you would need to change where the bow is.

My daughter tests santa.It's how I found out you can buy really tiny hammers from Etsy.She also asked him for a perfectly ripe mango last year which was much harder to find than a hammer from the elf's workshop.

Maybe ask a local Facebook page? If it fails I’d just explain that it’s too late to put in requests, and stocking fillers aren’t just for Santa

I had the pleasure of a little darling at school informing my child no FC. I told her that only those that believe in him get a stocking with anything in it. She decided she believes. This was at the age of 5 and she I now 10.

Tell her FC gets the stocking presents from Sainsburys, and because of various loyalty cards he also gets them from Tescos, Waitrose, Aldi etc.
In fact you can sometimes see FC in a department store (when there were some) sat on a chair taking a break from shopping.
He doing this because the elves have been furloughed.

Appreciate the concern, but please don’t worry that I’m being held to ransom (or that Father Christmas is confused about the difference between a request and a demand) 🤔

I’m just hoping to cheer her (or maybe even both of us) up with a bit of unexpected Christmas magic... I realise it’s not likely, but I know from time to time people have been lucky enough to unearth obscure items this way, so hoped it would be a safe thing to ask for help with...

Keeping my fingers crossed just in case