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Original poster

Christmas ruined - what do I do?

390 replies

Mummytotwonow · 21/12/2023 21:58

My 8yr old has hunted and found all the Christmas presents wrapped up for her and her brother. I have spent bloody weeks getting the presents, organising fun things to do, school admin, whilst juggling FT work and all the other mental load women have to do. This has just fking topped it off. What’s the bloody point. Do I just tell her there’s no father Xmas and ruin Xmas for her and her brother or do I re-wrap everything? I feel like fking walking away. I’ve had enough :(

OP posts:
PyongyangKipperbang · 21/12/2023 23:01

Its not ruined, just act as if it didnt happen. All she has done is ruin her own surprise and at 8 she probably wouldnt believe much longer anyway.

Calmdown14 · 21/12/2023 23:02

Okay. Calm down (said in the nicest possible way and coming from someone who cried the other day about ruined Christmas over a wrong sized graphics card).

What has she actually seen? Surely she didn't take every one out??

Could you keep a couple in their original wrapping and redo some of the others?

I doubt she's been able to take in the shape and size of every parcel.

Wrap a couple of her birthday gifts in the red and white (or something vaguely the same colours).

I have no idea what is in most of our parcels and I bought and wrapped them! She can't possibly retain that level of detail.

Chocolatecakewithsprinkles · 21/12/2023 23:02

You buy them for santa if he thinks the children have been good he brings them back plus a gift from him, i aren't having santa take all the credit they understand we pay and pick the gifts.

Hankunamatata · 21/12/2023 23:03

Santa was super busy this year so you wrapped them for him then the elves picked them up rqdy for santa to deliver

blackfluffycat · 21/12/2023 23:04

Candleabra · 21/12/2023 22:25

It’s not ruined.
But maybe time for consequences for your daughter - if you go hunting you might not like what you find.
Don’t do all the presents from Santa. They don’t think you buy them anything then!

I always did all presents front Santa. It didn't occur to me otherwise.

Birdcar · 21/12/2023 23:04

Just unwrap them all and put them in a sack or large gift bag.

Santa Claus never wrapped anything in our house. I didn't know it was a thing tbh.

wildwestpioneer · 21/12/2023 23:04

Tell her you're an elf and help Santa wrap presents (all kids get the same wrapping paper)

ChaniceKobolowski · 21/12/2023 23:05

mumsytoon · 21/12/2023 22:46

Op she's having you on. If she thoughts presents are from Santa and Santa comes just before Xmas, why would she be hunting for them earlier??
Come on, clearly she doesn't believe it.
I have an 8yo and would never have done this. Really bad behaviour from her.

There’s always next year that your model child could make a bad choice. It’s not really bad behaviour, it’s an inquisitive child that like hundreds of others has found their gifts. They haven’t opened them and if they had they only would have ruined it for themselves. No real harm has been done.

stayathomer · 21/12/2023 23:05

ChateauDuMont

It's a bit like being angry at a dog because he ate some food but really it's your responsibility to ensure that the dog could never get hold of the food and to place it completely out of reach.

A lesson learnt when my whippet was caught climbing like a bear up a bookcase to get to the very top where treats has been placed! Now anything he must not get his greedy peas on is hidden in a box and inside a cupboard.

Anyway, you're being overly dramatic about this as whilst it's disappointing that your child found the presents, you need to up your hiding game!

Only you can ruin Christmas as you are the adult.

You tell her that you are disappointed that she didn't come to you first when she saw the presents with her name on.

Re wrap them and hide them in a better place.

Just get a couple of cheap items that are from Father Christmas and draw a line under it and think of it as an amusing anecdote in years to come who she's an adult.

It's very easy to let things get on top of you at Christmas so don't let this turn into a big thing.
Love your style. Very sensible advice.

WGACA · 21/12/2023 23:06

Could you switch those to her birthday presents and wrap her birthday presents in Christmas paper. You could get purple ribbon for the new birthday pile and birthday gift bags to make them less Christmassy. Could you rewrap the brother’s gifts and them wrap all gifts for the wider family in white paper so your daughter will think that’s what she saw…?

newyearstart · 21/12/2023 23:06

Cornishclio · 21/12/2023 22:04

If she is searching for presents she probably already has an inkling about Father Christmas anyway. Did she unwrap them? I would just give them to her as they are.

This!

Hunting for presents was the best part of Christmas when I was 8!

Anonymouseposter · 21/12/2023 23:06

DragonFly98 · 21/12/2023 22:18

How do you not understand, she Will remember seeing them in her house and know Santa didn't bring them.

