Do you wrap presents from Santa?

[Nooproblemoo]

When I was younger, presents from Santa were set out in the living room unwrapped but still in box/packaging. In some way it felt more 'real' as presents from grandparents etc came wrapped

I did the same for one year old DD last year though set up toys and unpacked them so they were easier to play with. I'm now wondering what to do this year, she's only just two so no real idea of what's happening but I think this will be the year I set the tradition.

What does everyone else do? To wrap or not to wrap?

@MarmaladeTeepee I was going to say exactly the same thing. 11 years of working in primary and then junior and I’ve never heard a child discussing exactly what Santa brought them and what was bought by parents. I’m not saying it doesn’t ever happen, I’m saying I’ve not ever known it come up.
They’ve usually forgotten 2 weeks after Christmas when they come back to school and focus solely on the thing that cost about £2 - “oh you’ll never guess what, I got a whoopee cushion! It’s amazing, I got my mum with it 4 times in one day. Anyway, it’s broken now but mum said we could go and get another one with my Christmas money....” and so on.
They do talk about xboxes too of course!

We never had separate Santa and parent gifts - when I got a bit older 'mummy and daddy send Santa the money with your list'. Where's the joy in unwrapped presents? Surely part of that excitement is the unwrapping?

Wrapped but only brings stocking fillers. Always with different wrapping paper, because obviously his is made at the North Pole. Think I'm going to go with brown paper.

Wrap yes, my kids are teenagers now but if I was starting with a 2 year old now I'd def make bigger presents from us, stocking from Santa and maybe one thing off their list.
it helps to make them understand why all kids can't get the same, and a bit of gratitude too.
I remember one year feeling that we hadn't got them a present when everyone else did.

Wrapped here but FC has his own special paper (which has to be carefully hidden!).

Only the stocking presents from Santa. I usually wrap a few of those in different paper to other presents but leave the rest.

I don't like the idea of Santa getting credit for other gifts. Ours have always been sent to Santa for delivery but he only gets credit for the stocking.

Only stocking presents from Santa here. I want the kids to understand who their presents are from (and I know it's considered old fashioned but I like them to write thank you letters - or at least the 3 yr old does a thank you picture and writes her name!) Also, to continue from a PP I remember as a child when I got a stocking from santa and one of my friends got a TV for her room! It was my first clue that something was up 😂

Santa never wraps here - either when DH and I were small, or now with DD (or, when DD was small enough for large gifts from Santa). She still gets a stocking "from Santa" and nothing in that is wrapped.

But everything under the tree, from extended family/friends, and from DH, DD and I to each other, are all wrapped.

Santa brings the stocking fillers (unwrapped) and a pile of wrapped gifts. Santa gets the credit for anything exciting, toys etc. I'm happy for Santa to take credit for all the dolls and unicorn slime. He always brings a game that mummy and daddy groan at (like Don't Step In It or Gooey Louie).

Family gifts go under the tree so are wrapped by gran, auntie sue etc plus DH and I will get them something (different wrapping from Santa).

Nope I had the same as you growing up and do the same still.

Santa (and his friends Nick, Frost, Klaus etc... even with the elves and goblins) dont have time to be wrapping billions of presents each year plus its an enviromental nightmare, why waste more than needed.

Theres such impact walking into a room and seeing all the gifts instantly, its like walking into your own private toy shop and having things that need setting up ready to go is just logical and practical.

If you build it in advance then theres no sitting around while dad frustraitedly tries to find the right screw driver and declares 'where did part XB2 go? it was just here' and 'who took the bloody scissors' before realising an hour in that you dont have the right size battery and declaring 'you'll have to play with something else until tommorrow' which regularly happened with unprepared gifts during childhood lol.

Yes he only brings stockings. They are always wrapped in the same paper that is kept well hidden and only ever used for stockings.

@MildDrPepperAddiction

Nope. The children understand that we have asked santa not to wrap so as to reduce waste and not to be adding to landfill (wrapping paper not always recyclable). They don't feel they miss out, they like that Santa sets out their gifts in their own zones in the sitting room.

