what's a 'normal' father christmas delivery method?

[farewellfigure]

Hello

We're going away at Christmas to be with 2 other families. Our family ideas of how Santa delivers presents are quite different, and I just wondered what other family traditions are. My childhood Christmases obviously seemed 'right' to me as I grew up so I'm finding it quite hard to think that my DS's (age 3) Christmas this year might have to be different because we're spending it with a family whose Christmas traditions are different. I'm pathetic...I know. Age-old problem eh?

Anyway, in our family, Santa delivered one stocking, one pillow-case with a few bits and bobs in it (a game, something crafty, something chocolatey, maybe something useful like a duvet set, and some books) and then one main present. We were allowed to open the stocking and the pillow-case first thing in the morning as long as the rest of the family were awake and present.

What are everyone else's experiences? I'm not looking to go 'nurr nurr nurr nurr I'm right' btw. I'm just curious.

Presents from family members we won't see on Christmas Day arrive beforehand and are put away somewhere out of reach, otherwise they would just be opened - I have the most impatient DCs in the world. We get them out on Christmas Eve and put them under the tree. They hang small stockings on the mantel piece and Santa fills them with sweeties and a few tiny bits of tat gifts. Santa brings everything else - we don't do any "from mummy and daddy" presents, everything is from Santa. I used to wrap every.little.thing but gave up a couple of years ago closet eco warrior, Xmas paper and cards kill trees! and each DC gets a bag of some description with everything in. This year I got Christmas Pudding bin bags . DH and I get a few little token gifts, some years when we're skint we just get a chocolate orange and other years we get a bit more.
Then we go to grandparent's house for lunch and they give the DCs their presents then, and we exchange gifts for our DCs and my sister's DCs then too.

beginning to think i may go over the top with the kids they get a huge pile of pressies from santa and a huge pile under the tree from mummy and daddy, the dogs and each other as well as presents from relatives when we visit them although my mums just getting them little bits as she has an account for each of them and puts money in there for when they are older