Show quote history

I think a high percentage of 8 year olds know Santa didn’t bring the presents. I realised at about 6 and some years I did go snooping , saw the presents but didn’t open them. I was still very excited by the whole thing and went along with the Father Christmas stuff partly for my younger brother and partly for myself. I wouldn’t give yourself more work OP, if they haven’t been opened I would just put them out as they are without comment. Try to get a bit of rest tonight and you
might feel better about it tomorrow

EconomyClassRockstar · 21/12/2023 23:07

Just sit her down, talk to her and tell her the truth. Then you can tell her that now she's a big girl, it's important she doesn't tell her brother because he still believes. My eldest absolutely loved being in on the secret. Then you only have to rewrap your son's gifts if he's already seen them.

Regardless of all that, Christmas isn't ruined and they will still have a lovely day.

NeighbourhoodWatchPotholeDivision · 21/12/2023 23:07

I don't think the little girl has unwrapped the presents. The issue is that she now knows there are presents in the house before Christmas and will recognise the paper on Christmas day. OP wanted her daughter to think Father Christmas brought all the presents.

OP posted this at 22:02 today when asked if the girl had unwrapped the presents.

No, but one pile was all red colour for her and the other white all for my son. I’m so cross with her. I don’t ask for much. I know she’s a child but I like all other mothers give everything you have and this feel so bloody hurtful :(

ConnieCroydon · 21/12/2023 23:08

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines - previously banned poster.

TheUsualChaos · 21/12/2023 23:08

PuddingWitch · 21/12/2023 22:04

I think this is a good idea. Christmas is still on!

Show quote history

This is what I would do as well. Small token gifts are always from Santa here. Main presents from us and grandparents.

blackfluffycat · 21/12/2023 23:08

@Bellie710 😂😂 You can't make traditions up for people. Santa brings all presents here. Same as when I was a kid.

mintmagnum3 · 21/12/2023 23:08

I tell my son that I buy some presents and the elves take them to the North Pole for Santa to bring to our house in Xmas Eve with the rest. Could you say that?
Or say they're for someone else?
I haven't read the whole thread so sorry if already been suggested!

HonoriaLucastaDelagardie · 21/12/2023 23:09

I always did all presents front Santa. It didn't occur to me otherwise.

Families where all presents are from Santa, what about presents from Grandma, Aunties etc? Do the children think they come from Santa? Does that mean Grandma and Auntie never get a thank you from the children? And don't the children ever buy, or help to buy and wrap, presents from them to Grandma and Auntie?

BombaySamphire · 21/12/2023 23:09

Unless I’ve read it wrong, she didn’t unwrap anything, just found a pile of wrapped parcels.
Can you clarify, op?

ChaniceKobolowski · 21/12/2023 23:09

blackfluffycat · 21/12/2023 23:04

I always did all presents front Santa. It didn't occur to me otherwise.

Show quote history

We have never done presents from Santa, they always have been from whoever bought them. Each to their own.

blackfluffycat · 21/12/2023 23:10

HonoriaLucastaDelagardie · 21/12/2023 23:09

I always did all presents front Santa. It didn't occur to me otherwise.

Families where all presents are from Santa, what about presents from Grandma, Aunties etc? Do the children think they come from Santa? Does that mean Grandma and Auntie never get a thank you from the children? And don't the children ever buy, or help to buy and wrap, presents from them to Grandma and Auntie?

No I did presents from Santa. Family gave their own.

BombaySamphire · 21/12/2023 23:11

HonoriaLucastaDelagardie · 21/12/2023 23:09

I always did all presents front Santa. It didn't occur to me otherwise.

Families where all presents are from Santa, what about presents from Grandma, Aunties etc? Do the children think they come from Santa? Does that mean Grandma and Auntie never get a thank you from the children? And don't the children ever buy, or help to buy and wrap, presents from them to Grandma and Auntie?

Gifts from Aunties, etc are given directly to the children, aren’t they?
Why would they be hidden in a pile in your house for your child to find?

MollsDolls · 21/12/2023 23:11

What about unwrapping some of them and leave them as Santa pressies. Santa never wrapped in ours as he was being eco friendly 😉

Whattheheckcarer · 21/12/2023 23:11

We don't wrap Santa presents. Can you either unwrap and put in stocking (and save yourself hours going forward, doing the same) or unwrap and put in cheap gift bags like these that you can just put sellotape across the top of?