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Original poster

Kids found hidden Christmas gifts...what would you do ?

271 replies

Greenpolkadot · 13/12/2023 13:50

Talking with some friends yesterday.
One tells us that her kids (3 under 10 ). found all their gifts from where she had hidden them.
She says they must done a proper search as they were hidden in cupboards ' the shed and various other places.
She took the gifts away but then wonders if she should buy a whole new load of stuff as the suprise has gone .
Personally I would keep the discovered stuff and re-present it on Christmas morning...but she thinks I'm being mean and unreasonable.

OP posts:
Bax765 · 13/12/2023 20:16

I used to find all the presents my mum had bought, peel the sellotape off one end to see what they were and then wrap them back up again. If she ever noticed, she never told me! Can't say I learnt any lessons from it, other than to hide things more thoroughly from my own children 😄

There is no way I would replace all the presents...

mondaytosunday · 13/12/2023 20:33

That's crazy. I thought you were going to say they found the (wrapped) presents and oops Santa's cover was blown! But if they were actively looking the game is up.
If they want a surprise next year then they need to stop looking don't they!

Harryzmum · 13/12/2023 20:47

spriots · 13/12/2023 13:58

How did she not notice 3 under 10s ransacking the house?!

This!!

Where were parents/ babysitters?!

Dotcheck · 13/12/2023 20:50

Skyisbluegrassisgreen · 13/12/2023 14:00

Get her to get the elves to write a letter saying they’d run out if storage at the North Pole do they needed to borrow their cupboards! That they would be taking them back to the North Pole soon…

🙄

rosyglowcondition · 13/12/2023 20:58

Happened to me and I cried 🤣

TheClitterati · 13/12/2023 22:14

My 12yo opened an Amazon delivery today. Addressed to me - deliberate act.

I'm pissed off.

Going to tape the box up and put it by the front door marked "return to sender".

Skyisbluegrassisgreen · 13/12/2023 23:09

Eye roll at preserving the magic for primary aged children, you must have a very sad life.

LBFseBrom · 13/12/2023 23:35

ConflictofInterest · 13/12/2023 19:57

Why would she replace them, won't they then be disappointed to not get what they're expecting. We must be a strange family because we all hate surprises. My kids couldn't cope with not knowing what they're getting for Christmas, I always show them before I wrap them up. The excitement is the anticipation of playing with it.

I don't like surprises either, knew what I was getting for main Christmas presents from my parents. However, I did receive things from other people and didn't know what they were in advance.

Christmas can be fun without all the secrecy. I don't get why it is so upsetting that the children found their gifts.

Coolstorysis · 14/12/2023 00:59

Meh this was a sport to me as a kid, I enjoyed the hunt and didn't care about spoilers. Still enjoyed Christmas and never found everything. I remember getting a c64, I was there when they bought it and honestly best Christmas ever, I couldn't have been more excited (old).

WandaWonder · 14/12/2023 01:01

I could be a billionaire and I wouldn't replace them

miniegg3 · 14/12/2023 01:09

We snooped when we were kids.. to be honest I don't actually remember it ruining the surprise or joy of christmas at all 🤣

GingersOwner26 · 14/12/2023 01:20

When I was four, I opened some of my advent calendar windows early, and then ended up feeling really disappointed when it came to the days where I'd already opened the window because I knew what the picture was. That cured me of any desire to snoop, and I've never actually sought out my presents. The time I had a friend over and she found them by accident (she'd taken it upon herself to go through this old trunk and wondered why there were sweets in there) I shut that down. Maybe the experience of the lack of surprise on Christmas Day will teach these children not to snoop. I would just give them the same presents they already found.

caringcarer · 14/12/2023 02:55

I'd be telling them off for spoiling their surprises and I'd certainly not be replacing more gifts. I'd probably keep one gift they found back for a birthday and might, only might buy one thing they didn't know about 2 days before Xmas.

coldcallerbaiter · 14/12/2023 03:13

My kids did stuff like this, tough no surprises then.

They ate Lindt chocolates and re-wrapped tissues in the foils.

