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?!!!

Tell them there was a news broadcast and Santa is asking kids to bear with him and put more than one thing on the list because he may not be able to get everything!

This year we’ve noticed that our 8 year old DS is a Christmasphile.

He wants to decorate now, he was having a shit yesterday whilst listening to Christmas songs. He was written multiple Xmas lists which start with ‘I want’.

He wants a three screen pc (no idea..) and my DH explained ‘Santa has a budget and can’t afford to give you everything you want’ and DS kicked off big time. Shameful behaviour. He apologised and wrote a new list. ‘Dear Santa, I want: to be a billionaire.’

Problem solved he told me.

Stay on message. Santa delivers one toy with a written message attached to it

"This is for Betty and Nigel to share. Enjoy, love from Santa"

You could say santa brings a small present, as he can only carry so much on his sleigh/the elves only know how to make certain things, the main present comes from parents and if they want something really expensive you could ask other relatives to chip in but explain they won't get anything else.

I have 3 dc and I recall when oldest was around 6 asking why he couldn’t have xyz when (only child or granny doing free childcare) friends were.
I told him that Santa brings the presents but he gets the money from mum and dad and sometimes mums and dads have more money than us plus we had to share our money between him and siblings and children with one or no siblings didn’t have to share.
They all understood that explanation

Tell them that with so many people in the world Father Christmas can’t buy everything himself so parents now send money to him and you can’t afford to send him that much money.

You say... You can ask but I know sometimes he has to balance the gifts for the children in the area, for instance what if yiu all asked for an elephant?

Well you could say due to Covid-19 Santa has restrictions and will not be able to get this present as the some of the Elves had Covid and they wouldn't be able to make enough of this toy for all the boys and girls who asked.

You could semi lie and say Santa delivers what the parents can afford

or (and this one worked well for me), you could stop encouraging Santa clause because it's not true.

Whichever works for you.

Elves and Santa only used to bring wooden toys and fruit to boys and girls in the 'olden' days so perhaps 'Santa' should revert back to his old ways. I'd love to see the look on their faces when they wake up with an orange and a one of these.

I've always told my kids parents have to give santa some money towards the gifts, my mother used to tell me the same. When they ask for ridiculously expensive things that I can't afford I can be truthful and say that I can't afford it.

My rule is "You can put whatever you want on the Christmas list but Santa will choose 1 or sometimes 2 things within his budget" then he brings the stocking which are filled with unasked for presents. Then family bring the rest.

I always tell DD that Santa may not necessarily get the most expensive gifts on the list as he has to buy for every other child in the world too.

There is an online campaign every year to get all parents to only give stocking filler tat from Santa to avoid this problem and the issue of why some kids get more than others from Santa
My daughter did the same and circled everything in the smyth catalogue telling me Santa was magic and would provide 😬

Doesn't it completely ruin the magic to say you paid/had involvement in Santa's job?

Not really. Just means they can't ask for anything and everything. The presents still appear by magic

Mine have never made lists but even as a child when we circled things in catalogues we knew we did it to day dream and waste our time not to recieve it.

We do it so Santa brings most the gifts.

Stockings arent 'gifts' just a traditional treat.

wrapped tree presents are from the givers but everything else is brought by Santa.

This year I decided to diversify in case my kids ever ask questions (I highly doubt they will) but now Santa gives 12 small gifts (only adds up to about £10, fun things mam wouldnt buy like noisy and irratating toys - I may regret the whistle quickly lol)

The rest are from gifts/money mam sends to the north pole for extra presents if they have been good (this has already maybe been set up in my oldests mind as when he was little I had to take him shopping so told him sometime I buy things and send them to Santa so he knows what to bring)

Plus some second hand things might be from the 'Santa donation program' - basically we have a sack where children leave unwanted toys for santa too take with him and give to other children who would like them (or for us to take to the charity shop or give away or sell) - and sometime Santa may leave 2nd hand toys (our charity shop finds that cant be passed off as new but still good) that our kids would enjoy here in return.

I think this way is good because we still have the HUGE xmas but if the kids ever do ask santa only brings the cheap toys in the santa sack and everything else is either paid for by us or recycled from other boys and girls (so no PS5 availible lol).

My first deleted post!

some posters REALLY get cranky that some of us like to involve the magic of Santa in the magic of Christmas! For the poster who got so offended: we ALSO do the elf. My kids love it.

and I am very comfortable telling them that all the presents come from Santa!

I looked really shocked and said ‘we can’t ask Santa for two expensive things, he’ll think we’re so cheeky!’ They bought it for now.

@2bazookas

Stay on message. Santa delivers one toy with a written message attached to it

"This is for Betty and Nigel to share. Enjoy, love from Santa"

Genius.