Shit, my child has just trumped me with Santa. What the hell do you say in this instance?

[justanotherneighinparadise]

My seven year old wants a certain expensive toy. Four year old wants a different version of it. I say, woah kids this stuff is crazy money. I don’t think it’s worth the price tag in terms of the play I think you’ll get out of it, so I’m happy to buy one version but it will be a shared toy for both of you.

Seven year old then says it’s okay, he’ll put it on his Santa list and Santa can bring it. Four year old says he’ll do the same. What the fuck was I supposed to say to that?!!!

This is why we always told ours Santa just brings the stockings of tat and the market j presents come from family

Main not market j!

You know they don't always have to get what they put on the list? If it's too expensive then they can't have it. You need to find a way to manage their expectations. i.e. in the words of the Rolling Stones 'you can't always get what you want'
I'm intrigued to know what the item is though!?

Ours were told that we have to pay Santa for the things he brings. Otherwise how can they understand that some children don’t get much while others get loads? Can’t let them think it’s because they’ve been ‘nicer’!

Even Santa doesn't have endless amounts of money... and doesn't like greedy children!!

We also say we send santa the money and he makes the toys. Also explains why some kids get bigger/more things than others not that mine have ever noticed/questioned that.

Agreed Santa leaves the stocking & ours know who buys them main presents. They know we don't have pots of cash.

I spluttered out that we have to be respectful of Santa’s budget too and he has to make toys for all the children in the world. The look on his face 🤣🥴

Yep, same here. Santa only brings small stocking presents - this has served us well with regard to expectations.

Santa always brings small / ‘interesting’ bits here and parents and family buy the main presents ...

You tell them that Santa can't always get some presents, you know this because you put a Lamborghini on your list one year and you never got it!

I would just say Santa has a lot of children to buy for and chooses something he knows each child will love, even if it is something they hadn't thought of because he's magic.

Yes, that as well! Just ‘no, it’s too expensive’ or whatever your reason is. I think it’s really important that they understand that just because you ‘can’ buy something (ie afford it), doesn’t mean you should or will. Malcolm Gladwell has an interesting chapter on this - probably in ‘David and Goliath‘ but not sure.

I tell my kids that we have to pay Santa for the toys.

I tell dd that Santa brings one or two generic gifts such as scooter, easle, babydoll and pram. Always things that there are multiple types of and can be bought across budgets

Everything else I tell her myself and her family buy the gifts and send them to santa for distribution

So I buy- send to santa- he keeps them safe and delivers if she's good!!

You could say there has been a memo from santa that due to population growth there is a cap on his rrspurces, time etc and will only provide xyz gifts from now on

Yeah that Santa has to think of money as he buys toys for all the children in the world, it's not just a given is it? X

Santa is shielding this year (he's old), so you are doing his job in the house.

Sorted.

Oh bless you. I remember those challenges. We deliberately chose for Santa to bring stockings and one special present. It didn't have to be anything big but was something our kids really, really wanted. Dd1 wanted a musical jewellery box with ballerina. Think it cost us about £12 and she was devastated when her cousin threw it out of the window.

It really is about managing expectations. Whether you tell them that you pay Santa for the presents, or Santa can't bring everything on their lists - imagine how big the magic sack would have to be if every child in the world got everything on their Santa list?

Depending on what it is and cost, you can also suggest this item if any relatives ask what the children want for Xmas. It sounds like if there are 2 versions, unless it's something they can both play together like scalextric, a train set etc, it might not lead to harmony between the 2 if they have to take it in turns.

We buy all the presents. They go to FC to be "checked", wrapped & delivered. If DD has been naughty she doesn't get all of them sent back. They would presumably be given to other children.

Although if it's a console, asking relatives who ask what little Joe and Jon want for Xmas to chip in might help.

In this house we pay Santa. He does the stockings and one gift per child. Mum and dad then buy some gifts too.

Santa is shielding this year (he's old), so you are doing his job in the house

Genius

Thing is they write santa lists!! So the generic toy idea isn’t going to work is it 🤔 They’re not greedy kids, most of what I buy is second hand, this year I just haven’t been able to be as frugal as usual due to covid and shopping restrictions.

Could you say that it’s too big for Santa’s sack?

That’s the sort of thing you have to save up for / it would be greedy to ask for something like that?

Santa doesn’t bring huge gifts when he sees how many toys they have in their house.

For Lego, I would look up the number of pieces that the elves had to make and decide they probably wouldn’t be able to make that much for one child.

Santa only ever brings stocking presents. And the DC never get everything in their list.
Even if you do “Santa brings main presents”, it’s obvious to even small children that Santa can’t get everything they want - loads of children in the world, he has to be fair, room on the sleigh etc.