Letter to Santa - do you get everything on the list?

[Iggi999]

Ds (8) has just written his letter to Santa. He wants various DS games, a musical instrument, an Xbox one and a (new season) football strip.
How the heck do I buy all this. Have got him quite a bit so far, but mostly toys - minecraft things etc.
Obviously I can't buy what I can't afford. What I'm asking really is, how do you explain to a younger child (who still strongly believes) that he might not get everything, and does this lead to disappointment on Christmas morning instead of joy? I guess we've been lucky so far as his wishes have been in line with what we can afford!

[Baconyum]

I was a mean mummy, Santa makes and delivers but mummy gets a bill! That's why some children get more and some less. Also stopped the 'they must have been naughty mummy they didn't get much' and introduced some compassion.

[Longislandicetee]

In our household, you're allowed to ask Santa for the one thing you really want and that's it. The reality is that Santa brings that big present plus a stocking filled with little things. We (and massive family) get their other presents. We need to graduate to lists because I end up writing it for the family to choose from!

[Iggi999]

We put the "he might bring you either the new Xbox or the other stuff to him today; he was a bit quiet so I'll let him reflect on it all for a day or two.

[fuzzpig]

ReallyTired I'm intrigued by that chin up bar thing! Is it really just a pressure fit on any door frame? Think my DD would love doing flips over it

[SitsOnFence]

Regarding the letter DD wrote at nursery, DS had done exactly the same thing the year before and we had been sent a photocopy of it. Indeed, when we were given DD's learning journey at the end of the year, a photocopy of the letter had been stuck in it. So probably my own fault for not just asking her teacher, but they were in nativity play meltdown and I didn't want to add to their stress!

Iggi grandparents bought DD something she wanted one year (not The List Item, but something she felt sure FC knew she wanted) and she reasoned that FC must have known her grandparents were going to buy her it. We open family presents on Boxing Day, so luckily she wasn't disappointed not to recieve it on Christmas Day. We do always stress that FC has a lot of children to buy/make and deliver presents to, so they may not get what they want/hope/expect.

She was only 3.5 that year though (it was the year of the nursery letter, actually) so it might not work as well on an older child!

[Littlemousewithcloggson]

Iggi
I tell mine that if I, or grandparents, want to buy something on their list then I will send a postcard to Santa to tell him not to bring it!

[Iggi999]

Vino, if your parents might buy whatever Santa doesn't bring, does that mean you "know" what Santa is bringing? Or how do you explain that?
or am I overthinking all this

[Littlemousewithcloggson]

Also, Game had preowned Xbox ones with warranty for £199 when j popped in there yesterday.

[Littlemousewithcloggson]

With regard to Ds games, I got mine 3-4 Ds games each for their stocking from ebay for £2-5 each.
I also bought 2 for 99p each as they had no case or instructions (easy to find online) and an going to put them inside a Christmas cracker!

[VinoTime]

I heavily influence DD's (8.5 yo) list.

She's allowed to write 10 things down, but most of those things have to be relatively 'small' things - i.e. something that doesn't cost £100's. She usually writes down two 'big' presents so that Santa has a choice in what he would like to get her (it also means my parents can have the option of buying her whatever big gift Santa isn't bringing if they want). So this year her big things were a keyboard (Santa) and a tablet (my folks).

She also asked for some Lego Elves sets which I would now classify as big gifts given the cost of them, but neither of us knew how expensive they were when I initially found out about them and got DD interested. So I've bought her the collection (I got her keyboard cheap) but God love her, she's totally unaware of just how much these sets are.

Her smaller items were things like DVD's, some drawing stencils, a Descendants doll, stickers, a (cheap) Wii game, etc.

Generally speaking, she doesn't get everything on her list. But she does get a fairly big stack of presents and I pick her up other bits I think she would like that she hasn't asked for. She gets quite a lot spent on her because she's my only and because her dad never bothers, and I'm a bit of a Christmas nut [santa]

[Iggi999]

Blatant, cross post, that is a good idea to stress the all-or-nothing side of getting the One
Wish I'd planned ahead in terms of the "Santa brings three presents" or whatever side of things!

