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Christmas

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

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Original poster

Have you ever disappointed your child at Christmas?

67 replies

JudgeRindersMinder · 18/12/2019 10:33

To my complete shame at the age of 3 my ds was distraught at the lack of a tub of yellow play doh. I think I’d got her most colours, and some pearly stuff but the shop didn’t have yellow and I didn’t think anything of it.
The poor wee soul was devastated. I’ve never felt such a failure as I did over that.
When she was older and kind of past the Santa stage The wee monkey cottoned on to me having felt bad about it, and brought it up every sodding year with a disappointed face on Christmas morning “but I didn’t get yellow play doh”.
I redeemed myself when she was 18 with a tub of sodding yellow play doh

OP posts:

AhoyMrBeaver · 18/12/2019 20:03

I don't think so. I had a few disappointing Christmasses as a kid (some years I got only practical or educational presents), and I've been determined to not make my children force a happy face on.

TheGriffle · 18/12/2019 20:03

Dh and I made the ultimate Christmas disappointment for dd who was either 2.9, we decided in our wisdom that her stocking would be better in our room as she still woke in the night so we didn’t want to wake her up trying to put it in, or her to wake up at 2am and see it.

We forgot to tell dd this vital placement information.

Christmas morning, dd came in to our room in floods of tears because Santa had not left her a stocking.

I tried to brazen it out, silly Santa left it in mummy and daddy’s room by mistake, but she was so upset to begin with I felt awful.

Mehmehmeh19 · 18/12/2019 20:07

When did was about 5 she's just started school.

She asked for a purple glittery lunch box with a dog on it like grandmas a cocker spaniel.

We searched high and low tried to get a custom one made. All to no avail.

She remembered about a week after Christmas we had to forge a letter from Santa saying very sorry it fell off the sleigh!

Cloudyyy · 18/12/2019 20:10

I distinctly remember the utter devastation of finding Santa had forgotten my dog toy (a little fluffy one that yapped and did back flips), I was truly heartbroken! Apparently they couldn’t get hold of one that year and I had lots of other toys to make up for it. I still remember it though 😞

OverByYer · 18/12/2019 20:12

Yes it was awful. DS1 wanted a ‘ green machine’, which is similar to a go-kart. As he already had a go- kart DH persuaded me not to get one. All fine on Xmas day until my parents arrived. My Dad asked DS 1 if Santa has brought him everything he asked for. He replied ‘ no I must have been very naughty because he didn’t bring my green machine’
I could have cried. I was furious with DH.
On Boxing Day I went out and got one, wrapped it up and put it in the garden. Called DS down and told him that I thought Thay something had fallen off Santa’s sleigh. DS was thrilled to bits, he played on that green machine for years as did his little brother and now two little boys in my street have it.
After that I pretty much got my boys whatever they asked for at Xmas

user1494670108 · 18/12/2019 20:16

Yes, ds asked for and didn't get an x box two years running. The second time we felt really bad and he had to wait all the way til his birthday in September for us to rectify it.

bengalcat · 18/12/2019 20:18

Not to my knowledge

Hairwizard · 18/12/2019 20:22

@turkeyontheplate im choking on my cupa laughing at your post. made me chuckle! Your ds is awesome!

cobwebsoncornices · 18/12/2019 20:30

When DS was 3.5 he asked for a particular piece of Playmobil farm machinery. That was all he wanted. Cost about £15 so I got him that and a few other bits.
Come Christmas Day, he comes down to his stocking & this bit of machinery which I'd lovingly set up with the farm stuff he already had, he glanced at it & asked when he could start opening the other presents as he wanted his toy. My heart sank as I thought he'd already had it.
He opens all of his other presents, is suitably grateful but his heart just isn't in it. By the end, he just looks confused and keeps peering under the tree.
One of the presents he has had from a friend is a Playmobil car so he eventually gets that out and, as I'm putting it together, he's flicking through the pamphlet, gets to the farm page, sighs and says quietly to himself "there it is. It wasn't my imagination". I went onto Amazon there & then & ordered it. It was less than £10. Turned up the day after Boxing Day and, by chance, the delivery driver looks like the chap whose garden backs onto ours. So I pretended it was that chap and he'd come around as he'd found it in his garden and knew we were the only children nearby so guessed a toy must have fallen off the sleigh...
DS still believes that happened!

RedDiamond · 18/12/2019 20:32

Mr EX did. He pretended to ring up Father Christmas and tell him that DD had been a very naughty girl and to not give her any presents. DD was 3 years old. She was HYSTERICAL. She has NEVER forgotten this. She "laughs" about it now as a grown up but she remembers...

That's why he is an EX. I don't believe in mental abuse.

christma5 · 18/12/2019 20:33

Not yet, eldest is only 5 so there's time. I try to get the balance between practical and toys. It's all well and good going for just practical but they're only caught up in the magic of Christmas for such a short length of time I'd hate for them to question whether their list had been seen etc. That said I don't go way over board as I'm aware there's some children with nothing.

