How do you *do* Christmas???

[badkarma]

Tradition in our house, was to have a space for each childs gifts. eg: Mine was on the big armchair beside the fire, sisters was on the sofa and my brothers was on the coffee table. (Although there were 8 of us at home, the eldest ones were a lot older and had grew out of "santa" gifts long before we did. Ours was never wrapped, just sitting there, all shiny and new waiting for us to find them. My dolls were already in their buggys, batteries were already in everything we got, we had no wrapping paper to open (or throw away!)
I still carry on this tradition with my kids, they get up and dd's gifts are on the sofa and ds's are on the armchair, no wrapping etc... they know they are from santa. Then we give them a small gift from us, maybe a dvd or something, and they know their stockings are from us, but I like them to think that Santa left their toys etc....

However, a friend recently suggested to me that what I was doing was wrong. She said her kids know that they buy all the toys, She wraps everything individually and has FROM MUM & DAD on them... her kids are 6, 7 and 9 and know that Santa isn't real I know some people DO do it that way.

Do you all wrap all the gifts and do your kids think the wrapped gifts are from santa or from parents?

I was about 8 or 9 at least I think before I knew any different. I guess if you want to believe, then you do believe. I had a baby sister (9 years younger) so for me and my brother the magic kept going for much longer than we believe, for her sake.

we have stocking on bed, a single additional wrapped present from santa around the fireplace (because he comes down the chimney and that's where we leave the mince pies and carrots) and everything else from everyone else under the tree.

santa's presents have different wrapping to everyone else. and he writes a thank you letter for the mince pies in strange gothic writing.

very polite man

That's true Hula, my dd is 5 and is all into FC at the minute too.. she thinks he's like god... all around but can't be seen

My 9 and a half year old, only last week, told me older kids had told him there was no Santa, and only "little kids" should believe in him and that he needed me to tell him the truth.

I'd wanted him to believe until he was at least 21 but I guess he was ready.

As I wanted to still keep it all special I explained how there was a Saint Nicolas who did good things for people and helped children and so we carry on the tradition of him, with us now buying the presents.

He didn't get upset, as I thought he might, he just felt very grown up that he was now in on the grown-ups secret and looks forward to playing along with Father Christmas for his little sisters sake.

I'll still sneak into his room on Christmas Eve though with his stocking and his pile from 'Santa' will still be under the tree.

Made me laugh when a few days later he said "Are you and Dad the tooth fairy too"!!

QueenPeaHead - our FC also writes his thank you letter for his drink and nibbles

Dds have a stocking each on their beds with small knick-knacks, sweets and an orange from Santa.
They are only allowed to ask Santa for one present each which he leaves in the dining room unwrapped.
We leave out a mince pie and a glass of orange juice for Santa and a carrot and a saucer of water for Rudolf. They always leave a few crumbs on the plate with a thank you note and a large tin of Roses.
DD1 is 14 and stopped believing about 3 years ago but still asks for an incredibly expensive gift from Santa which we grudgingly buy incase she lets slip the truth to the other two.
DD2 is 11 and I'm sure she knows but never lets on because she still wants to be part of the magic. Dd3 is 8 so we're alright for a couple of years.
I love hearing the loud whispers in the night 'HE'S BEEN!!', 'LOOK!!', 'OH COOOOOL!'.
Then they peek through the bannisters to make sure he's left the right things then they go back to bed for a few hours.
Family presents are handed out at 11.00am and doing the honours will be a reluctant male relation wearing the hand me down Christmas Fairy outfit.

Hula. Why are you denying your poor deprived dd the pleasure of a stocking?

This is one of my main memories of christmas, the empty sock at the end of the bed and it seeming to take HOURS, DAYS to be able to drop off to sleep, then waking up and sitting bolt upright to feel it - no, still empty.....then waking again, and feeling a heavy weight at the end of the bed, and the utter excitement of realising the stocking had been FILLED and was lumpy and crackly with unimaginable delights! totally magical, it all was....

Give your girl a stooooocccccckkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiing!

oh, and in answer to the op (now I've got that off me chest!)

Ds (who is four) has a stocking (surprise surprise!) at the end of his bed, which he brings in to us to open and we sit in bed for as long poss (abt 2 mins if ds has his way!)

We have presents under the tree, all wrapped; the ones we buy are from Father Christmas (we don't say Santa in our house, don't know why but there you go) but ds knows other presents are from his GP's, aunts and uncles etc. The Father Christmas ones are opened after breakfast, then my mum and dad arrive at about ten am with another load of pressies, and these are opened when they come, along with a bottle of bubbly.