Not Christmas but once they ate a birthday cake from the underneath, I went to candle it and found it was hollow.

coldcallerbaiter · 14/12/2023 03:18

They know the hiding places . Also a bratz type doll was boxed, when I went to wrap it, the box had been prized open and she had an outfit change and felt tip makeup prostitute-style, as only an 8 year old knows how to do

Diggerdriverless · 14/12/2023 03:48

What does she plan to do with the original presents? Or do they get them now? Think it's ridiculous to put yourself in debt for Christmas so no way buy more stuff. I think a lot of the drama around surprises is more for adults than children

WhatNoUsername · 14/12/2023 03:51

I'd have told them the gifts they found were for other people. You have to do it immediately and nonchalantly.

And then ban looking for gifts in future years!!

I was always told my DC if they found them then they won't get any presents. They have to go back to the shop if the surprise is ruined.

AMillionMoreFirstTimes · 14/12/2023 03:56

How did she not notice 3 under 10s ransacking the house?!

That was all I could think of when reading. If they were looking everywhere including the shed, how did someone not notice?

ithinkthatmaybeimdreaming · 14/12/2023 04:55

I often used to go hunting for my gifts as a child, it was part of the fun!!! I certainly wouldn't have expected my parents or grandmother to have got rid of them and bought me something else. I also wouldn't have been happy if they had donated them as a pp does. What does it matter if they find them?

Coffeeismyfriend1 · 14/12/2023 06:56

Me and my iPad nearly ruined ours this year! I keep a table in my note app with ideas then cross off as I buy. I gave my son my iPad to find the music for his nativity to practice the songs and my iPad had it as a large tiles for some reason. He said what’s the things that says Christmas 2023, damn him being able to read now 🙈

I just said those are just ideas and things you’ve told me you want then promptly locked that note with a passcode 😂

I wouldn’t be buying more even if they had found stuff as I have neither the money nor the time to rethink everything!

honeylulu · 14/12/2023 06:57

I certainly wouldn't buy more, who can afford to blow money like that? And what do you do with the original set?

As other posters have said, the cause and effect is loss of the surprise. My 9 year old is a bit prone to snooping and poking packages. In an over excited way not a sly way, but it does annoy me. The other day I told her if she keeps doing it then I won't bother wrapping her presents up - I will just put them under the tree in Tesco carrier bags on Christmas morning! (I wouldn't go that far but I'd probably just put them all in one big box and wrap that and save myself the faff of wrapping them all individually!)

My eldest (now nearly 19) was much more subtle. He confessed many years after the fact that there were a couple of years he'd gone searching for his presents . Those were years when there was something he desperately wanted and was beside himself with anxiety about whether it would be coming or not. Once he found it he could relax and look forward to it. He does have ASD which may be relevant.

Just as a caveat to the above, the kids have always known the tree presents were from us. Santa only brings the stocking - smaller and easier to hide!

simonthedog · 14/12/2023 07:17

You don't ruin a surprise by snooping, if you hate surprises. I often snooped when I was a child and still would. Waiting and not knowing made me feel incredibly anxious. I would much rather know what I was getting, even if it was something I didn't want.
I really don't understand why everyone is so desparate for a surprise and 'magic' , but I know I am probably being unreasonable.
I do get surprises for my own children, because I feel like that is what I am supposed to do. If they found them before though, so be it.
I would never have opened and played with something I found though and would be cross with DC if they did.

Laska2Meryls · 14/12/2023 07:47

I used to tell my son where they were, and would say that said that if he wanted he could have them now but there would be no more on Christmas day.. He never took up the offer ...

But then we used to have 'Mummy Christmas' not Father Christmas .. he didn't believe in FC after about aged 4 anyway .

I remember him being really shocked when a one of his friends and their brother found all their presents and opened them ... (They told him )...

Lorralorr · 14/12/2023 07:58

Yeah and apart from all the lessons to learn, they might now be excited about the things they found and sad if they don’t get them after all. Presumably these gifts were well chosen ones they wanted whereas new load will be whatever she can panic buy quickly.

MadCatLady27 · 14/12/2023 08:02

Now way would they be getting new gifts. They may well have forgotten what most of them are by Christmas day. I don't have children but if I did and they found them, they would be getting the same things, otherwise you're rewarding them for snooping as they get double gifts.

Also no way could I afford to replace them

We always did it so the "sack" presents were from Santa then the main gifts downstairs were from parents and named givers, so I could properly thank them/write thank you letters

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