Ideas to explain why Father Christmas can't visit until the afternoon?

[KitKat1985]

Although waiting confirmation, it looks pretty likely I will be working Christmas eve and Christmas day morning this year (nurse). My kids will be 6 and 4. I really don't want to miss them opening their presents but I won't be home until about 2.30 / 3ish. I don't want them to wake up Christmas day morning and think Father Christmas has missed them out though. Any good excuses? Or alternatively we leave the presents under the tree as normal Christmas day morning and poor DH has to try and distract the kids from the Christmas presents all morning!

Children are flexible. You just need to prepare them in advance and make them excited for that alternative timescale, bigging up how much more fun it would be to do the presei opening when you get home. And have alternative fun plans for the morning.

We always did stockings from Santa first thing that had small gifts and one bigger gift each that we knew would keep them occupied until it was time for tree presents. Something like Lego, a board game or a computer game. As that isn't your tradition, perhaps you could tell them that Santa sends an extra present for children that can't open their presents in the morning because their DM or DF has to help other people and go to work?

My DM used to have a snowy house table decoration that was a lucky dip instead of crackers for Christmas dinner. The gifts were always things that could be played around the table after dinner eg card quizzes/games, clockwork toys to race, a puzzle each (to be shared and swapped around the table). Perhaps you could do something like that for breakfast so they play a game at the table? Then they can play with their Santa gift.

Your could also do a treasure hunt with clues for them to do with DH with small wrapped sweets hidden around the house, as a surprise from you. We did a virtual Easter Egg Hunt during lockdown where the adults gave the DC tasks to earn a clue eg video yourself doing 10 bunny hops or make a pair of bunny ears out of paper and take a photo with them or sing a song and send them to the person who gave you the task to get the next clue. You could prerecord messages with clues and tasks for your DH to send from another device or have saved on his phone. Then you would have lots of fun photos and videos to watch when you finish work and it will keep the DC occupied and feel like you are there with them. My DC are all at uni and they had as much fun as the kids making videos and setting tasks for them

Oh OP I feel for you. I'm a nurse as well. I wouldn't want my children opening their presents without me. All the comments you'd be riuning their day making them wait seems a bit OTT. I buy all the presents and half the excitement is seeing their faces when they open their presents. Videoing it just isn't the same! I would maybe just explain to them you're working and would they wait until you came home, or see if they'll open one before you leave that they can play with for a few hours. So easy for some to say just let them open them, but I bet some of those people will never be in the position of having to work Christmas day and missing out.

One of those Hobbycraft colour in houses might be a good activity to keep them busy in the morning?

Depends.. I'd be happy for them to open smaller gifts but the main gift I'd hide until I came home.

Could DH take them out for a long walk so that they wait for you to come home? (take some hot chocolate in flasks)
Or let them open stockings when your at work but then wait for you to come home before tree presents? That way they have some little presents to tide them over until you get back

I think stockings in the morning with some 'distraction activity' (hobbycraft house is an excellent idea!) sounds good (hopefully if weather not too bad they could also go a Christmas tree / Christmas lights walk as well). There must be some kids film or something on as well that they will like. I'll aim to get home asap and then we can all do presents whilst I pop a load of M&S special Christmas food in the oven for 'Christmas dinner'. :)

I FaceTimed the kids last year but I was a full 12hr shift on Xmas day. If that doesn’t work then get DH to give them the stockings and maybe speak to them just now about waiting for you? Make it really exciting and how amazing it would be to open everything together! It’s only one year or you could do as others suggested and move everything to the 26th, I’m sure you could fix it so the kids don’t really know what day it is 😂

If this was me I'd just have Christmas Day a day late!

Father Christmas only does stockings in our house so I think those plus the activity ideas above would be lovely. Especially a lights walk.

For God’s sake don’t tell them Santa is slowed down due to Covid. It’s ruining enough for kids

I'm a HCA I'm working 8-2 Christmas Day. I'm planning to do the whole present thing at silly o'clock in the morning then head into work. They are usually up at some point between 4 and 6 so hopefully it will work out. It's only a 15 minute drive to work though.

I don't know what time you have to leave though?

But honestly I'm sure they will be fine if they wait for you. Perhaps they will even want to wait till you get home?

I'd just let them open the presents on Christmas morning, but save a few special ones for when you get home.

They should be old enough to understand that Mummy wants to join the fun and to wait for you? Also a good teaching opportunity in patience and empathy!

Maybe a stocking each and a particular present (ideally a game or craft or something else time consuming they can do right away) each when they wake up and the rest when you get home?

Another vote for move the date. We've moved Christmas all over the place depending on work, once we even had it a week early so DSD could come... And the ungrateful wretch was two hours late . We always just told ours we had asked Father Christmas and he was fine with it but if yours don't know the date anyway its even easier

My husband often works Christmas Day. If he's going to be home before 2ish then we write to Father Christmas and ask him to choose one present they can open in the morning and they leave the rest. That present is always something time consuming and fun - ie LEGO set.

If he's working all day we move the date. When they were little we just didn't tell them but my 6 year old knows dates now so next year when he's working, we will have to write to Father Christmas to explain. They already know he doesn't just deliver Christmas Eve!

Apart from stockings we have the rest of the presents around the tree through December so they are fine waiting another day.

Christmas eve 25th, Christmas day 26th. They won't know, you get to be there. Win-win.

My DM is a vicar and we used to do Christmas at daft o'clock in the morning, somewhere between midnight mass and then 8am service, she must have been absolutely buggered. We've done Christmas day on the 26th and 27th before now when DH has been working 12+ shifts.

I don't think it's fair to make them wait to open presents on the day if they usually open in the morning. Could you write to Father Christmas to explain the problem and suggest some dates before Christmas Eve that you are all home together? Perhaps then he could make a surprise early delivery of some of their presents and you can all open those ones together. It's not his usual way to deliver but I'm sure he would be willing to be flexible.

Another vote for the distract them idea. Small stockings in the morning, and then something that requires you to be home before they can have everything from Father Christmas.

Not read all ideas but I would say he’s spreading delivering to distance of coronavirus. Very believable atm!

Ok. This is a bit cheesy. And I'm not very good at poems, so don't shoot me.

I'd let them have little stockings, then do a letter from Father Christmas, saying something like this....

I know that your dear mummy has been working hard this year.
The elves say she's at work right now, but children, do not fear.
Your lovely mummy called me, and said she would be late home
And so dear children listen, as this is what I've done.
Christmas is time for family, mummy and daddy and you
So I thought very hard about today, and decided what I'll do
I've delivered your presents to mummy, to hold them safe and sound
While she looks after all the people who need her to be around
I've asked her to be my helper and deliver them to you
So you can open them all together...
...may all your Christmas dreams come true

This won’t ruin it for kids if they aren’t getting presents until afternoon anyway only if they were expecting in morning. You’d have to prepare it in advance.

@Courtney555

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@Courtney555 That's amazing thank you!

That poem is lovely @courtney555.

Dd alternates Christmases between mine and her dads, and we normally spend our Christmas with my parents who are managers for a supermarket. We just shift Christmas to whatever day suits us so everyone can relax and enjoy it and do the whole day from scratch. The bonus of this is that we can spend Christmas day tucking into some Christmas treats and watching the Christmas films and then on the 26th or whenever we have Christmas we get to enjoy that too. Dd does not care what day we celebrate, by all means have a gift to open that'll entertain them perhaps give them any cardboard boxes you get presents in (Amazon) some tape and paints and they can create a house / spaceship and decorate it to show you when you get home and have some nice food but don't rush the day and food so you don't enjoy it.