Christmas Eve night - children won't sleep!

[Justonemorecup81]

I have two daughter's 8 and 5 who are night owls and struggle to fall asleep at the best of time but add the excitement of Father Christmas coming and all hell breaks loose. Last year dc took they're stockings into their room (they were sharing as had visitors) and they couldn't sleep. We tried switching their stockings for other members of the family, so at least we could swap filled stockings, but they saw the wrong names on their stockings. They were awake when we gave up and went to bed at midnight. We ended up having to set our alarm for 3am and then perform Ninja style moves to retrieve their stocking to be filled and replaced. They then woke at 5.30am!!! Does anyone else struggle with filling stockings? I'm thinking we might leave them downstairs this year, any advice welcome

Either buy a copy of the stockings you have and just swap the empty for the filled version or send them a letter from FC saying he had to delay last year because they wouldn’t sleep or their room is too far from the chimney etc and so stockings need to be left downstairs.

I have mainly boys and I had to exercise them like dogs at the best of times, but on Christmas Eve we would go for a long walk and look at the lights to try and knacker them out. Basically you need to exhaust them.

Stocking downstairs.

We also always go for a Christmas Eve night walk. We usually go to a local park,
away from houses and street lighting. (All as instructed by the Elves!) It's clear that afterwards it's hot chocolate and bed with hot water bottle, so Santa can come and deliver the presents in our "time slot"
(Ok my DC are to old now, but we still go for a walk, the same as I used to as a child...)

Agree with PP just leave the stockings downstairs, it'll be much easier to fill.

I'm pretty sure my mum used phenergan on us a couple of years. You know, don't want those mild summer allergies flaring up for Christmas Day.

But Father Christmas doesn't visit unless everyone is asleep?

Stockings have always been downstairs in my family. At the bottom of the stairs as no fireplace/obvious fireplace substitute. I’d start having them downstairs.

Well yes you have answered your own dilemma. I always take mine swimming on Christmas Eve. It washes off some of the hysteria. Plus it makes them tired.

Stockings downstairs and lots of fresh air Christmas Eve.

Stockings don't get seen until they are full in our house. They're hidden until the big man aka mummy fills them 😂

Isn’t 5.30 normal on Christmas Day?!!!

Stockings aren’t in rooms here. They are in the lounge.

Stocking hung on door handles of bedroom doors.

I always make sure that mine are bushed before bed on Xmas eve. The day before is busy with a trip to the ballet and a late nights on Xmas eve We'd have a busy day tidying, a long dog walk and a late (for them) sit down dinner followed by something festive on TV to wind down. Aim for bed at 9pm. I think the earliest mine have been up on Xmas day is 8am.

Agree with everyone else, a long walk in the fresh air and stockings downstairs. Ours are delivered by the big man so only appear overnight.

Definitely move the stockings downstairs and have an early start on Christmas Eve, keep them busy as much as you can and spend plenty of time outside.

My mum eventually moved them to the door, after the Christmas that my sister swears Santa was real because she blinked for a second and her stocking was full.

If course you can always say if they are not asleep at midnight Santa can't deliver!!

I remember forcing myself to say awake as my stocking was on the end of my bed. My eyes were dropping, then I saw my dad after a few gin and tonics stumble in and swap them over! Didnt even realise I was awake!!!! Hahaha i was old enough to know father Christmas wasnt real but that bloody sealed the deal 😂 my daughter is only 4 but last year I remember she woke up early.. I think I let her play a game on my phone (an exciting novelty for her) and she sat in bed with us happily for another 30 mins ahaha
I also remember being young and really trying to go to sleep like as soon as possible. I would mash my eyes shut and get upset if it took a while to fall asleep because I wanted it to be the next day so badly haha

Father Christmas is social distancing so not going near bedrooms this year...

Convince them that Christmas Eve is tomorrow, not today.
You could do a ‘practice run’ of leaving out the carrot and mince pie.

We made the mistake of stockings upstairs one year, it was a nightmare, dd2 never went to sleep and I felt grumpy and tired all day Christmas Day, since then they have gone downstairs to save Father Christmas having to do extra work climbing stairs.

