Must. Stay. AWAKE!

[MissusClaws]

I’m sure I’m not the only parent who’s desperately trying to stay awake to do their Santa bit!
im knackered and I k ow they’ll be up at silly o’clock. I’ve set an alarm incase I do nod off.
my 10 year old, as far as I can tell, is still a believer and this will no doubt be the last year. Problem is, he’s a light sleeper, but has insisted that FC leaves his presents in the end of his bed like every other year. How do I style it out if I inadvertently manage to wake him up?!
would love to hear some funny stories of parents being(or almost being!) caught in the act!

We are patiently waiting 👀

Just do the same as you did last year?

Also waiting here and willing myself not to fall asleep and ruin the magic

I fully sympathise. I'm absolutely exhausted and need sleep desperately but I have wrapping and housework to do. Instead I'm lying on the sofa scrolling away on MN.

Well you should have drugged him with mogadon in his bedtime milk.

<Kidding>

This is the plan. But he’s become a much lighter sleeper since last year. Pus he’s on high alert waiting for FC!

My dc are 14/16 and I'm still doing this ritual every year! I will probably hire a sleigh when they leave home and still play Santa! 😂

My adult DC is sleeping downstairs in the sofa. I’ve already warned him that I’ll be down at some point to put the bigger presents out

Also waiting for a very wired 10 year old to fall asleep here

I’m staying awake too 😴😫

"Santa left a note to ask me to put out your presents as he suspected you'd wake up and catch him! Santa say you need to relax and chill out a bit"

My 21 year old just said ‘I can see why I used to piss you off on Xmas Eve now!’ 😂

I’m heading downstairs to write this right now! Genius!

We always have a busy couple of days and late nights on the 22nd and 23rd due to other family events - it's hectic but it means we never have any issues on Christmas eve. Both kids (6 and 8) were fast asleep by 8.30pm and we were finished wrapping and stockings stuffed by 9.45.

Sat with the dregs of last year's port and eating a well deserved mince pie and a few carrot chunks now.

Ah lovely. My 3 year old had the chocolate come-down about 8pm so that’s something!

Really old story now but one year I stayed at my aunt and uncle's, with my parents but I was on the sofabed in living room. I was only small and it wasn't actually Christmas eve, but was woken by them at some point in the night - they asked me had I heard the reindeer clattering over the roof doing a practice run for Christmas, took me to look out of the window, and I totally believed them. Next morning there was a note at the end of my bed from Santa and Rudolph to say sorry for waking the whole house up on their test run but now he knew where to drop my stocking... In my aunt's writing which I didn't clock because I was only about six. I still have the note somewhere!

Was ridiculously excited to tell my parents when they woke up! My family is enormous so where we all stayed changed every year but this is one of my favourite Christmas memories and maybe you could use a similar story if you do wake your son while doing stockings?

Edit for typos

I’m watching live actually. It’s on the bit where rowan Atkinson is gift wrapping the blokes present for his bit on the side. Cracks me up!

What a lovely memory

Mine were finally asleep but then dd woke up and her tooth fell out. So now I have to wait for her to get back to sleep, and then be the Tooth Fairy AND Father Christmas......!

Ha! This is my tradition which drives my partner potty. He would have them under the tree. The worse thing is I get super giggly when I am being sneaky (am also rubbish at hide and seek 😂) So we had to sneak in to get the stocking, fill them and put them back all while I’m trying to stop myself from giggling/bursting out laughing. We did manage it though!
they are teens now so know it’s us but Santa is still leaving the stocking by the end of the bed (although my daughter agreed they could be left outside the door as she’ll be up til god knows when….

good luck!

i remember my mum telling me about one of our neighbours who’s husband was going upstairs carrying an armful of presents and the wife was behind him in a similar predicament. The husbands pyjama bottoms began to fall down, exposing his bare arse at her eye level. The pair of them obviously fell about laughing, but had to be quiet, so they didn’t wake the kids up!

I am, and just mentioned to DH that I have at least 10 mins of stuff to finish before bed and he looked at me completely blankly
I'm glad he still believes in Xmas magic 🙄

I'm just eating my second mince pie before I spring into action. This year they wanted to put one out each 🙄
(Yes, I know I don't have to eat them, but they are the brandy buttercream topped ones)

I’m sat here scrolling to try to stay awake 😭😭😭😭😭KEEP EYES OPEN

I’ve managed to get around this! They put an empty pillow case on the end of the bed then it’s replaced with the pre-filled stockings that have been stashed in the wardrobe. Helps to minimise the rustling and makes for a swifter operation