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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

Presents from FC and presents from parents

51 replies

verytiredmummy1 · 02/08/2016 13:24

In your household what sort of presents are from FC and which ones are from you?

I grew up thinking everything was from Santa and my DH grew up with stocking from Santa and presents from parents.

We are thinking about what to do for our DD
X

OP posts:

SideOrderofChip · 02/08/2016 17:10

We are the odd ones out in our family for everything coming from Father Christmas. The general theme seems to be 'well i want to be thanked as well'

Which pisses me off.

When the kids have asked me why some people get lots from santa and others don't, i tell them that im really too busy lazy to go christmas shopping as well as take care of them, their brother and do the horses etc etc so that me and daddy send their list off with the money and father christmas buys it for us

Although last year DD1 (9) asked why we didnt have an elf on the shelf and her friends did

I told her it was because the cat would eat it....

BiddyPop · 02/08/2016 17:16

In our case (we do have a present from DH and I under the tree for DD), it's not that we NEED the thanks, its that we both grew up with this. Both of us were the eldest and the youngest was quite a lot younger (and similar in all of our parents households - quite a spread of ages). So it was natural for all DCs to get something from their parents, and as FC no longer came, that something got a bit bigger/more expensive.

That doesn't mean that DD's face doesn't light up with excitement on Christmas morning - it absolutely does! And then again in the afternoon when we open whatever is under the tree. And again the following day when she opens her birthday presents.

Anyway, it won't be long now until she actually admits that she no longer believes. Then we will ALL be able to get a stocking as "our" family tradition (DD is an only DC and we are often at home just ourselves).

Seperately in my DPs house, any of their DCs who sleep under their roof on Christmas Eve are still encouraged to leave out a pair of socks (as per our childhood). As elder ones grew out of FC directly, socks were still filled with half a fruitbowl each (red apple, green apple, mandarin, orange, kiwi, banana), and a half pound box of sweets (all to yourself!!) with a book left alongside them. Just the toys disappeared. The youngest is now in their 30s, and yet, none of those DCs who sleep "at home" on Christmas Eve have yet NOT put out a pair of socks, just in case they didn't get their Christmas morning breakfast!! !!

PartiallyStars · 02/08/2016 17:21

I am also one where it's not about getting the thanks, its how we did it as a family. The delight in opening a stocking is the sheer randomness and magical idea that Santa and his elves made all this stuff. The delight in opening a present from mum and dad is that its probably something you asked for and have been wanting for ages. And that you clearly know Santa didn't make because you have seen it in the Argos catalogue .

WhoisLucasHood · 02/08/2016 17:25

Everything is from us, Santa is the delivery man and bills us in January.

sweetsomethings · 02/08/2016 17:25

No credit needed here either and by the time they are old enough to ask for iphones they will no longer believe in Santa so no problem there either. So we do all presents from Santa apart from those from family and friends they are from them.

MiaowTheCat · 02/08/2016 20:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

augustwashout · 02/08/2016 20:44

mine have never done lists really.... its been more about - wishing, a casual list and surprise.... never had to go into deeper explanations as they know they are lucky to get anything at all! There has also never been a direct link between him making stuff, I have tried to keep things vague - "well no one really knows, we can all guess but no one has been there...."

Cagliostro · 02/08/2016 20:53

Stockings and the main present (in the past that's mostly been a big Playmobil set, this year it's a wooden marble run) are from Santa, everything else is from whoever bought it

Haudyerwheesht · 02/08/2016 21:01

Kids get a big stocking from Santa and one 'asked for' present so it might be a big thing or it might not be but it's something off their list.

Everything else comes from us or grandparents or aunties etc.

NancyJoan · 02/08/2016 21:08

Tree presents are from us. Not because I 'need the thanks', but because that's how it was when I was a kid, and also because I buy for my mum, my ILs, my friends, my kids' friends, and I think it would be really very odd for my own children to be the only people I didn't give a present at Christmas.

PeggyMitchell123 · 02/08/2016 21:10

Everything is from us apart from the main present which is always the one my ds has asked for most.

SpringerS · 02/08/2016 22:53

When I grew up everything on Christmas morning was from Santa but he was paid by my parents. We got other gifts throughout the day from relatives, given in person. In my husband's family all the main Christmas morning gifts were from Santa but his parents also gave him a gift of something.

