Is Father Christmas/Santa Claus not so much a thing now?

[DottyHarmer]

I just get the feeling that there is much less emphasis now on FC bringing presents (for children obviously). I have seen online and in real life people just piling the presents up under the tree even for young dcs instead of the idea of FC creeping around filling sacks. (Perhaps always was a bit disturbing when you think about it !)

I suppose kids are more.”knowing” now and they can see everything online, see that stuff is delivered and also that gratification can be instant. The adverts atm all seem rather transactional now too.

I just was musing whether FC would go the way of stagecoaches on Christmas cards, ie a thing of the past.

Father Christmas was never supposed to bring all the presents - thatsa very brief modern aberration.

Father Christmas only puts presents in stockings. Stockings are socks, not sacks or pillowcases unless you have extraordinarily large legs.

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

Father Christmas was never supposed to bring all the presents - thatsa very brief modern aberration.

Father Christmas only puts presents in stockings. Stockings are socks, not sacks or pillowcases unless you have extraordinarily large legs.

Don’t be silly. He originally brought all the presents and they fitted in a stocking.

I also feel the opposite, that FC is completely overdone now. As well as all the trackers and whatnot mentioned upthread, I know people who book every grotto going - so their kids meet 3 or 4 different FCs in the run up to Christmas. I find that a bit baffling to be honest!

When I was little we didn’t talk that much about FC, and somehow that was more magical. I don’t know. My kids stopped believing at quite a young age and I wonder if it was because people talk to them so much about FC so they started asking me lots of questions!

ThereAintNoSanityClause nope - St Nicholas originally put gold coins in his mates' daughter's shoe to save her from being pimped out by her father to raise funds because the the family had fallen on hard times.

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

ThereAintNoSanityClause nope - St Nicholas originally put gold coins in his mates' daughter's shoe to save her from being pimped out by her father to raise funds because the the family had fallen on hard times.

And from that you infer that Father Christmas was never supposed to bring all the presents. I suppose you must follow your own logic

I have seen online and in real life people just piling the presents up under the tree even for young dcs
I'm 42. This was how we always did it and how we do it now with our own young DC. Presents go under the tree as soon as they are wrapped/arrive so might be there for a couple of weeks. Stockings get left out for FC on Xmas Eve.

I never knew till I was an adult that some people don't put presents under the tree till Xmas Eve as well.

ThereAintNoSanityClause you said "originally". Originally St. Nicolas put money in a shoe.

Going further back there are pre Christian gift giving traditions.

In some countries something altogether different brings the presents ,(The 3 Wise Men/ Magi / 3 kings in Spain, the Christkind in southern Germany etc.)

Father Christmas/ Santa bringing all the presents is quite new and specific to certain regions of certain countries.

...it's almost as if Christmas is a mangling of traditions and there's no actual correct way to do the celebration...

In my childhood and for my own DC, FC only brought the stockings. Everything else went under the tree and the gift tags showed who each present was from.

If you raise them to think FC provides you create three huge problems:

1. Why FC is markedly more/less generous to other children;
2. Ignoring the vital social skill of thanking the gift-giver;
3. Denying them the experience of planning and giving gifts to others themselves - if FC gives everyone all the gifts, why would they ever need to?

Very well summarised. FC only ever did stockings for us and for our dc.

FC is very much a thing but I don't know of anyone who says FC bring the presents under the tree - those are from family and friends. FC fills the stocking with small gifts and sweets not forgetting the chocolate coins and satsuma!

00100001 fair point

There's no real reason to claim that pillowcases full of anonymous presents all from Santa/ Father Christmas and pretending aunty Sue and Granny didn't buy the new Lego is some sort of authentic, traditional approach to Christmas though.

It’s just the weirdos who think Santa is a lie that will destroy their children forever

We never did the big Father Christmas thing. so our children could thank people properly. But the stockings were from FC.

And we always did and and always will put them under the tree when they're asleep, even when they're 45!

Our tree is usually surrounded by presents before Christmas Day, but they're ones I've bought for other people and ones we've received.

FC still a big feature. FC brings a sack of fairly inexpensive presents for each DC and fills their stockings. They know that DH and I then buy the bigger ticket items they may ask for.

I have a baby but Santa will very much be part of our Christmas. Santa will bring all the presents in our house.

@Mrsmch123

I have a baby but Santa will very much be part of our Christmas. Santa will bring all the presents in our house.

What about when they go to school and find out other children get presents from parents and other relatives?

I still feel Santa is alive and well! Lots of our NDN with small DC have Stop her Santa signs .Garden Centres are full of him .Children are small for such a short time ,a few tears of "magic" to make it special

@kowari I was told Santa brought you the presents that were on your list plus a few surprises. Family bought each other gifts as it was a nice thing to do. Tbh I never really questioned it. I guess I will have to tell him they must have been on the naughty list of Santa didn't bring them anything🤷🏻‍♀️🙈

Christmas without Father Christmas is not right!

We do big present from us and stocking full of smaller goodies from FC which is obviously COMPLETELY correct.

MIL used to do everything from FC including other relatives presents. This is obviously COMPLETELY wrong.

[quote Mrsmch123]@kowari I was told Santa brought you the presents that were on your list plus a few surprises. Family bought each other gifts as it was a nice thing to do. Tbh I never really questioned it. I guess I will have to tell him they must have been on the naughty list of Santa didn't bring them anything🤷🏻‍♀️🙈[/quote]
No I meant if all the presents in your house will be from Santa won't your child wonder why you don't buy them anything if their friends get presents from their parents? Are you honestly going to tell your child that other children are naughty though?

We do Father Christmas and for us he brings the stocking gifts and one main present. We don't actually buy our dd any others from us though and the main present varies from year to year on size/cost as we just choose something we know she'll love. We tell her that letters to FC are ideas rather than a list of demands, and he will choose something that's perfect for her. All other gifts are from family or friends and they get thanked for them. For me the magic is in her walking into the lounge and realising that Father Christmas has 'been'. I think it's fine for everyone to have their own ways, once children get really old enough to hint it all out and compare notes then it's probably time for the true believing to come to a natural end. That said, I think Father Christmas will always exist in this house anyway, bringing the stocking etc, even when she's much older!

@kowari I'm not sure how they would know that their friends parents bought them the presents?I know I never questioned it as a child? By the time I was old enough to be getting big money items I knew Santa wasn't real. I would probably go down the route of they don't believe and that's why they never got from Santa. I feel they only believe for a short time so make the most of the magic. I'm happy for Santa to take the credit for a few years.

@Mrsmch123 Kids definitely talk about it (which I agree, we didn’t as kids). There have been so many posts on my local Mums FB page along the lines of ‘my son can’t understand why FC is bringing his friend whatever console and not him’. When my DD (6 at the time) was compiling evidence against FC’s existence one of her points was ‘FC brings some kids stockings only, some kids stockings plus one or two tree presents, some kids all their presents… that doesn’t make sense!’

Father Christmas certainly still a thing with my 2.5yo and her friends, at nursery, etc. She talks about Farver Kissmas, generally when she sees someone wearing red… or thinking about chocolate. But she’ll only get stocking presents from FC: tree presents (yes, under the tree even with small DC…) are from/to friends and family. That’s how we did it when I was small, approx several thousand years ago, and how everyone I know has always done it.

Agree it’s Father Christmas not Santa, but that’s regional.