Does Santa bring everything in your house?

[MsMiaWallace]

Santa does bring all the presents in our house apart from those from grandparents etc.

When I was a kid it was the same until we didn't believe anymore.

I figured that the kids don't believe for long & it is magical but it's bloody hard work when Santa gets all the credit for everything.

*So I think he has been around here for at least 60 years .

Should add I’ve never met a person in real life who calls him Father Christmas . Always been Santa.

No he gets main present and stocking here .

Santa gets a few bits, but we get the bigger stuff.

This is a recent change, because a friend pointed out to me that it puts even more pressure on other parents if we say that everything's from Santa. It can make kids wonder if they didn't receive as many presents as their friends because Santa doesn't like them, or they weren't good enough

This is a contentious issue in our house as my husband’s family did this and mine didn’t! I think it’s so odd! Santa brings small presents in a stocking and other gifts are from family, parents etc. Funny to see how many families do the Santa bringing all the presents thing- I just thought it was some odd thing his family did!

I think @Dinosauratemydaffodils has managed to express my unease with the way we've done Xmas - if my kids get big presents from Santa but their friends get much less, does it make their friends feel as though they have been good?

Mine would never boast about presents like that but I have always felt uncomfortable with telling my kids that Santa brings these lovely presents to all the good children in the world because he doesn't does he? Some kids get nothing and sleep on the streets.

I'm not sure I would 'do' Santa if I could go back to when the kids were tiny. He's a fun character but he is the epitome of wealth and privilege (and have cost me a feckin fortune over the years ).

Definitely not criticising anyone it is just how I have come to think about it.

Also, Santa was a nightmare with my middle child who is autistic and very much works on the 'Una Mind' theory which enables everyone to group think.

He would visit shopping centre Santa and he would come out shouting 'fuck you Santa' when he didn't get the present he wanted.

Then he would 'think' his list to Santa and wouldn't tell me because Santa already knew. Hard times

He's 10 now and thank Christ doesn't believe.

I do dislike children being told 'believe to receive' message. My ex- neighbour used to do this with her 10 year old who then had to pretend she still believed, it was ridiculous. Even my six year has doubts!

[quote CoffeeChocolateWine]@IceFrost, I guess what you grow up with has a big influence on what you do with your kids. When I was younger we did pretty much the same as I do for my kids now, except we had a pillowcase of gifts by our bed rather than the filled stocking by the fireplace that my kids get (this started because my first child was terrified at the thought of a strange man in red creeping into his room in the middle of the night so we’ve always done stockings downstairs! Santa drops and goes!)

But round the tree it was about family. I had 3 siblings and we all had a present from each other and we gave a gift to DM (organised by DF) and a gift for DF (organised by DM). It was never only for the kids but it was no less magical.

My DC are 12, 8 and 2. In terms of their involvement in choosing presents for their siblings, grandparents and cousins, I give them a shortlist of three suggestions and they choose which one they would like to give. They don’t have complete freedom to get whatever...that would be...errrrrmmm...interesting![/quote]
I agree. I don’t remember having a stocking as a kid... well I did have one.. but it was hung up on the fireplace as more of a decoration.
I never got things that some people would put in stockings.
A friend at work once told me what she put in her boys stocking and I was genuinely confused and asked why would you give that (flannel, new tooth brush, character bath stuff, socks, pants etc). In my head that was stuff a child should have anyway and it’s not really a gift and because I never got stuff like at Xmas, I didn’t know others did!

By the way I don’t actually think there is anything wrong with giving that kind of thing in stockings, it’s just an example how everyone does it different before anyone jumps on me defending their stocking contents

I do a stocking for my daughter and it goes under the mini tree in her room although I go in there with her to open it

Yes, that isn't how our stockings worked either. We might get socks, but they'd be one pair of Christmas patterned ones. Bath stuff, maybe, but it would be a little bottle of bubble bath shaped like a Christmas tree or a Christmas pudding bath bomb or something. Then some chocolate coins, maybe pretty hair clips or a scrunchie and often a little game or puzzle. Maybe a patterned little packet of tissues, And a satsuma in the toe!