In our family we decided that everything on Christmas morning would be from Santa but we would give him a Christmas Eve box the night before containing Christmas Eve goodies and a new board game for us to play as a family before bed. We also have a legend that Santa, as a resident of the artic circle, takes very good care of the environment and has extra surprises for children who are happy to receive toys which another boy or girl has finished playing with. That way I can keep buying second hand bargains throughout the year.

disneymum3 · 03/08/2016 06:03

In our house Santa brings one main gift and the sack/stocking the rest are from us or family.

cexuwaleozbu · 03/08/2016 06:29

Stockings are from santa and are an actual stocking so are restricted to the volume of an adult human leg. They contain various sweets and chocolates, a couple of comics/magazines a small number of silly or fun items which are no more than £5 in value each, and an unlimited number of "useful" items of the kind that would be just bought out of household money any other time of year rather than given as a gift (socks pants slippers pyjamas, a moneybox or purse, a packed lunch box etc).

Things that cost more per item and aren't in the "useful things" category are from a real live human not from santa. Things that are from a real live human require a thank you letter to be written (except to parents - we don't force a letter to be written to ourselves but sometimes we get one anyway)

BathshebaDarkstone · 03/08/2016 06:34

One big present from FC, one from us. Always sweets in the stocking too.

PenelopeClearwater · 03/08/2016 06:36

We do a main present from us and everything else from Father Christmas.

OvO · 04/08/2016 14:27

Santa brings the stockings and a few other presents. He also leaves a joint present under the tree, though that one appears by magic after dinner.

Everything else is from whoever bought them.

Onehellofaride · 04/08/2016 14:53

Relatives presents are all from them, they get a present each from us and stockings and everything else is from Santa.

Notso · 04/08/2016 15:22

FC brings everything we buy.
Presents from anyone else get put upstairs if they are brought before Christmas and I bring them down on Christmas Eve or they bring them when they visit on or after the day.

Notso · 04/08/2016 15:31

Mine make lists but they know that they won't get the whole list and often they get surprises.

LittleReindeerwithcloggson · 04/08/2016 22:05

Stockings with small gifts and 1 bigger present from Father Christmas and all other gifts from us. It's not about getting thanks for us, it's about the DC understanding money and that they can't get everything they want. Think there is a tendency to believe that FC will bring whatever they want otherwise

itsstillgood · 05/08/2016 07:20

When mine were young enough to believe we did stocking and one big present from Santa. Main present from us was given on Christmas Eve so it was clear this is off Mum and Dad, a hamper of books, pjs, chocolate, soft toys, blankets, new clothes, sometimes a game or dvd and usually something handmade.

AnnabellesScarf · 05/08/2016 11:31

We do what I grew up with, which was a stocking of small things from Father Christmas, and everything else under the tree from whoever had bought it.
DH can't remember what his parents did so I assume they stopped the stocking quite early on.

Neither of our families really have a tradition of huge piles of presents, but DC will get 4 or 5 gifts from us under the tree, and a (small-ish) gift from each other (paid for by us), and then probably about 10 small things in a stocking - things like CDs, pens, novelty stationery, books, accessories like gloves or socks or hair bands, craft kits, small toys, card games, sweets, fun toiletries...

The stocking was always my favourite part as a child, and now as a parent, choosing stocking gifts is my favourite part of the present-buying.

thegoosesaidneigh · 06/08/2016 08:30

Timely thread...DH and I have just been debating what to do this Christmas (DD will only be 2 and a bit but we want to start our own family traditions).

As a child my stocking (adult shooting stocking size) was filled by Father Christmas and all other presents were from the person who gave them. I thought Father Christmas was magical and I still get a thrill of excitement feeling my heavy, crinkly sounding stocking and not knowing what's inside (yep, mum still does stockings for her children despite the fact that we're mid thirties/knocking on 40!). We had to write all our thank you letters to other relatives/godparents/pretend aunties by 1st Jan and I honestly think that helped us be more grateful for what we got, plus I know that Grannie, who lived miles away, loved getting our letters. If Grannie's present was from 'Father Christmas' she would probably have a) been disappointed not to receive a thank you complete with Christmas picture and tales of the mountains of food we'd eaten/fun things we'd done and b) thought that no thank you was the height of rudeness!

When DH was little ALL his presents (including a pillowcase sized 'stocking') were from Father Christmas, which he doesn't want to repeat with DD.

Our worry is that MIL is likely to say that the mountains of presents at her house were left by Father Christmas, but as DD gets older we don't want her to wonder why FC doesn't stop at Grandpops (they're divorced), or at my parents...

We're probably definitely overthinking this but want to strike a balance between the magic of Christmas and being grateful and not spoiled. TBH the huge amount of presents from MIL is a whole other thread...

We're probably going to do stocking and one wrapped present from FC I think. Would love people to weigh in with any potential pitfalls/general comments...

thegoosesaidneigh · 06/08/2016 08:30

That was a long post, sorry!!

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