Am I the only one who worries about Santa presents looking Elf Made??

[CloudyVanilla]

So I have finally decided that father Christmas will bring a present for under the tree and will fill their stocking. I think it's a nice balance between the myth and reality of present giving.

But thing is, I am now kind of obsessed with the idea of making everything that's from Santa actually look like it's been made in Santas work shop! My DD has just turned 5 and will be so into Xmas this year, but every single book, TV show and movie about Santa pretty clearly shows those typical traditional presents. It just doesn't make sense to me to include branded or obviously shop bought stuff in the stocking, but while i am enjoying the challenge I'm also worried I'm going a bit crackers :/

So 2 questions really; does anyone else feel the need to live the fantasy and do only elf made type gifts from Santa, or if not do the kids seem to notice?

And if you are like me, what ideas do you have beyond the usual wooden/classic toys?

You are on your own with this you nutter.

Have you been at the cooking sherry?

I have a 5 year old too, and she couldn’t care less who manufactured the present, only that it’s in her stocking 😂

It's a great idea but you will drive yourself crazy trying to do it.

We use the Santa Claus book of secrets. It explains they have members of the order of Santa in all sorts of places such as toy factories around the world. My kids know they help supply shops with toys to meet demand so have never bothered about things looking hand made.

That said I do try and get some unusual bits they probably won’t have seen in the shops.

I make sure I use different paper for stockings. I actually bought a few rolls to last so it’s the same every year. They are the bulk rolls so have so much on there.

I think you’re overthinking this

Ha ha, I know someone like this. I think it is quite sweet, if a little bit crazy.

Can you just remove the box or packaging?

No. We dont do this. Christmas can be hard enough organisationally.
I am sure if your 5 yr old wants a paw patroller the elves will either make it or get it from the shop.
On Christmas morning mine never question it. The only time was when we had bought something for a September birthday for the youngest and decided it was too much so had sauces it for Christmas. The eldest was involved in the ordering so said after the birthday "where is X present" ? We just said we had taken it to father Christmas (there is a very real looking one at a nearby shop) and he was happy to deliver it

Santa always had a copy of the Argos catalog OP (Although it’s online now)

Watch Elf. You clearly see the elves are master toymakers, with remote control toys, etch a sketch, Lego, all sorts. It's the toy factories that learn and copy them.

Oh we do do different papers for each child from father Christmas which is only from.him. different paper per child which is handy when filling the stockings late on Christmas eve!!

I second watching elf. They have sawdust and hammers and then produce game boys and all sorts. (I could be getting mixed up with another movie)

Ahaha, I'm overruled then

@Aroundtheworldin80moves THANK YOU that is really helpful I will watch Elf a couple times with her and point out subtly how cool it is that they make Lego 😅

I don't know if I'll be able to resist ordering these 50 mini gift boxes I've got open on Amazon and repackaging everything though

Just to clarify though, I wasn't planning on getting nothing store bought, I was just going to do the stuff from Santa... But I think I may be looking at this from a very adult perspective. Maybe I can appease my crazy self by getting the lego/hatchimals and putting it in elf boxes 🙄

You are on your own with this you nutter.

🤣 brilliant.

Nice idea op, but honestly don't stress yourself. Kids just want the things they ask for.

I hate to have to tell you... I locked that there was something fishy about Santa when ‘he’ brought me a bike. Now this was when we had an open fire and this was blocked when I was about 3 1/2.

I wondered how he got the same bike as was in the Argos catalogue (and where the hell the basket that should have come with it’s was). I was also unimpressed that he didn’t bring me a piano, as requested.

Don’t overthink it OP, kids are weird...

I know where you are coming from and toyed with this myself when the kids were tiny but reality quickly took over. When I was little my stockings did seem pretty elf made, mainly because my mum used weird mail order catalogues which were probably German or something, so everything was slightly odd, and there were a lot of spinning tops, kaleidoscopes etc. Looking back it was probably some kind of Steiner company. Anyway, that lasted a few years and Father Christmas got more and more careless until we were lucky if he had taken the Woolworths price tags off.

Your replies are all so funny

I have decided to compromise by having all the other elements on my stocking list still looking conceivably elf made, and then the actual toys I will probably swap out my lovingly sourced classic toys for toys they would actually ask for. Will still do the Santa specific packaging too. It does seem wasteful to buy toys for the sake of them looking father Christmassy rather than being for the DC, although they would probably enjoy some of them. Thanks for taking some sense in!

Have you been day drinking ?

You are WAY over thinking this!!

Get a few bits on her list, get a few bits that arent on her list and she'll be delighted I'm sure.

If it helps I told me kids that these days with modern technology the elves dont need to make all the toys. So I give Santa money and him & the elves work with the staff in the shops to get what they want. For a number of years my now 8 year old DD thought smyths shop staff were magical having a direct line to Santa. She used to stare at them in awe whenever we went in there

I guess why it's coming across as so OTT is that o have incorporated a lot of those list things (like something you want, need, wear, read) into the stockings and they are going to be a large proportion of the gifts they receive. I've now got a little sort of stocking formula that can be adapted year on year as they grow and has a good variety of things :)

Again I know it sounds OTT but I so want Christmas to be really magical and despite the responses on this thread when googling I have found people saying that as a child it was the supposed santa presents coming obviously from a shop that gave the game away. It also gives me immense joy to plan Christmas so I feel like I have the time to spend a little extra effort on stupid things like this!

My only advice with Christmas would be don’t start traditions that you might not want to continue for the next 20 years! People get very attached to childhood traditions, and whilst it’s lovely for the first couple of years, after that it can become very tedious. So choose carefully!

My parents never wrapped anything from santa. I never questioned anything or even thought about it.

Santa ain't got time for wrapping in our household 🤣 I think you are making an insane road for your own back here.

There's a few short years where they are old enough to understand and young enough to believe. Being a bit OTT is allowed. My OTT bit is carefully matching but personal stocking contents.

I don't think my eldest believes anymore. Probably the last year for my youngest. I'm going to enjoy every last moment of magic.

Thanks for the advice @PaquitaVariation. Tbh I'm quite happy with a stocking as main present tradition. And also really, now I don't feel so zealous over what toys I get them, re wrapping stuff that I would be wrapping anyway doesn't actually seem like a huge deal.

I'm very excited for it to become our own little Christmas "thing"

@Aroundtheworldin80moves well said, that was my exact thinking. The window of old enough to understand, young enough to believe is so small really. And tbh I'm having fuzzy feelings of still continuing this tradition in 20 years time with makeup, perfume, vouchers etc :)