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Christmas

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Original poster

Who are the presents from?

51 replies

NuzzleandScratch · 22/12/2014 20:15

So dh & I have been married 9 years, dcs aged 2 and 4. This topic has only just come up. It transpires that in his family, all presents were from Father Christmas. So presents from aunts, uncles, grandparents etc had been delivered to them by FC to pass on.

In my family, a select few main presents were from FC (wrapped in different paper, and tags in different hand writing to my parents!), and the rest were from whoever gave them.

So I assumed dh's family were weird, and mine normal. But then I asked a friend, and his family did the same as dh's!

So I'm left wondering what the majority do, and Mumsnet must have the answer!

OP posts:
badgerknowsbest · 22/12/2014 20:18

I agree with you - if relatives and friends have bought presents they should surely be from the person giving, so they can be thanked rather than added to the pile of presents from Santa.

SoonMeansNever · 22/12/2014 20:19

When I was small, only stockings were from Santa, all presents were from who they were from iyswim (and we had to write thank yous for them!).

Now that DS1 is 3.5 and has written dictated his first letter to The Big Man, stockings and one main present (from us) are from Santa - everything else from the real sender.

Hopefully · 22/12/2014 20:20

I firmly think that people who make effort choosing and buying a gift should get the credit for it. We only have stockings from Santa. The one main present is from us and everything else is from whoever bought it.

Original poster
NuzzleandScratch · 22/12/2014 20:23

Oh good, agreeing with me so far! That's my thinking exactly Badger! I don't want the dcs thinking all these presents appear by magic, when people have gone out & bought them!

Good point about the thank you notes too Soon, no one would need to be thanked if the big man brought them all!

OP posts:
insanityscratching · 22/12/2014 20:24

Only stockings from Father Christmas here. Everything else is from the person who bought it.Even though they are all too old for Father Christmas they still put out stockings for him to fill and there was uproar when I suggested they didn't need a stocking anymore.

Somethingpink · 22/12/2014 20:26

All presents from us to dc are from fc and from relatives are from relatives...the kids will notice our efforts when they are older.
We let them enjoy the magic of being kids Smile

Happypiglet · 22/12/2014 20:29

Yep just stockings here and a sharing present from the Big Man rest from the giver (including us for the kids so they appreciate their larger presents have cost us something! )
one of the main reasons for this is storage.... Storing all presents from everyone until Christmas eve is impossible. As they arrive in the post or are delivered or swapped on our pre Christmas travels around the country to see family they go straight under the tree... My wardrobes cannot cope otherwise!

TheWomanTheyCallJayne · 22/12/2014 20:29

Stocking from FC and rest from person who gave them here too.

We make ours write TY letters too and credit and thanks should be to the right place

Also means that FC doesn't give our kids expensive presents whilst giving a friend's children cheaper presents

wigglesrock · 22/12/2014 20:32

Stockings and presents in the house from Santa, but all other presents - grandparents, aunts, uncles etc from the giver.

flightywoman · 22/12/2014 20:38

Just the stocking from Father Christmas, everything else is from the actual giver. I'm not having the man in red get the credit for my hard-earned efforts!

5madthings · 22/12/2014 20:42

Stocking and one present from father Christmas and then presents from relatives etc are from them. We do say that father Christmas delivers the presents for relatives. But the kids know that relatives choose and buy them etc.

bogiesaremyonlyfriend · 22/12/2014 21:06

DH's brothers family do the all gifts from Santa thing, we do not. Mil tries to make me but I won't budge Grin she sneaks presents around so dd's don't see them, then I pull out said present and say "oh look a present from grandma and grandad, lets put it under the tree" kind of irks me that I've put effort into some decent presents that niece and nephew aren't going to have a clue is from us

Chennai · 22/12/2014 21:11

Just stockings from Father Christmas here. Everything else from whoever it's from, including us.

LineRunner · 22/12/2014 21:13

Stockings and a small 'santa sack' from St Nick. Everything else from people.

Cherrychocolate · 22/12/2014 21:18

Stocking presents from Father Christmas. Everything else has been sent to Father Christmas so he can deliver on Christmas Eve. Much easier to explain to a child why they can't have everything they want then!

SanityClause · 22/12/2014 21:50

The good thing is you get to choose these traditions for yourself.

One year when our DC were similar ages to your, we realised that there were presents from everyone, except Mummy and Daddy. So, we decided stockings and some other bits were from FC, but the big present was from us. Everyone else's presents were from them.

It's a bit funny when people ask them what FC has brought, and they say some finger puppets and some chocolate coins. I'm sure it makes us sound very scroogish. But no matter.

Elizadoesdolittle · 22/12/2014 21:57

One main present from Father Christmas which is what they ask for. It's wrapped in paper with fc on as are all the stocking presents which Father Christmas also brings.

Everything else from whoever bought it. They do get presents from mummy and daddy but nothing as big as their Father Christmas present.

Gabriola · 22/12/2014 22:01

Majority of presents from us are in pillowcases stockings from Santa. Main present from dh & I. All the rest are from whoever gave them.

Original poster
NuzzleandScratch · 22/12/2014 22:03

Excellent, I knew the way my parents did it made more sense!

Exactly Sanity, no presents from Mummy & Daddy would be silly! Most of ours were from my parents, with just 1 or 2 main ones from FC.

Bogies, my mil has tried to do that too, I'm not having any of it! Wouldn't make sense to just have presents from my parents and not dh's!

I have informed dh! Fortunately he's not bothered.

OP posts:
watchamc · 22/12/2014 22:06

Presents from grandparents, aunts and uncles are exactly that. From them. I cannot get my head around everyones presents being from Santa. What is the thinking behind it. Is it grandparents that don't know where to draw the line, reliving their childrens santa days?

TheDoctorSandshoesAndGrandad · 22/12/2014 22:08

In our family the presents were all 'delivered' by Father Xmas, and wither came from FC or other relatives.

There were never any presents from my parents, yet they didn't think this was odd!

I spent a lot of time puzzling over why they didn't buy me presents as a kid Grin

Notdoingalot · 22/12/2014 22:18

I get so confused with all of this! I can't remember what I say from one year to the next. This year santa is bringing all of the presents from dh and I. So even the ones we bought (rather than Santa), Santa has collected them and will bring them all on Christmas Day. Presents from relatives are just presents from relatives. Goodness it's hard to keep up!

Notdoingalot · 22/12/2014 22:19

Part of our reasoning to tell dc some presents are from us - we want the credit!

Cooki3Monst3r · 22/12/2014 23:03

You're right OP. Santa delivery aunt etc presents - just weird! Wink

My DH family also had some from Santa and some from parents. For our DCs it is all from Santa. I never wondered why nothing came from DPs.

doublethelovedoublethekisses · 22/12/2014 23:07

We do one present and a stocking from Santa. The rest comes from the people who bought for them so they can be thanked properly!

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