[Iggi999]

Thanks, we could get the Xbox (fingers crossed for Black Friday discounts!) but then not the other stuff - I would think it would be nicer to get lots of games/guitar rather than one console, but I'm not 8. (And when I was 8, the zx spectrum was still a glint in Clive Sinclair's eye).
And if we bought all on the list, we'd still have to get him a mum-and-dad present!
I should point out he does have an Xbox 360, he is just ready to "upgrade" as all his friends have one.

[blatantplacemark]

Have you considered a second hand Xbox 360? My 8 year old talked about an Xbox one for this Christmas - he has the 360- and it was stressed to him that it would be the only thing he got, due to the expense of it. He soon changed his mind .. At 8, it's all about the amount of presents.

We took him to Tous R Us this year and he compiled a list from what he saw in there for FC and we told him that he may or may not get the toys on there. It had about 18 items on it, ranging from fifty quid to a tenner and it fit with our budget so he's got everything on the list.

[BondJayneBond]

If the XBox is definitely out, then I'd tell him now, so he has a chance to get over his disappointment before Christmas.

[fuzzpig]

Iggi just reread your OP and I'd suggest if you are going to cut out some of the things on his list (which would of course be entirely reasonable!) I'd get just one of the DS games if he's asked for a few.

Is there any way of getting the Xbox as a joint present, with other family members contributing? Otherwise it's completely normal to just say it's too big a present for Santa to bring.

[reni2]

I would certainly tell him now that the Xbox is too expensive and he won't get it so he doesn't find out on the day.

[Ragwort]

Of course I wouldn't buy everything on the list (when my DS was young enough to write a letter to Father Christmas) - as others have said, it is a 'wish list'. In our house FC gave the stocking presents and the 'main' present always comes from mum and dad - fortunately he never made the link between askingFC for something which he then received from mum and dad. .

Now as a teenager we have all those years behind us !

[WhirlwindHugs]

Oh no, sitsonfence! How daft of them.

I remembered enough of DD1s list to manage the one wish fulfilled I usually aim for. DS is only 3 so has already forgotten what he wanted! As long as DD1 doesn't recall either I think I've got away with it.

[oobedobe]

We do it as a 'wish list' not a shopping list and my DC are told Santa knows what toys you will love/will play with the most and it might be a special surprise (If I know they will love something but it wouldn't occur to them to write it on this list).

[ReallyTired]

Dd wants this.

www.tumbltrak.co.uk/equipment/GiftIdeas:TumblTrak:59/jr-kip-bar.html

Quite where she thinks we could put it is another matter.

Poor kid is getting this instead

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heavy-Duty-Chin-Ups-Pull-Ups-Sit-Ups-Iron-Bar-Workout-Strength-Body-Workout-New-/281706459605?hash=item41970371d5:g:hEYAAOSwl9BWIUUm

Father Christmas does not bring anything too large to fit down the chimney. (Except dd has mentioned that our house doesn't have a chimney!)

[AdoraBell]

Mine know that a Chritsmas list is not the same as a shopping list, as in grocery list.

We buy all things on the grocery list but the Xmas list is more of a wish list.

[fuzzpig]

DS is 3.6 & still can't write his name

Totally off topic, but just wanted to say that is really nothing to / about! :)

[fuzzpig]

Heck no :o we never encouraged them to write lists but they did a couple of months ago and then added to them! We did 'post' them but we did laugh and say they definitely shouldn't expect all of the many many things on there. I reminded them that they've never asked for what they ended up getting from FC before i.e. he always knows what to give them, 'tis part of the magic :o

I did have a good look at their essays lists though, and took a bit of inspiration from it.

[SpikeWithoutASoul]

Laughing at the thought of Makemine's DD being in 'penguin territory' again.

[ARichVernacular]

Same as Wolfie, in our house FC brings the stockings and tree presents are from people.

We don't do lists. I did ask the DC to write one this year as relatives were asking for ideas; hard-to-buy-for DS said he just wanted surprises, and DD just automatically says "I want that" to every piece of plastic crap advertised on TV. So I'd be stuck either way if I were beholden to their choices