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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:
itsgettingweird · 14/12/2023 08:07

No way would I buy more.

If they've gone on the search and Christmas Day isn't a surprise they've learned the natural consequence of their actions. It'll either stop them doing it again or they'll do it again as some people genuinely love the excitement of knowing what they are waking up to!

Bluesky0779 · 14/12/2023 08:43

Give the same gifts + a bag of marshmallow coal from Santa Lol. No, honestly I'm not sure, maybe swap one or two, I'd just be so sad they'd spoiled it I don't know if I could go through with a strict punishment that would dampen all of Christmas

Deliasdelilahs · 14/12/2023 08:53

I would let my DC have the natural consequence of nothing being a surprise.

Imisssleep2 · 14/12/2023 09:35

I would take the gifts back and gift for Xmas, but if some were from Santa, I would be replacing those if in the financial situation to do so, and find better hiding spaces for next year.

Wavyline · 14/12/2023 09:38

As everyone is saying, it would be stupid to buy more presents. I think take them back, because it's not OK to help themselves, wrap them up and give them as usual on Christmas Day. Who cares if they've spoiled their own surprise?

AgentJohnson · 14/12/2023 09:51

Your friend is an idiot! I suspect the ‘magic’ she talks of is the ridiculous mythical sentiment that some adults have about Christmas. Her kids are smart enough to not buy into the Santa visiting bs and have found their gifts. This could be a teaching moment for both her and her kids but given she’s contemplating going into debt in a desperate attempt to salvage her daftness, I’m guessing the opportunity will be missed.

Milliemoos5 · 14/12/2023 10:07

I used to search the house high and low for the hidden presents when I was a kid and always found them and spoilt the surprise for myself 🤣 but would never have occurred to me that my parents would then go out and buy another load! How ridiculous

LovedMyLastNameItHadToGo · 14/12/2023 10:39

ahh they weren’t wrapped? About to say mine are all wrapped (almost!) and out now (expect the one gift from father Xmas of course).

WhereYouLeftIt · 14/12/2023 10:50

Greenpolkadot · 13/12/2023 14:19

All the stuff was out. One toy had been taken out it's box.
I think she walked in on them playing with it.
Like most people I haven't got the funds too replace all this and I don't think she has either. She talked about 'looks like I'll have to borrow some money to sort this out ,'. And just laughed...like kids will be kids..wtf..

Show quote history

Well this looks like a perfect teaching opportunity to me. And the lesson today, kids, is - consequences. With a side order of the pleasure of delayed gratification.

"She says they must done a proper search as they were hidden in cupboards ' the shed and various other places."

No, she does not "borrow some money to sort this out", she wraps those gifts and they get them on Christmas Day. And if they're disappointed, that's the lesson successfully delivered. Under no circumstances should they be rewarded with 'new' unseen-before toys. They chose to forego surprise. Consequences.

LuckySantangelo35 · 14/12/2023 11:12

lol has any poster actually said they would buy more gifts? Surely not!

pontipinemum · 14/12/2023 11:31

Santa was having warehousing issues and asked parents to mind the presents for him.

No way would I be buying more!

AllTheChaos · 14/12/2023 11:37

HAF1119 · 13/12/2023 13:56

Crikey this makes me feel my mum was mean! I found mine (things were more restricted back then, it was 2 presents) and my mum told me she took both back as you shouldn't look for them. I got one but not the other in the end.. I didn't search again!

This is what I did to my DD a few years ago - she never did it again!

Sugarfree23 · 14/12/2023 11:40

LuckySantangelo35 · 14/12/2023 11:12

lol has any poster actually said they would buy more gifts? Surely not!

I and at least one other said they get something extra for the youngest, mainly to try and keep the Santa thing alive.
Three kids under 10, so even if the oldest is 10, the say the middle child is 8 or 9. They can't be much older than 6 or 7 and prime Santa years so must have been lead by the other kids, who have been questioning Santa.

Why should they have it spoilt for them?