Toothbrushes wouldn't go in a stocking at my house. Not would a flannel, unless maybe it was the type that grew in the bath.

We buy presents and Santa delivers them if they are good. This means dd5 can help us choose presents for her cousins and we put them in the loft and Santa comes and collects them to be delivered..

Santa never bought anything in our house.
The kids still managed to have the ' magical Christmas 🎄 ' that everyone goes on about on here though.

It has always been really important to me that my children understand Christmas is about giving and receiving and showing your love to others. We don't want to ruin the magic of Father Christmas. He has always filled their stockings and will probably continue to do so until they leave home. All other presents are given to each other, the children make us and each other little gifts or draw pictures / write notes. It's not all just about piles of new "stuff".

FC brings a gift and fills stockings in our house.

ICEFROST:
'A friend at work once told me what she put in her boys stocking and I was genuinely confused and asked why would you give that (flannel, new tooth brush, character bath stuff, socks, pants etc). In my head that was stuff a child should have anyway and it’s not really a gift and because I never got stuff like at Xmas, I didn’t know others did!'

Totally this, our stockings where mostly just decor with some 'traditional' things in (orange, some nuts, a small selection box... thing that was it)

I was always baffled by the toiletries stuff and pants/socks etc... like you I always saw them as parental responsabilities that where expected rather than 'gifts' (if a parent didnt supply - socks, pants, toothbrush, soap etc... it would be neglect and adding a character on to it doesnt really make it any less of a basic item).

We do obviously get those items for our children when ever they need them and we then give new one ready for bed on xmas eve just as a nice 'go to bed in your new stuff' thing but I just dont count them as gifts (rather 'tradition') and wouldnt give them from 'santa'.

When I was a child we hung up actual socks. So in turn they were really easy to fill.

It's modern stockings that are the issue they look lovely but are a pain to fill. If people don't stuff them with some form of clothing - what on earth do you fill them with?

I remember reading one here someone comment that their stockings only had low cost items, anything over a fiver was a gift that was wrapped separately under the tree.

I like the fiver rule as when kids get bigger things get smaller and a bottle of perfume is small enough to fit in a stocking but too expensive to put it there.

I think my parents did it completely differently from what others have posted. When I was a kid absolutely everything, including gifts from relatives, was passed off as being from Santa. I don't remember getting gifts from family members when I was little, can't even remember if I questioned it or not! I didn't realise my parents did this until I was well into my twenties, when I commented to my aunt on an item 'Santa' brought me one year and she told me it was her who bought it! I'll probably speak to my aunt about this more as I have unanswered questions, such as if the family were all on board with it etc. My parents are no longer here to ask them unfortunately.
DH and I do the stocking and a few gifts from Santa, rest is from us. Family members' presents are from them!

IntheCludgie (great name btw) I know of one family who insist on this, the auntie who I'm friends with hates it. Partly because kids can't even lift the phone to say thanks etc.

My IL's won't even play along with Santa delivering everything. They want to deliver things themselves even if its 3 days late.

@Bikingbear

When I was a child we hung up actual socks. So in turn they were really easy to fill.

It's modern stockings that are the issue they look lovely but are a pain to fill. If people don't stuff them with some form of clothing - what on earth do you fill them with?

I remember reading one here someone comment that their stockings only had low cost items, anything over a fiver was a gift that was wrapped separately under the tree.

I like the fiver rule as when kids get bigger things get smaller and a bottle of perfume is small enough to fit in a stocking but too expensive to put it there.

This too I think stuff in stocking only being a few pound work out well.

I have recently started paying more attention to stockings since I never really had much in them as a child I never really did much with them before, they mostly have sweets in but also things like pens, stamps, stickers, bubbles (small things and all multipacks that have been split up).

So the whole stocking here only cost between £5 and £10 and they fill up ok (buying cheap but 'big' things like bags of sweets fills up quite easy).