We have lunch with my parents who used to stay with us when they lived further away - nowadays we're all close by and my dad is not well, so they'll be going early afternoon.

Which could leave us with a bit of an anti-climax for ds for the rest of the day.... Guess I'll have to plan an outing to look forward to for the afternoon....

Christmas eve we go the to family service at the village church (I'm embarrased to say it's the only time I go!). When we get back we put milk and mince pies for santa and carrots for the reindeer on the hearth. Then bed. Meanwhile DH and I eat the mince pies, carrots and milk and leave crumbs and carrot tops, we put fake snow outside (if we haven't got the real stuff) and put sleige tracks and reindeer and santa footprints in it. A pillowcase with toys (unwrapped) goes at the end of the bed (these are presents from Santa). All other presents under the tree wrapped and clearly label "to" and "from". I've always felt this was important for my ds to know that people had spent their time, money and effort buying presents for him and in return he has to write thank you letters (pictures before he could write), make thank you phone calls etc. We don't unwrap under-tree presents until all guests have arrived (usually bringing more presents) and then there is a mass present opening. My dh has a real problem with this waiting for everyone before present opening (we're only talking 10-11 O'clockish) but I will not budge. I think it's good for ds to have some self control (it's only 1-2 hours he has to wait and he has got his santa presents to play with) and it's about giving and receiving and enjoying watching other people open their presents as much as anything and my parents get so much joy from watching my ds open his presents. Am I wrong making my dh and ds wait for everyone to arrive?

My children have always had unwrapped presents in a Father Christmas bag ayt the end of the bed ( only these presents came from Father Christmas) Presents from us and some of the relations are put under the Christmas tree. They buy presents for each other and us which are also put under the tree. They are now 16, and 14 and still like putting their bags out for Father Christmas! They hang the bags on the landing when they go to bed and I take them into thier bedrooms later ( this is because when DD2 was litle she didn't like the idea of Father Christmas coming into her room, so we told her that He filled the bags up and left them for us to put in her room) My husband and I also put out a small pillow case for each other!
We have a big Chrisstmas celebration with my side of the family a couple of days after Christmas where the kids get more pressies!

Message withdrawn

All the presents from family, friends and 'mum and dad' are under the tree by Christmas eve, all wrapped and labeled. Then we go to the Christingle service in the afternoon then go out for a meal (usually a curry because thats what my family always did! dd will out curry now but used to have chicken and chips!) Then home, put out carrots, mince pies and milk (FC shouldn't drink and drive!) and off to bed with stocking at the end of the bed.

During the night FC delivers his gifts, some of which are wrapped and some not, but none are very expensive and there is always an annual and a box of chocs/sweets, an orange and an apple!

In the morning dd can open her gifts from FC but the ones under the tree have to wait until after breakfast and church. Then we eat lunchtime (sometimes with grandparents sometimes not) and collapse in a heap for the afternoon while dd plays. If possible we go for an afternoon walk to help digest the vast quantities of food eaten!!!!

Dd (now 8) asked last year if FC was real and I had to tell her that he wasn't but that in our house he represented the spirit of christmas. She decided by christmas that actually she'd still rather believe and this year we are going to lapland to try and find the 'real' FC.

My two grown up children still insist he's real when they stay but this is because I told them when they were teenagers that people who didn't believe didn't get stockings! Mind you they say 'of course we beleive mum' with a big grin on their faces and a twinkle in their eyes!!! It's become a sort of standing family joke which I expect dd wll join in eventually!

One of my friends always told her children that all their presents came from Santa - I never thought this was a good idea - if Santa gave you everything, why should you write a thank you letter to Grandma?
We always had stockings with small presents from Santa usually wrapped in tissue paper (different colour for each child.)When they got old enought to eat safely by themselves I'd put in something they could eat for breakfast, so that we could get a lie-in.

The stocking would usually have a video each which would keep them occupied during the morning while I cooked dinner, because the main presents (under the tree)were never opened until after dinner.

I'm not sure exactly when my two stopped believing in Santa, though I'm sure they we humouring me for a while - probably thought the stocking would stop if they said they didn't believe!

I stoped believing very early - I think I was 4 -because one year when my grandparents were staying,all four of us were sleeping in one room, and my eldest brother made a 'Father Christmas trap' using orange threads pulled out of all our blankets wound round the furniture. It was very effective.

