christmas eve and dc's in bed but not asleep

[PresentsRibbonsAndMerrySantas]

what time do your dc's go to sleep on xmas eve, last christmas ds was still running about at 11.30 but was asleep shortly after midnight [he has asd though] but dd1 was still awake and coming down stairs at 3am saying i can not sleep, we managed to get to bed at 4.30am she better not do it this year, we have to wait until all dc's are in bed asleep before santa does his work

How old are they? If they are still fairly young, can you hide the fact that it is Christmas day from them?

If they are older, then they really need to understand that they have to stay in their rooms even if they don't sleep.

3,5,6 and 12, its the 12 year old that was the problem last year [used to ds and know he falls asleep in the end], she was taken back to bed over and over again, this year we have a 3 year old who does not sleep, thinking may get her cot back out, but what do i do with dd1 besides setting up her bed in the shed

If they are very young, maybe you could bring the level of excitement down a notch or two? Make it more about spending time together and less about Father Christmas coming?

If they are a little older, I find lying explaining that resting is as good as sleeping and that FC will be expecint them to be quiet and still in their beds when he arrives often means they relax enough under the covers to fall asleep.

Ds is 9 and will probably go to bed about 8/8.30ish. He will have had a few late nights beforehand so will hopefully crash out fairly quickly! Also, he knows that FC can't come and deliver any presents until he's asleep so that helps a little.

Is DD1 the twelve year old?

may have to do one of my very long [12 mile] walks christmas eve, but honestly its a nightmere, we even told her father christmas had already called by and as she was not asleep had gone and will try again later but only has enough time to come back once, i know mean but i was getting desperate.

That's hideous,yes, lower expectations and excitement levels!

yes dd1 is the 12 year old that was up

We have this problem with our eldest. One year we set the alarm for 4am and went to bed and got up to fill stockings then!

i would be worried i would sleep through the alarm, then i would have lots of faces christmas morning and me feeling like crap

yes santa leaves all the presents under the tree on xmas eve and the stockings at the end of their beds, but because she is up and down the stairs we can not get anything out. this year she is a bit is he real or not, and i don't want to confirm it, shes only twelve, i think it will take some of the magic away

dd1 still believes!?

Can you tell them they have to at least pretend to be asleep or he won't come? Normally pretending to be asleep relaxes them enough to actually sleep, and if not, at least she won't come downstairs... possibly a bit late though if she's got away with it in previous years.

Twelve is old to still believe! You have been lucky :)

If she is twelve this year I suppose she is unlikely to behave the same way as she did at eleven. TBH I would be pretty cross with my eight year old if he was keeping everybody awake at such a busy time of the year (but that is just mean old me).

Maybe you could try a later bedtime for her? She could help with last minute stuff perhaps?

My problem has always been early wakers - the four o'clock whining 'I can see my stocking and it's all lumpy

oh, she don't get away with it, shes very stuborn, her dad and me frog march her back to bed everytime, switch off all the lights in the house, but she still comes back down she is a bit does he does he not, so by next year she won't. but i still don't want her around when i get them all out, i can not be the only one not sleeping christmas eve because dc's are still awake

I am curious though, as mother who had to break it to one of mine when he started secondary school, that FC wasn't, you know...and see the look of horror on his face - how does she manage at school? Don't the other children put her straight? I think it is really sweet that she still believes!

yes we get the early morning too by the other 3, so i can not win, total lack of sleep

when we were younger, Santa started leaving our stockings in my parents room and we were last on the list of houses he delivered to, so they were never going to be there before 8am :o my parents are a bit evil, but it worked :o I think this happened after a couple of years ina row when 2 of us kids were up at 4am looking for our stockings, having been up until midnight prowling the house!

i don't know, she has not mentioned that, maybe he just don't get mentioned, although her friends are young for their age as well, one of them still gets the young magazines with my little pony in and none of them coment on it, they are very sweet

You are lucky - my MIL said Santa comes into your bedroom and looks to see if you are sleeping!!!!!! Scared the heck out of the girls who were 5 and 6 at the time and the ONLY way to get them to EVER sleep in their own beds again was to say it was daddy who did the pressies on Xmas eve night. Since then all fine..... they are 9 and 10 now and have not spoiled things for anyone else..

Who wants to believe a fat, drunk, unshaven bloke watches them whilst they are sleeping and gives them pressies for "being good"!! in any other circumstances the Child Protection people would be in!!!

Ha ha - I have a friend who's daughter was terrified at the thought of some old geezer breaking into the house when they were all asleep and coming into her bedroom. Her mum told her the secret and she slept well after that.

ha ha never thought of it like that

By 12 ours had known for some time.
One year DD2 put a bell in the toe of her stocking so that it would ring and she would hear when father Christmas lifted it. She knew full well what she was doing. It was a windup. Thankfully I sat on it when chatting to her as she was going to bed and she was rumbled!
I think wandering around the house in the early hours aged 11 is a bit of a windup too. I would tell her and engage her in helping keep the magic going for the others.

In our house FC always leaves the presents on the landing for us to take them into the bedrooms. Well that's what he did when they were little as DD2 was very worried about him coming into her room.