If I'm giving a toy farm, what to do about animals?

[attheendoftheday]

This is a ridiculous 1st world problem, which I am probably overthinking.

In our house fc gives a stocking and one tree present, this year the dd's will be getting a farm to share as their fc present. The farm in question is a mixture of a homemade base (large piece of wood painted with grass, pond, yard etc), some secondhand little buildings and fence, and a new larger barn.

My question is, what to do about farm animals? The dds have a big collection of plastic animals and figures that could populate the farm, so I wasn't planning on buying any extra, but I'm worried it won't look very exciting until the dds see it with figures. The dds will be 2.7 and 11 months btw.

I could put some of the figures they already own on it (obviously dd2 won't notice!) but I'm not sure if this would be odd. I'm worried dd1 will want to know why fc is giving her toys she already has.

Another of dd1's presents is a set of horse figures, I could possibly include these with the farm, but then I wouldn't have the same number of presents for them (though I could hold back one of dd2's presents until her birthday).

I realise this is a ridiculous non-issue, but would value knowing what other people would do.

You're overthinking it

Just buy one horse, cow, sheep and pig. An extra four animals won't be much more clutter in the grand scheme of things and I think a farm has to have a few animals presented with it. Schleiff (sp?) ones are lovely.

Schleich.

I would get a few extra ones. I would also get the animals you have out for a play the week before Christmas to remind them of them.

I'd buy a couple of schleich animals to put in the farm too.

schleich are 3 for 2 in toys r us atm if that helps :)

Schleich! That's the beasties.

I would arrange the animals that you have either in a line leading up to the wrapped farm present or stood around it (as if looking in awe)... I would then say to your children 'look the Christmas elves must have whispered to the animals to get ready for a Christmas surprise.'

Problem solved ;-)

Felix that sounds magical...I'm in awe just thinking about it!

I agree with Schleich!
I loved them and spent hours admiring them during toy shop trips as a child but my mum always said they were too expensive :(. I've brought myself DD some for Christmas this year yay!

scleich would be completely out of scale for our farm, we have Britains (and cheap hong kong knockoffs).

This is just the sort of random non-problem that I'd worry about.

If you could bear to give it unwrapped, you could have the elves set it all up for them to discover on Christmas morning. This would work best if the animals were left out from playing with on Christmas Eve, but I'm sure elves can find things in cupboards if not. You could add a short handwritten note (by the milk and cookie table, maybe) explaining that FC/the elves thought it would look so much nicer with all the animals moved in, or that the elves had a little play, or Felix's wonderful the animals came to life and were so excited to move in story. Another poster on this board, I forget who, gift wraps the door to her living room for the children to burst through on Christmas morning, if you wanted to preserve some element of unwrapping.

The ELC schleich figures is another brilliant idea. There are lots of 25% off discount codes being offered on the bargains thread at the moment if you ask. I gave my spare away, but don't think I'll use the other one so, if you're stuck, PM me. If you're as anal as me anything like me though, you'll want it in all it's fully-populated glory for that first glimpse.

Thanks everyone! I accept I am overthinking. But I'm glad other people obsess over the same minutiae as me.

Buying a few extra animals is a good idea, and no hardship as I love the schleich figures. I'll price up Elc and toys r us for the best deals (I have my own elc code, but thank you for the offer Never ). I might combine a few extra with the old favourites trotting over to check it out!

littlesquid I hasn't considered scale! We have mostly Britains too, but I covert schleich the farm is not really for me, oh no .

I have already obsessed considered the wrapping options. I absolutely want the farm set out, but I think I should be able to carefully wrap it in situ and stick the paper to the baseboard.

Thanks for the advice!