Stockings downstairs in the Living room.

We do a Christmas Eve Hamper after dinner - DD is very excitable (takes melatonin to get to sleep level of excitable!) and needs routine so even though she's now 14, we still do this.

TV goes off when we start dinner and doesn't go on again until DD is in bed. Instead, we have either radio or CDs/spotify etc going in the background.

Dinner is a "platter" - a spread of lots of nice cold things (and occasionally a few hot sausage rolls or similar) in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. Cooked and cured meats, seafood (prawns, squid rings, smoked salmon), cheese, cherry tomatoes, olives, carrot and pepper sticks, hummus, salsa, breadsticks, pate, salad leaves, etc. (Not everything every year - just a nice spread of things we enjoy, including a few special treats). Very simple (cos you serve yourself) and relaxed.

We go into the sitting room where the tree lights and reading lamps are on but not the main lights - pleasantly low level. Youngest (DD) lights the Christmas Candle (to show that there is "room in our Inn for any weary travellers), and we have a few minutes as a family to remember the good and bad things that have happened in the past year and remember those no longer with us.

Then we pull out the large shoebox sized box that holds DD's Christmas stocking, her plastic Santa plate and glass from toddlerhood (used all December until tree comes down and it goes away with decorations), her snowman covered hot water bottle (used all winter), family copy of "Twas the Night before Christmas", new pjs for all, lush festive bath bomb for her (and a very relaxing one for me), nice hot chocolate for everyone and a Christmas beer for DH.

DD puts out milk and cookies (that she baked in the afternoon - sometimes from scratch, sometimes just sliced from a pre-frozen half batch from earlier December baking) and lays out her stocking in the sitting room. She heads up for her bath and into fresh pjs. Comes back down for hot chocolate (no hot drinks in the bedroom rule) and a snuggle, and then I used to read the book in bed as she was tucked up warm and snug with her hot water bottle - but last year, that was abandoned and she read it to herself.

She is still excited, but it does help to settle her down.

Lush's IckleBot bomb is great for DCs and filled with lavender which can help sleepiness.

We also use lavender pillow spray at times, the hot milky drinks, lower level lighting rather than harsh bright lights, …...all sorts in general to help get to sleep. But because it is a calm, relaxed night all evening leading up to bed, Christmas Eve has generally tended to be one of the better ones in the calendar despite what it was leading to (and her birthday is 26th so a season of excitements!!)..

@Thecomfortador the elves left phenergan for my kids to take on Christmas Eve!

My friend has this and she gets her boys to put their stockings in the Christmas Eve box for Santa and then she fills them downstairs and put them on the end of their beds - that might work?? 🎅

I have it on very good authority that Father Christmas’s dodgy knee is playing him up, and it’s going to be even worse in the cold of December. So he’s very sorry, but he won’t be doing stairs this year - all stockings must be downstairs. And although he’s magic and Covid-proof, he is very conscious of needing to set a good example of social distancing, so even if you don’t have stairs, he won’t be coming into bedrooms.

He’d also like to add that he gets quite enough milk and cookies in America, thanks very much (who on earth wants cold milk on a freezing December night?) so will everyone in the U.K. please stick to the time-honoured tradition of a good tot of sherry, whisky or brandy, and a mince pie. (Or two.)
He will be sending out memos to this effect nearer the time, but I thought I should give you all a heads-up.🎄

You need lavender bath bombs( or the robot ones from lush) ( a bath bomb each come in the Christmas eve box ) and lavender pillow spray!! Also a Long walk/ swimming or some sea air
Miracle workers!

When I was a child my stocking was always hung on the handle on the outside of my bedroom door, and my parents said that Santa wouldn't come if we were awake, so even if we heard him, we had to keep our eyes tight shut.

And that actually worked!

@ShaunaTheSheep now that may work!

@BiddyPop sounds amazing!!

Think we need to up the exercise, we did a long walk in the morning last year and then walked to the carol's in the village in the evening but I think an afternoon walk will help. Thanks all for your advice