What does Father Christmas bring?

[InsanelyTired]

Hello, sorry if this has been done before, I've scrolled through a lot.
My two DC's will be 4 & 2 by December so feel it's the first year we can really start thinking about what Christmas mornings will look like in our house.
I wanted to know what Santa brings, is it a stocking at the end of the bed and then a few under the tree etc? Growing up we didn't have Stockings & absolutely everything under the tree was from FC and not my parents. I know a lot of people want children to know some stuff does come from parents, so just curious what other families do?

Also as a side note if doing stockings in bedrooms, are these still little stocking fillers like hair bands etc? Or bigger toys that have been asked for?

@MsSquiz, we always put the stocking on their bed post. This works well for a few reasons. Firstly, the excitement of hanging it empty and waking to it full is magical. The look in their eyes around age 3-6 especially was just priceless. Secondly, mine always bring their stockings in and sit on our bed before opening what’s inside and it’s a lovely family time as they show us and each other what they have received. And thirdly, there’s always a bit of chocolate and something fun like a silly game or a wind up toy to entertain for 20mins-30mins. This gives DH and I time to properly wake up and stick the kettle on. Then we all go downstairs together.

Everything we give our toddler is from Father Christmas, a stocking of small bits e.g. colouring book, puzzle etc and then one bigger present that's usually about £50-75.

@NellyJames that's exactly my thoughts! I love the idea of the 3 of us sitting in our bed "seeing what Santa brought"

My DM always had all stockings and presents in the living room and I had to wake her before I went in! She would always try to get me to snooze a little longer in her before finally giving in and going through. But I guess that's because I was the kid who would've opened all the presents in a stocking in my room before she'd even opened an eye!

I love stockings in bed, then finding wrapping paper under the covers in the evening.

My DS is one so I've also thought a lot about this.

I think I've decided that Santa will bring most things, but not all. That will be his (tiny) stocking, then a sack downstairs for his main present and a few extras.

He will also have a decent present under the tree from us (this year it's a mahoosive bag of megablox).

Gifts from family and friends will be from them.

I think Santa is so magical and it's only for a few years. I want to make the most of it. I will go down the "parents give Santa money" route if he ever compares other children's presents (although I don't ever remember doing that as a child).

I do think that it's important that mummy and daddy give him a gift though. Why wouldn't they? Especially since we will take him shopping to get gifts for us and other family members. It would be very mean if we got him nothing!

The stocking and the pile under the tree.

Anything else is from whoever gives it, which isn't much in our family!

I also get one or two gifts from us, just in case fc can't make it...

I don't understand the thanks.
The look on dc faces, the joy the magic is my thanks... It's a day for giving.
Teaching days can be for the rest of the entire year.
It's a very small window then poof... 70 decades of no magic.

Always have stockings in bedrooms! Used to wake up and then me and my sisters would sit in one bed together taking it in turns to open things from our stockings.
Then we'd wake up mum and dad and show them everything! Mum did a good surprised face and always had a great explanation when price tickets or labels were left on!

Stocking left out by the Santa plate and then these are filled with small items then one present is wrapped next to stocking. Once they've had those then it's in to see what's by the tree from us. My kids are young and my eldest thinks it's all from FC anyway. Family usually give gifts in person.

Santa brings the present you ask for in your letter and a sack/stocking of little gifts here. I'm doing the want, need, wear, read thing for DS' Santa sack. Santa also wraps all of his gifts in tartan paper. Anything under the tree is from family and friends

My DC are too old to believe now, but when they were, FC brought all the gifts as he did when I was a child.

In hindsight I wish I had just done the stockings as even now as teenagers they love their stockings and the fun (and cheap) things I always put in them.

Just stockings in this house.

Just stockings. We hang them on the bannisters so they're there in the morning. All 4 of us have them, and its one of my favourite bits of Christmas day sitting on our bed opening them together.

Dds are 5 and 2 and their stockings just have small things in - usually socks, hair stuff, bubbles, chocolate, a colouring book and then 3 or 4 small toys. Everything else is from the people it's from.

