Family presents - how and when!

[VamonosPest]

DH and I have just had a heated discussion about presents! My family always exchange presents for children before Christmas so they are there to open on Christmas morning. Everything is from Father Christmas and I think this keeps the magic going. DH's family exchange gifts whenever you see the people over the Christmas period. This has always been fine but DC1 is 2.5 and well aware of Christmas this year so there is now a clash! I would ideally like all the DCs' presents at home for them to open on Xmas morning. DH disagrees. We are at a bit of an impasse. I have said we can do it his way with his family but if so I don't want his parents to get and 'key' gifts as I want Father Christmas to have left these under the tree on Xmas morning.

What does everyone else do? And what would you do in this situation? Am I being unreasonable?

I should add, the kids do t think they are FROM Santa - aunts/grandma et. Just send the pressies to Santa and he brings them. Not a pressie in sight under our tree till Christmas morning

That made no sense bloody iPad! all pressie from the person but delivered by FC. Just to clarify

I have a child of the same age, and they are really not well aware of chistmas. Whilst I understand you wanting to get your traditions sorted, they are 2, they cannot read tags, write Thankyou notes, you can distract them in a second by pointing at a passing dog, they don't get it. They won't know.

I am buying Father Christmas gifts with my 2 year old with me and will have a 2 year old elf helping wrap stocking gifts for her siblings On Christmas morning there is no way she will connect these things. I have an 8yo who can find the most elaborate of hiding places and googles the physics of santa's Christmas Eve journey - that one gets it. The two year old likes sparkly lights and wrapping paper!

All the presents we buy for DS are from Santa, and family presents are from the gift buyer. Whether or not DS has them to open on Christmas Day really depends on when we see family over Christmas. I think it's nice for the gift buyer to see him open the gift, and as there's always plenty for him under the tree IT helps spread it out if he doesn't get some presents until Boxing Day or the day after.

I'm totally with your DH on this, my DH's family do it your way (not everything from Santa but everything must be available for opening on Christmas morning). I find it annoying, I'd rather spread the joy over a few days, sorry.

DD (6) and DS (19 !?!?) each get a stocking from Santa. DD also gets 3-4 gifts from Santa as requested on her letter. Both get gifts from us and all other presents are from whoever gave them. Some are given before Christmas and are under the tree, others are given when we see family/friends after the big day.
DSIL does the "everything's from Santa" line which really hurt DD's feeling last year when her cousin (same age) refused to believe that DD had gone out and chosen cousin's gift herself shouting "Bo you didn't, Santa brought it!"

DD (6) and DS (19 !?!?) each get a stocking from Santa. DD also gets 3-4 gifts from Santa as requested on her letter. Both get gifts from us and all other presents are from whoever gave them. Some are given before Christmas and are under the tree, others are given when we see family/friends after the big day.
DSIL does the "everything's from Santa" line which really hurt DD's feeling last year when her cousin (same age) refused to believe that DD had gone out and chosen cousin's gift herself shouting "No you didn't, Santa brought it!"

Really hope Santa brings me a laptop without a sticky RETURN button so I stop double posting....

Stockings from FC and these are lots of bits and pieces. Proper presents under the tree from family, friends and us.

Stockings and FC presents appear on Christmas Morning Presents from friends and family are exchanged before or on Christmas Day and go under the tree on Christmas Eve.

Father Christmas just brings presents to go in stockings here. My children have friends with very different family incomes, plus some who don't celebrate Christmas (Jewish and Muslim) so I think they might have too many questions about Father Christmas' fairness if he brought lots of big presents as well as stocking fillers. They know who bought them everything else so that they can thank them, also if they don't see a relative for ages, it seems nice to talk about that person sometimes whilst playing with the present that they gave.

I think it's weird to say all family presents are from Father Christmas. Father Christmas does the tat in the stocking only.

Santa just fills stockings in our home.

We exchange presents on Christmas Day and then exchange presents with other relatives when we see them over Christmas. Any sent presents go under the tree and are opened on Boxing Day.

When DCs were very little, I used to write their thank you letters and they would add a little scribble or a 'X', as they got bigger they would write their name and draw a little picture. They gradually progressed to writing their own thank you letters.

We keep all presents from family/friends and to and from each other for a grand gift opening on Christmas Eve after dinner. They are wrapped and under the tree until then. We are hundreds of miles from the nearest relatives so everyone posts whatever they are sending. I keep a list of who sent what and they send thank you notes.

On Christmas morning they find their SC gifts under the tree and their little stockings filled with chocolate coins and other goodies.

The stuff from their Christmas lists is always bought by me (Santa Claus), while anything anyone else gives tends to be small and/or random. I don't know why anyone else would want to horn in on the next generation's turf by providing some significant gift unless by prior agreement. When you are a grandparent you have already had your chance to be Santa -- let someone else do their bit now.

2.5 yos like the sparkly tree and colourful lights but they really do not appreciate the gift bit. Wrapping paper and packing boxes are as much fun as toys and they get overwhelmed if there is too much hoopla about it all, ime.

Is it mean if I don't let them get any of the important pressies though?

Don't let them??? Wow! Merry Christmas....

When we were younger we'd get gifts from extended family members usually the Saturday before Christmas at my grand dad's house, we'd all open our gifts after lunch. Then we'd get gifts from my mum and nan on Christmas day, Santa used to do the stockings for us
With dd I will allow her to open gifts from family members when she gets them so long as it's at a family get together, if someone is just dropping gifts round for her then we'll probably keep them for Christmas day but make sure she knows who it's from.
I'd be a bit annoyed if I'd spent time choosing a gift for a child and the child then being told that the present is from Santa to be honest, Santa gifts are for parents to do I think

We have stockings from Father Christmas. 'Tree' presents are from whoever actually gave them. Otherwise it's a bit unfair on the giver! If we see family before Christmas, they give us presents then and we put under the tree. If not (they live far away) they can either post (if they want) or we exchange presents when we see them over the Christmas period. It's not fair to expect people to pay out on postage unnecessarily and half the joy of giving is seeing the recipient's pleasure on opening the present.

Oh yes and we do thank you cards, too. There are just so many presents for the children, with extended family, that spreading it out a bit can only be a good thing, so they appreciate each one more.