This is a situation that comes up every year, and every year I forget until it's too late to figure out what to do. So, it's too late again for this year (I think), but I need to figure it out for next year.
Every year, MIL gets all her children and grandchildren Santa stockings to put out at her house. There is a full Christmas Eve ceremony of everyone going to MIL's to lay the stockings out for Santa (I've refused to send my DCs over the past few years, as I would like us to have our own family time on Christmas Eve (we see ILs on Christmas Day, and several times a week) - DH was reluctant at first, but now agrees that it's nice). Then on Christmas morning the GC are told the gifts in them are from Santa, who also came to Nanny's house as well as their own houses.
This was fine when the DCs were smaller (although I could see that I could become an issue, but DH has always refused to deal with anything until it actually IS an issue), but DD will soon be starting to ask why Santa comes to Nanny's house and not her other Gran's house. Also why her cousins only get Santa presents at their house and why doesn't Santa go to their grandparents' houses too. Also, why don't Nanny and Granda buy her presents? I'd like to be able to tell her that the gifts from mil are actually from MIL and that Nanny just likes to pretend they're from Santa, but then what if she tells her cousins? MIL would be furious.
I know it's a small issue, but it feels very unbalanced (my parents aren't getting a look in), and is possibly made worse because I feel that MIL wants to take over Christmas every year anyway (she does DC and GC Santa letters at her house (with a special post box) (yes, even the adult children do a Santa letter), the Christmas Eve thing, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day (which we don't go to as we see my parents that day) - everyone is expected to go to everything, and if you don't go, you're interrogated as to why, what you're doing instead etc. We don't go to everything, but she tries to make us feel guilty, and DH is really bad at standing up to her). I'd like us to have Christmas at home some time, but she tries to make us feel that we need her permission and she's not giving it! I'm working on that one, though, in terms of getting DH to see that he didn't have to do what she wants.
So I need some ideas! I've friends in similar positions who haven't done anything and ended up resenting it every year. Do we ask MIL to stop referring to her this as "from Santa"? Or tell our DCs that Nanny likes to pretend, and we them to secrecy? Or what?!