100% this, always had our own 'zone' so knew isntanly what was ours

We wrap everything, takes blooming forever but all part of the fun. Use fabric or brown paper/tissue that can be recycled or reuse gift bags for years on end.

To those for whom Santa only brings stocking gifts, do your kids not ask Santa for their main pressies when they write their lists or visit Santa at the grotto? Santa brings our two their stockings & whatever is requested from him (within reason!) under the tree, plus a family board game.

@MrsPworkingmummy

In our house, all gifts in stockings and under the tree are from Father Christmas. They are nicely wrapped and, when under the tree, mixed with other presents we've bought for family members so that they have to search for theirs. I've never met anyone in real life who gives only a stocking from Santa. We just say all the presents we've bought are from him (but those bought from family members are from those people) and that is certainly the norm up here in the NE. Its only on mumsnet that I've heard of parents not wanting Santa to take all the credit?

Im NE and never heard of stockings from santa before either, Stockings where never even a big deal (fruit, nuts, some sweets maybe).

Wrapped gifts under the tree are family gift and a room full of unwrapped gifts brought by santa (although mam might send some to santa for him to bring... was a handy thing to say when I had to buy the last thing in stock but the kids where there with me)

Wrapped here too, different paper for each child (massive double sided roll from Costco), Santa paper is also different from paper we use for gifts to other people. Santa also uses a more traditional wrapping paper than me (maybe I overthink this a little bit 😂)

Good question about lists. Eldest is only 5 and we've not done a list for Santa before - I don't remember doing them as a child so it's not something I have thought about doing with him. We've not done Santa's grotto either, as much because ds1 wouldn't have gone anywhere near the guy anyway.

We just do a stocking from santa with unwrapped little gifts (and maybe some overspill as Santa doesn't know when to stop). I guess we'll be clear that Santa doesn't bring big ticket items if the kids want to write a list.

Interesting to read how everyone does it! Surprised at how many do only stockings from Santa. Think I'll stick with unwrapped, good point about Santa being environmentally friendly

It occurs to me that things may be complicated, when my baby gets older, by the fact that my dad looks exactly like Santa (to the extent that small children often stop and stare at him in the street, and older ones shout 'ho ho ho' at him). Indeed, he was once featured on the December page of his company calendar (a toy company, no less) in full regalia... So quite what the small boy will make of that, who knows!

Not wrapped in our house. Look at any traditional picture of father Christmas and you can see unwrapped toys poking out of his sack or piled high on the back of his sleigh. He doesn't have time to wrap presents! I never had them wrapped as a child, neither did my parents have theirs wrapped, and I am continuing that. 👍

Also I think we should all consciously make effort not to use paper.

We hang the stockings, father Christmas takes the stockings off the mantle and fills each one. He puts one stocking on the armchair with all the other toys/gifts for one child, and then on the other armchair he puts the other stocking with the toys/gifts for that child. Each child knows who's for who, as has a little pile of items with their full stocking next to it.

And Father Christmas brings the main present 😃

I wrap them, in the past I always used different paper with Santas on from the rest of the wrapping.

He brings stocking here. Always wrap in red appear with Santa's on!

He also leaves useful stuff under the tree (blankets/dressing gowns/slippers/ new pillows or bedding - just one thing each year)

That's also wrapped in different paper.

Then presents from me are also under tree.

Just me and ds and he's 16 now but he still loves the tradition of Santa stocking, Santa family gifts etc.

We go to my parents for lunch and extended family and their presents are there.

I have always wrapped the stocking presents (they’re the ones FC brings, here) - basically because it would make the stocking opening process longer and more fun for the boys.

They are all grown up now, but I still do them stockings - and I do one for dh too. This year ds1 is bringing his fiancée for Christmas, so I’m doing a stocking for her. With about 11-12 items in each stocking, that mean wrapping about 60 items. I’m an idiot.

Father Christmas brings a stocking here, unwrapped presents inside.
He also brings one present which is wrapped in the most retro paper I can find.