Lastyear, my DS2 (then 2.5) was convinced that Santa was, in fact, Big Ears - so it was BIg Ears that brought his presents! I quite liked that idea and might carry it on this year? All other presents are wrapped and labelled to / from, to be opened as late in the day as possible -lucky if we get to 10.30.

Totally admire you for that socci! So do you still have gifts but your kids know that they are from you?

book holiday

fuck off for week

get back in time for new year.

no cooking
no relatives
no bother
no worry

Never had a stocking as a child, just wrapped presents under the tree. One from Santa and others from mum and rellies. For my dc they have a santa sack on their door handle which is filled with wrapped presents from Santa (diff paper of course). They are allowed to open these as soon as they wake up. They have breakfast and then open presents from us and rellies that have been sent.

We are on our own for Christmas so we save a combined present (this year a trampoline) that will entertain for hours for after lunch when dh and I want to relax. This works really well.

Ou other traditions are:
Christmas eve - dinner at the local tavern then we go for a drive to look at houses decorated in xmas lights (huge here in oz) then home to place presents under xmas tree.

Boxing Day - picnic day at the beach playing beach cricket and eating leftovers. This is a huge tradition in Australia and is usually quite crowded and 35 degrees.

Message withdrawn

Really enjoying all the Christmassy stuff !
Some of you are real SCROOGES though
DS will be 8 on 23rd Dec and as far as I'm aware he still believes- he has decided that even tho' FC use's magic,he thinks he must have lots of helpers 'cos all the FC's he sees look different!
We are going to LAPLAND 17 - 20th Dec this year,and will be meeting the REAL FC so hopefully DS will 'believe' for a few more years yet!
On Christmas eve we put 'Reindeer' food out in the front garden (mixture of porridge oats,glitter and sequins - or anything else glittery ) so the reindeer can see where to come and are happy munching outside while FC is busy indoors.We leave juice and choc for FC and carrot and water for Rudy.FC always leaves a Thank-you presie (sometimes wrapped depends on size) and a note.All other presies are from family or friends.Have got 2 stockings exactly the same so can fill 1 with little goodies and just do a very quick swap with the empty 1 in DS room.DS likes to come into our bedroom in morn to open all our stockings together
We then get up,have brekkie ( with Christmassy music - prob Nat King Cole which DS loves - then get washed,dressed etc THEN we open presies.
After that all usual family gatherings.
Last yr started a new family tradition with sister and all her kids 6 !!!!!!,partners etc and had a Christmas party in Feb - we all live in diff places and so was only time we could all get together.Hired room in local Comm centre all brought food,crackers etc and decorated room with Christmas dex.After grub some of us did a 'turn' - rock guitar,writing and reading poetry and more.Best was quiz set by 1 of nieces, men against woman ,all questions were about opposite team great fun.Had a great night.Sister will host next years in Wales where she lives, then yr after eldest niece will be 30 so she will host party in Swindon then will carry on from there!
I'm going to P* off now as have been babbling for ages you're prob all asleep!

Just 1 more thing LOVED the 'Lady garden' disc.So did DH

Roofee - I love your reindeer food!

We never had stockings as children but I do that now for my two! All our presents were left in pillow cases in the living room. We always believed that our family had told FC what to send us which is why they had the gift tags on them and why we had to write thank you letters to everyone!

as a child- stocking on teh end of bed or just inside bedroom door when I was older and not such a sound sleeper.nothing wraped in stocking and nothing of great value, but we were allowed to dive in a eat any thing in there at dawn. Always a book to get stuck into as well as sensible things like pencils and fun stuff like bubble mix. In the morning, church (I was in the choir), followed by lunch at home or GPs , then washing up and queens speech and a cuppa, by which time us kids were ITCHING with impatience, Then finally- pressies.More tea and sandwiches for supper. If at GPs my uncle would organise all us kids (7 of us) into games or "magic" shows. If at home mum would organise us into playing a board game.
Sounds really dull compared to some of you, but I liked it and will probadly do similar with our lad. We've been doing similar since marriage as dhs family trad wasn;t far off ours.

We were always told that Santa brought the presents but that because there were so many children in the world mummy and daddy had to send him the money. Explained why some kids got loads, especially in light of that song that says if you've not been good he doesn't come!

I only have one child, so he gets under the tree. And because he's only 3.5 he has had his bike now so he can ride it for the whole summer, he will have plenty of presents from GPs to notice.