Andypromqueen · 18/12/2019 20:34

Coming from a slightly different angle - my ds was a massive fan of the tv show ‘Brum’. I managed to get him an actual sit-in brum car that had pedals, it was pretty pricey and I couldn’t wait to see his face when he opened it. Except he was absolutely terrified of it - he started crying and ran behind the sofa! I think he couldn’t get over the fact that brum was there in his living room as he was only used to seeing him on tv - he was only 3 at the time bless him and he did eventually come to like it!
I was more upset than him because I’d convinced myself he’d be ecstatic 😂

OverByYer · 18/12/2019 20:40

@andypromqueen mine loved Brum. So did I. Great user name btw

Brittany2019 · 18/12/2019 20:47

I've been asking DD3.5 for the last few weeks what she wants Santa to bring her, but she's had no idea. Until tonight when she told me that she wants Santa to bring her a racing car. A real one, not just a toy, that she and Mummy and Daddy can go on trips in. So i guess she's going to be disappointed this year. As will Mummy, tbf.

Pashola · 18/12/2019 20:48

I hope two of my boys aren't disappointed this year, they have both asked for a specific toy that I can only get from Amazon USA (I'm in Aus) but the postage was $95+ 😳 and while I love to give my kids what they ask for I just couldn't justify that cost.
They've never shown disappointment tho, they're always appreciative of what they do get.

Andypromqueen · 18/12/2019 20:49

Thanks overbyyer - I’m a breakfast club/John Hughes fan as u can probably tell

Ohyesiam · 18/12/2019 20:55

I was just thinking while I read a beauty advent calendar thread, that presents are inherently disappointing. There is so much promise in a pile of wrapped presents, but how satisfying can “ stuff “ever really be?
I mean I’ve been given some lovely things over the years, but if we weren’t always left wanting a little bit more, everything bar hardware stores, food shops and stationers would have closed down

Bogiesaremyonlyfriend · 18/12/2019 20:58

Oh @livingthegoodlife that story has really made me sob proper snotty tears for some strange reason! Glad you saved Christmas!!

Winterwarmer21 · 18/12/2019 21:02

I’ve never had disappointed children because admittedly I do get them everything I think they will love but we can thankfully afford it and they don’t get throughout the year.

I remember being disappointed when I was about 7. I was desperate for a baby born, the one that cries and pees on the potty. I really really wanted it. Instead I got a normal baby but I hide my disappointment.

Looking back we were homeless and my mum had left an abusive relationship so I really take my hat off to her and admire her. She always made Christmas special. She didn’t have much but she got us lots of small things and it honestly made my stomach turn with excitement even as a teenager. She is great.

My dad however hates Christmas. He would buy me one present (usually something he wanted) and wouldn’t wrap it. So we’d just walk into his house and my gift would be there. The one I remember was a CD Player. I wasn’t into music and had no CDs but he loves music Soo.. yeah. I didn’t feel disappointed however as I just accepted that’s the way he was and so didn’t expect much.

IRememberSoIDo · 18/12/2019 21:05

When I was about 5 or 6 I really wanted Mr Frosty but my mum didn't approve so got a whole load of other things but no Mr Frosty. I got a note saying that unfortunately they only made x amount per year and they were already allotted before my letter arrived. I said nothing and was happy but the following September I wrote a letter and insisted on posting it as I wanted to be sure I got Mr Frosty.....I did....he was crap 😂😂😂

OverByYer · 18/12/2019 21:06

Yes @Andypromqueen , likewise

Bogiesaremyonlyfriend · 18/12/2019 21:08

My dd when she was around 2 and a half asked for sunglass for Christmas. I got her a pair and put them in her stocking, she had some lovely presents- a doll and pram etc out of the stocking. But looked really sad, asked her what was wrong and she said she only wanted sunglasses but hadn't yet opened them as they were at the bottom of the stocking. She really loved those sunglasses and only just this year lost them! She is 7 now! To be fair she still has the doll and pram and loves that still too!

nocluewhattodoo · 18/12/2019 21:26

I am also getting the twitch reading this, but I have so far got all of the things DD has asked for, which unfortunately was predominantly slime based, which I swore I wouldn't buy again after the last lot wrecked my rug but she has also asked for a Pyrex dish like they have in the slime mixing YouTube videos

Hoolajerry · 18/12/2019 21:57

When i was 13 I was desperate for a computer. I went on and on about it. I bought gaming magazines and was really obsessed. On Christmas day I opened my present - a man's leather flying jacket. It was hideous. I burst into tears. My sister was cross with me for ruining Christmas. I pretended to like it and felt guilty for years. Now however I realise it sums my mother up and think what kind if person does that. She didn't care what I wanted, she probably got it at a discount (although it was still the same ae price as a computer 🙄)

My eldest dd was really tricky to buy for whem she was younger. She never really played with toys or wantef anything. I always felt like I got it wrong until last year when she said " I never put much on my list because Father Christmas always seems to know what I'd really like". Made me feel warm inside.

CoffeeChocolateWine · 18/12/2019 22:04

I disappointed my DS every year from the age of about 5 until last year (he was 10). Every year he asked for a console...at first I just didn’t want to buy him one as I thought he was too young to get hooked, then we just couldn’t afford it, and then last year was finally the year we got a PS4 as a joint present for him and his sister. I will never forget the excitement, the joy, the happy shouts, the air punches from both of them!

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