LuckySantangelo35 · 14/12/2023 11:41

Sugarfree23 · 14/12/2023 11:40

I and at least one other said they get something extra for the youngest, mainly to try and keep the Santa thing alive.
Three kids under 10, so even if the oldest is 10, the say the middle child is 8 or 9. They can't be much older than 6 or 7 and prime Santa years so must have been lead by the other kids, who have been questioning Santa.

Why should they have it spoilt for them?

Show quote history

@Sugarfree23

because they’ve spoilt it for themselves by snooping!

steppemum · 14/12/2023 11:45

My kids are now older teens and 20s.

they have admitted it me that every year their found my present stash and then argued amongst themselves as to who was getting what.

They never let on.
Did it make any difference at all to the wonderfulness of coming down on Christmas morning to a mass of presenst under the tree? No not one bir.

It turns out that dc3 is autistic and she has recently said that the stress of not knowing what the gifts are is huge and she needs to know.
So now she knows what she is getting but we put in some surprises and jokes ot keep it fun. She is fine with that.

In our house, Santa brought stockings, and we never labelled th eones form us under the tree. But we weren't rigid about santa, they knew it was us form an early age. Somehow that really doesn't make the magic any less.

Sugarfree23 · 14/12/2023 12:05

LuckySantangelo35 · 14/12/2023 11:41

@Sugarfree23

because they’ve spoilt it for themselves by snooping!

Show quote history

Yes but in no way was the youngest the instigater of hunting down stuff.

I just wouldn't want to spoil Santa for them. Once that magic is gone, it's gone. I'd try to salvage it for the LO.

Ohtobetwentytwo · 14/12/2023 12:30

Ha! Not a chance.

The kids wanted to find the presents and they did. If that spoils the surprise then the kids got what they wanted.

I doubt they care about the surprise as much as your friend, hence the confusion over what to do. Like at friend problems, my advice is to sit on the fence and dont volunteer your opinion

Ohtobetwentytwo · 14/12/2023 12:34

As for handling the magic of Father Christmas, I'd simply say he sent them early for mummy to check before wrapping them up. New presents are not the answer! It's not hard to make up a "clausable" lie to children wanting to believe.

SpudleyLass · 14/12/2023 12:57

It's natural consequences for them to no longer have the surprise on Christmas morning.

Will probably stop them doing it again in the future.

WickerMam · 14/12/2023 13:07

LuckySantangelo35 · 14/12/2023 11:41

@Sugarfree23

because they’ve spoilt it for themselves by snooping!

Show quote history

I said the same as @Sugarfree23 . I actually feel really sad for the youngest, who is probably only 6 at most, and has had their xmas surprise ruined by their silbling(s). I wouldn't replace everything, but I'd buy a couple of things for the youngest, and I would be very angry at the oldest.

oakleaffy · 14/12/2023 13:28

@Greenpolkadot ...NO way should the parent of the ''Peeping'' children be bought more presents.
As a child I 'Peeped'.... more fool me.

Absolutely no way should they be rewarded by more presents.

They need to learn that if they ''Peep'' as mum called it -then they just spoil the surprise for themselves.

Sugarfree23 · 14/12/2023 13:42

Those saying they peeped and looked for gifts how old were you when you did it?

I think there is a difference between a child 10 or 11 plus doing it and small children of 6 or 7.

Chipsahoyagain · 14/12/2023 13:47

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…

Don't do this nonsense. Ds 7 knows we buy all gifts. Santa gives him a book. Why should someone else get the credit for our hard work ?

Forgottenmypasswordagain · 14/12/2023 13:48

I would re wrap them and give as planned.

sebanna · 14/12/2023 14:17

My sister found the Keepers mum had brought for Christmas. Mum just showed me the toy and explained she had bought it for Christmas but it was being sent to Father Christmas for him to deliver. Think the whole incident was more stressful for my mum, I was just pleased with the present and it didn't stop me believing in Father Christmas.

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