Packaging & branding on Santa’s presents?

[WellThisIsShit]

What do you do about branding / packaging on presents from Father Christmas?

Do you take off the packaging and tags etc, or do you have a good cover story if your dc notice and ask why Father Christmas has given them toys from Tiger / John Lewis etc?

I can’t remember what I did last year!

Do you think most / some/ all (?!) presents should be de-branded so they could feasibly have been made in Santa’s workshop?

I feel the need for some kind of plan rather than be scrabbling around in my head on Christmas Day when DS pipes up with a searching question!

I must admit, as a kid, this never crossed my mind....

Sometimes Santa has to buy in a few gifts because he's overstretched and the elves were poorly

The elves weren't really involved in present making here. Santa bought stuff with our money and delivered it to the house

This has never entered my mind as an issue

Either santa bought it from the shop/factory or santas elves make toys all year round for shops etc

According to my DD2, Santa shops in Tiger.... oops!

My DN once commented that SANTA got something from wilko ! Since then i remove any packaging i can or use tippex and acetone to cover/remove if needs be!! Just in case!!

The reason I mentioned Tiger is that a few months ago DS looked at a pencil sharpener he got in his stocking last year, and said in tones of amazement ‘oh look, that says Tiger! How does Father Christmas get things from Tiger?!’

And.... I can’t for the life of me remember what I said!

Whatever I said he appeared to be satisfied, but I do know he’ll now be more sensitised to it for this Christmas!

If I say something like ‘Father Christmas sometimes gets some of his toys from other places ie shops’ that kind of works except the shop branded stuff has to be the exception not the rule, and I’ve just looked at his presents and a lot are in packaging and have very clear brands and shops on them.

I guess I have to take off the packaging, but then what to do about instructions or pictures of what the final product looks like when assembled?!

silly I know, but DS loves to think about all this and I don’t want to destroy his fun!

Doesn't Father Christmas have the internet?

There may be advice on this in the great instruction manual How Santa Really Works. Alternatively, I would simply say that Santa must have spotted X, Y & Z when he had a day off and realised how much your DS would like it. Don't over complicate things with Tippex etc.

Our ds is four as inquisitive as can be and asks about bar codes and factories etc

I discard wrapping and wrap in brown paper

Santa shops in all the shops near us. Dd2 has pretty much spotted every item that will be in her stocking in wilko's, b&ms or the works. So she wholeheartedly believes that Santa goes to local shops if there are things that are easier to buy than to make.

Ooh I’m going to look up that book thank you

I’m glad others have confirmed that Father Christmas nips down the high street on occasion!

And yes yes to bar code inquisitiveness! That was part of the Tiger label thing, you just jogged my memory.

His main present will be roller skates which are branded but not a brand DS will ever have heard of, so I think if I unbox them he won’t notice... at least not at the time anyway.

Mind you that makes for a difficult present wrapping shape!

I definitely will be taking away the packaging on his stocking presents too, to avoid sparking off a detailed discussion super early on Christmas morn when I’m still half asleep.

I don't think it ever occurred to my children that Santa actually made presents. As far as they were concerned he just delivered them.

If he's questioning why Santa brings presents from certain shops then you've either over-egged the pudding in suggesting that presents are made by elves in a workshop or, more likely, he's beginning to suspect the truth and is testing you.

Going by what my mum said, if you don't know the answer about how Father Christmas does things, shrug and say that you don't know because it's magic?

He makes them for the shops.

How I am going to explain the big barcode sticker across the front of the Lego box, i’m not so sure. It has my name on, and the date I had to pick it up by.

I won't have that problem yet (mine are 3 and 2) but they are inquisitive so will keep these in mind for future years!

Father Christmas always uses different wrapping paper here, with his face on. It is definitely from him as no other presents are wrapped in that paper

Dd (6) has picked out half of the Smyths catalogue! I doubt it would even enter her mind... I certainly never thought about it as a child.

where do you think the toys in the shops come from? The elves make toys all year round and sell them to shops. How else could Santa possibly afford to give every child in the world a free gift? It's basic economics.

I really hope DS isn't going to come home with elves making presents stories from school.
I'm already a rubbish mum who says that Father Christmas can't have food at our house too or he'll get fat, and that he only brings stocking presents in our house, not big presents (no way am I letting him get the kudos for the two RC cars).

Father Christmas is basically a delivery service here - he and his elves used to make all the toys themselves but now they just can't keep up so they outsource.

he only brings stocking presents in our house, not big presents

He only brings stocking presents here too, and they include such goodies as pants, socks and toothbrushes. Santa's generosity knows no bounds in my house!!