I my home sack is filled with one main present and lots of smaller things 14 year old will get new dressing gown, 6 good Duke cricket balls, shower gel, selection box, 5 pairs of pants, socks, new head phones, stationery, 2 books, trainers, cricket hoodie, electric toothbrush, blu ray, sleeping bag (for DofE), torch and a chocolate reindeer. From us he wants a Fitbit as very sporty. He will also get s stocking at grandparents house. Last year they gave him a hoodie, gloves, shower gel, Star Wars wash bag, stationery, back pack, sweets and chocolate, slippers and likely a puzzle book or Rubix Cube. They also give him money to choose himself a gift. My 2 adult sons still living at home have similar in stockings but I tend to get them Marvel T shirts and car cleaning products and Star Wars air fresheners, socks, pants, lounge wear, hoodie, selection packs and chocolate orange. Possibly a book and blu ray. They choose their main gift and order it too. I tend to spend £100 on main gift from us for each child and £150 on each stocking. When we could afford less they got less. Dd, Sil and Grandkids get season pass for zoo and small Stocking for children. Dd often chooses money to spend on their summer break (which I am pretty sure she spends on kids). Dd has small Stocking with 6 or 7 small items maybe Dove shower gel, foot pedi, chocolate orange, mud face mask, sea shell chocolates, socks, knickers, gloves. DH usually has sports tickets for cricket matches.

Thank you so much for all your replies sorry for the late reply from me been on an awful shift today.
I love hearing everyone's traditions and all the magical bits that work for them.
I'm an over thinker big time, and I love the idea of putting out stockings in the bedrooms then all getting into our bed and opening them together. But after all the hype I wonder if my 4 year old will wonder why magical Santa who - he's probably going to ask for a bike, will wonder why he's also got him some pants in a stocking. that's just me, and I don't remember ever questioning things when I was younger.

Our children put them on the outside of their bedroom doors, much easier to remove and fill! He leaves one out of the stocking that they can open when they wake (which is always something they can use/play with alone) and then they wait for us to call them in to open them on our bed. They're very good at leaving them be until then. I do get them pants, but character ones or something I wouldn't usually buy for them.

Like a lot of other posters, I think it’s better when the big present comes from you. Firstly so that when children talk in school when they are old enough, Santa hadn’t bought one person a massively expensive gift, and someone else an inexpensive gift. Secondly so you can get the credit you deserve!! I hate spending months agonising over gifts (not to mention buying them) fit the man in red to take all the credit. We also did the “something you want” etc thing last year. It worked well. Enough so I felt they were getting enough to be excited about. But not too much that I spent all day feeling guilty about third world countries.

Stockings are from Santa plus a few other gifts. Santa does however deliver most of the other presents too( we communicate our orders via the elf).

Stocking from FC and Presents from everyone else. Stockings have A scented gift, a fun to look at gift, a touch worthy gift (often snuggly socks), A fun to taste gift (A clementine) and A fun to hear gift.

My parents didn’t do Father Christmas, DHs did. I wanted our dc to know we had to scrimp and save to get him gifts - they aren’t free! And also that he needs to choose gifts for others which if fc does it all, seems silly.

it seems the days of FC bringing everything are gone! Unless that was just my parents.
I'm trying to sway my 4 year old away from some things (like that hideous pooping flamingo) by saying Santa can't bring it all and mummy and daddy will buy you something for Santa to bring.
I hate plastic tat too, so all the stocking filler ideas have been great

Just stockings from FC on the end of the bed.
Presents under the tree from everyone else.
Father Christmas just puts small things in the stocking, but it doesn't seem to dampen the excitement, they still love opening them. And buying/making little bits for the stockings is my favourite part too.

Our DD will be 3 in January so haven't decided what we'll do. In my day everything was from Santa and I didn't question why my parents didn't get us anything. DH had stocking from Santa and presents from his mum.

Presents relatives were labelled when they gave us them.

I think I like the idea of stocking and main gift from Santa the most if I had to change how it was done for me! 😂

Everything. Father Christmas has now branched out into collections and deliveries. He collects presents from grandma''s and aunties and uncles and leaves the whole lot under the tree.

Some gifts were from friends and grandparents.

Everything else was from Santa. I wasn't, my DC weren't and I've never known a child to be devastated on learning that Santa isn't real.

I don't need to "take the credit" for anything.

We've been thinking about this as DD is rapidly approaching 3yrs and my DP used to get really annoyed when his eldest assumed everything was from Santa. 😂 So we've agreed that one gift will be from Santa (probably the big one) and the rest from us.

But I'll also be doing a Christmas Eve box with a letter inside from the big guy and some treats (new pjs, magic fairy dust, special key to leave out for Santa, etc).

@inappropriateraspberry

I'm also making sure my 5 year old focuses on giving this year as well. She keeps talking about what she wants from FC etc. I've given her an exercise book that she can write her list in, but it's also for her card list and to put down what she thinks her friends and family may like. I've been explaining how nice the feeling is to give somebody a gift, particularly when you've put real thought into what they may like.

That's a brilliant idea. Will have to implement that with DD when she's a bit older!