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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

If you don't do FC (or your DC are too old for it)...

14 replies

lljkk · 18/12/2011 18:02

When do the presents arrive under the tree?
When do DC receive their stockings?
We don't have any guests this year so can't structure anything around them coming or meals.

I am thinking stockings placed outside DC bedroom doors after they fall asleep on Xmas eve & NOBODY to wake me up before 7:30am. Problem is... I really like to admire all the presents under the tree for a long spell before opening. I would even put them there now except that DC couldn't resist poking & prying & prising all week. The only way I could have the pressies under tree (and keep them safely wrapped) as early as Xmas eve is if I sleep in front of the tree myself that night to keep out the over-excited DC creeping down at 4am.

And it's not a comfy place to sleep.

Just wondering what others do, or if you have any ideas for me.

OP posts:

oreocrumbs · 18/12/2011 18:11

I'm not there yet my DD is only a toddler, Father Christmas has years of mileage yet here

When we were children, my parents just continued to do what they always had - 'santa' brought the presents after we went to bed on Christmas eve. I think we stopped putting out mince pies etc, and we knew it was mam doing it, but it stopped us from raiding the presents!

Untill we were of an age (I can't remember) when we were old enough to be trusted not to rummage! Probably when we hit our early 20's

We always put our gifts for other people around the tree so that it doesn't look bare!

oreocrumbs · 18/12/2011 18:14

Oh and we still get our presents first thing! Get up and descend like locusts

Now we don't live at home, we have just about enough restraint to wait untill everyone is gathered at my mothers and then the mayhems begins

marialuisa · 18/12/2011 18:16

Presents are already under the tree-DH is more inclined to prod than DD. Everyone opens a tree present after mass on christmas eve. Stockings get put in bedroom when we go to bed and can be opened whenever. I don't mind being woken up to watch. Tree presents opened mid-morning after we've done horse jobs.

meditrina · 18/12/2011 18:17

If you don't do FC, how on earth you have stockings?

We put presents are put under the tree any time after the tree is up (or we get round to wrapping up) and add any brought by visitors as and when they arrive. That doesn't help you, does it? Could you put the tree in a playpen - even if your DC could break in, the presence of a barrier might act as a sufficient deterrent?

DressDownFriday · 18/12/2011 18:18

This is the first year that we haven't done Father Christmas - youngest is now 11 and a 'non believer'. My DH and I had a discussion about this, this afternoon. I wanted to get the presents out on Christmas Eve but he still wants to bring them down after they are asleep, to still retain the element of suprise - the oldest is 14 so we're going to have a late night.

seeker · 18/12/2011 18:20

Mine are 10 and nearly 16- and we still hang stockings, put out mince pies for father Christmas, have Christmas pyjamas- the whole deal!

danceswithyarn · 18/12/2011 18:21

At Chez Yarn (my DParents), it's been a case of pressies under the tree after final hoove on Christmas eve. in my case that's when I start wrapping these days, so Santa o'clock is somewhat maintained by default (I refuse to believe I'm the only one who will be swearing at sellotape in the wee small hours!) Pressies from friends etc are kept on the table-that-moves-so-the-tree-will-fit and moved underneath after the big clean!

My DM did hoove during my 18th birthday party though, so I appreciate this may be a little dysfunctional!

mumeeee · 18/12/2011 18:30

Well we still do stockings here and our youngest is 19. DH and I also do a stocking for each other.'DD's hang their stockings on the landing and I fill them and either put them in their bedroom or just outside the door. Other presents are put round the tree as they are wrapped. This is just about the same as we've always done it. That's because even when hey did believe only stocking stuff came from FC all other presents were from us and relatives.

nooka · 18/12/2011 18:35

Have never done Father Christmas (either in my own childhood or for my children).

My parents put the tree up on Christmas Eve, and that's when the presents go under it. We don't open any of them until after tea time, so there is quite a long time for admiring them (usually my mother feels the need to say how horrified she is that there are so many). We didn't have stockings, but got a big present to keep us occupied at the end of our bed. We always went to midnight mass so I don't think we got up at the crack of dawn.

For my own family we do stocking on the end of their beds and presents under the tree on Christmas Eve (often because that's when we finish wrapping them!). We've never had poking and prying problems, and our children stopped waking up early long ago (they are 11 and 12 now)

Florin · 18/12/2011 18:37

My twin and I are both 28 and now both expecting our own dcs however my parents still sneak in when we are asleep and leave our stockings by our bed (and one each for our husbands!) then when we wake up we all take stockings into my parents bedroom-yup including our husbands and open them with my parents. We only get small pressies in stockings-socks, toiletries hair bands that sort of thing then main Christmas presents under the tree. Got a feeling as both my twin and I are expecting our first dcs this may be our last year and next year it will be the babies getting the stockings!

bigTillyMincepie · 18/12/2011 18:52

My DC are 10 and 12 and long since stopped believing. They leave their stockings out and I fill them and leave them just outside their doors. They come into us and open them on our bed whenever they wake up - it has been at 8ish but will probably be later now as we have to dig them out of bed most days!

All the other presents go under the tree and are opened when we get back from church.

olibeansmummy · 18/12/2011 19:00

Dss is 11 and his presents are already under the tree ( won't be at ours til the afternoon or we'd do Santa same as ds) there's also 1 for ds from us under the tree and the rest will be from Santa.

COCKadoodledooo · 18/12/2011 19:21

Christmas pressies go under the tree after getting home from the midnight service at my folks', and it has been ever thus. Just these days it's all of us putting them under the tree whilst having a glass of the festive spirit Tbh I enjoy that part of it almost as much as watching the kids' faces the next morning!

LordOfTheFlies · 18/12/2011 19:34

My DCs are 12 and 9.6 (so faaaaar to old to believe in FC but we still do the whole shebang)

Stockings (we use bags with sparkling lights) go into the room at about 2am, the fibre-optic tree is on a timer and they are not allowed to go downstairs until it is lit.

This year,an idea 'poached' from MN- we are going to put wrapping paper over the doorway to the lounge to keep them sneaking in for them to burst through!

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