Some people I have encountered on here scoff at the whole 'pile of presents' or 'santa gifts' that we do (I love a full room) but those same people often go on about just doing a stocking.

Then you find out their 'stocking' has 10 gifts in worth £10-£30 each (new xbox game, fancy purfume, lego, new release hard back books, headphones etc...) that are too big to fit in a regular stocking and are actually a sack.

Seems crazy to me to put expensive purfume or gadgets in a stocking but if other want to thats absoloutly fine but I do hate it when some get sanctamonious about it 'what??? you bought your kid 20 gifts from santa? how selfish some kids get nothing. Ours only get a stocking' like labelling it a stocking changes that they are doing the same as they are condeming.

Mam yip I've came across that before really expensive stuff in stockings that are really sacks. My youngest is only just turning 4 so never really wanted to fill the stockings with a load of sweets. I just strugggle to think of cheap bulky stuff. Hence i tend to resort to pants or socks that aren't really gifts.

Nope.

He brings the 3 things asked for on the list.

Then a few extra bits.

It's about 50/50 what Santa brings and what we give.

Oh and of course he fills the stocking too.

When I was little we had real socks, we went to great pains to measure them to make sure we always had the biggest ones (my dads) until one year we hung pairs of school tights!!

I think it was the anticipation of the unknown element of the stocking that was so exciting. Seeing it all bulging and full of odd shapes sticking out here and there was amazing.

When dd was a baby she was given a gift of a lovely felt stocking but my god it's HUGE and takes a lot to fill it. I have bought other smaller ones over the years but she (now a teen) is attached to the original one for 'sentimental' reasons (and why wouldn't she be when it holds so much!)

Lot's of years we hide the main present in it if it is small in size, so the year she really really wanted an ipod it was in the toe of it, the same a couple of years later when she got a phone, it was down near the bottom of it and last year's airpod pros were in the toe.

She always goes for the stocking first and spends AGES taking each thing out and oohing and aahing over it.

We never went for practical things like pjs, underwear, toothbrushes etc when she was little. I understand why people do though, especially with multiple children and limited budgets.

Now she is a teen and wants specific beauty and makeup products I am happy to put them in. I also fill it with unusual snack foods, this year from Japan and US. And things like make-up brushes, beauty facemasks etc

In the past couple of years we've started doing stockings for each other too and I LOVE it! I always get things like a mini bottle of champagne and a paper straw, a book, nail polish, a lovely drinking glass, a notebook, chocolates etc. Some of the stuff I have ordered myself and the rest dh picks as surprises. And it's the same for him.

Well we r still undecided about what to tell our 3yr old. Last yr she didn't really know any better so I suppose she thought Santa got it all.

DH was brought up that Santa got him everything. In my house Santa got us a big present let's say a bike or Barbie house or something that was expensive and our stocking. Mum and dad bought us the rest which I prefer.

Still not sure what to say as I think is it not weird that all our family get her lots of gifts and we buy all the family but yet apparently we get her nothing 🤷🏻‍♀️

FC fills the stockings, then everyone else gives each other presents.

To be honest, it never really occurred to me to do anything else (it was some years before I realised that kindly adults asking "what did Father Christmas bring you?" weren't asking about the chocolate coins and the bubble bath).

A list is made, Santa brings a few things off the list. The rest of the list is then screenshot on to grandparents as they never know what to buy but them and aunts/uncles give their gifts separately. I do an xmas eve gift here and did it before the xmas eve box malarky. Always give a parcel of new pj's, toothbrush, some snacks and a can of soda and some reindeer food. In years gone by also a dvd for xmas eve. Santa fills the stocking and leaves a sack of presents on xmas day. There is no wrapping happening in this house either.

To add to the above, in our house and through the generations, santa brings you things you would never ask mam or dad for which is why the big stuff is bought from santa for christmas. Mam and Dad buy all year round and they provide birthday stuff so Santa gives them a reprieve from it cos they save so hard the rest of the year ;)