At what point do you stop sneaking round on Christmas Eve??

[festivesprinkles]

Dc are 14, 13, and 6. I'm a single parent and I'm up and down the stairs about 10 times at least on Christmas Eve listening for any signs that someone is awake.
The 14 and 13 year old know I do all but the FC presents but stockings are tricky.
They should invent silent wrapping paper.

The 14 and 13 year old know I do all but the FC presents

So your 13 and 14 year old still think the FC presents are from FC?!

Around that age we started putting stockings gifts out when we woke up Christmas morning. As teens they weren’t early risers

Mine are similar ages - 16,13 and 7. This year they were all downstairs, eldest one in their computers and youngest watching a film. I wrapped the older ones presents up upstairs and then put the younger one to bed. Then went downstairs with youngest ones presents and wrapped hers up whilst the older ones were still engrossed in their computers! Then when they went to bed about 9.45 I did the stockings (I don’t wrap sticking presents so those don’t take that long as it’s just a case of getting them all to fit in!!!) A few nights ago I sorted all the presents out into boxes /bags so I knew who’s was who’s!

Sorry I'm really confused as to what you're finding tricky - are you wrapping presents tonight? I mean, that's easily avoidable by wrapping them sooner.

Surely you don't kid on that the presents magic themselves under the tree?

In which case it's only the stockings to think about... that's the bit I find tricky (waiting until they're properly asleep to fill the stockings. I don't wrap those, pointless and bad for the environment!)

Single here my ds13 now helps out if he can he knows I do it all so no sneaking about around him plus he's awake till 11pm so not waiting till he's gone asleep.

Why would you leave it until Christmas Eve to do all of your wrapping?!

By help out I mean he will help bring dd presents down eat the mince pie drink the milk then disappear again so I can bring his down.

My 14yo helped me with the wrapping and everyone else’s stockings tonight. Then brought the presents down to put under the tree. The 12yo helped me shop for some of the stocking fillers for siblings. My 10 yo doesn’t need sneaking around for any more. Only the 7yo. I imagine in a couple of years I’ll have stopped.

Either your teens are having you on, or you’re having us on. They don’t actually believe in Santa.

Sorry I've confused you all-everything is wrapped already. It's the getting it all from the hiding places and down the stairs to the living room that is tricky and then doing stockings when things rustle. I wish there was a hiding place on the same floor as the living room.

And of course some things are magicked under the tree! 🎄

Oh shit I forgot the m

I just wrapped all mine (well DH did most of it) - working long hours all month and never got the chance. Mine are 14 and 17 and I'm not sneaking around and don't think I did the last couple of years either. They obviously know all the gifts are from us so we shut ourselves in the lounge and shout at them to bugger off if they try to come in. Can't wait until they go to bed as they go much later than us!

My teens are 15 and 16 and I'm waiting for them to go to sleep so I can put their stockings on their beds! I don't think I'll stop sneaking around until they leave home...

Post button is not to be pressed until ready. I mean I forgot the mince pie. Dd is worried about FC's health so wanted to leave out fruit for him. A mince pie is fruit right? FC is magical and not afflicted by the usual human chronic illnesses like heart disease or diabetes or indeed covid.

Ours are 40 and 37 and we still tiptoe about .

My three have all known for years as they're all teens but like to play along a bit with many a knowing wink (it's one of the reasons they prefer to spend Christmas with me rather than their Dad).... are you sure that's not what your teens are up to... I'd be amazed if they still believed...

I've just put everything out after they went to get ready for bed, after much joshing about being in their rooms so they don't disturb Santa...it's still a late-ish night, but everything was wrapped, colour coordinated and labelled for ease.

They left out a plate for Santa with the traditional carrot for Rudolph, but a mini bottle of fizz (yay!) for Santa and a tiny candy cane for a snack (which has gone back in the bowl now) as they reckon (correctly) that Santa will still be giant Christmas Eve fondue dinner...

*still be FULL AFTER

I hide ours in cupboards and collect them in a washing basket 😂

The kids are 10 and 12 and wouldn’t dare ruin their own surprises, they stay in bed and that’s that.

My 15yo is still awake and I've dumped his stocking outside his door, I'm sure he heard me. I'm not waiting for him to sleep. Sod that.

Ours are 24 & 22 and have only just gone up to bed. They still get a stocking

I leave the children's stockings outside their bedroom doors to make it easier

My DS13 put all the presents out for me while I dyed the underneath of DD16's hair blue tonight. It's the first time they have seen their piles before the big day which might take the magic away a bit for in the morning BUT we all just seemed so much happier and chilled than usual. I don't miss the over excited little ones stage at all... they couldn't sleep, they would then wind eachother up because they were tired, I'd get stressed because I couldn't put the presents out and then I would get mardy myself.

I have three DC's and bought stickers with their names on for easier labelling - that and one of those sellotape dispensers are worth their weight in gold!

Mine are 12 and 22yrs

Thankfully they both went to bed at 2230ish and their stuff is in 2 tied black bin bags (already wrapped) on the bottom of the wardrobe so that's easy to take down and empty onto living room floor. Stuff some small stuff in stocking which are left hung downstairs then I plonk them outside their bedroom doors for the morning. When they were wee I did put stockings on bottom of their beds but not now.

I figure they are old enough to search when I'm out if they wanted to but they seem to like surprises and don't look in my wardrobe.

My youngest is Y6 and has abandoned all pretence so no creeping about this year.

Once they stopped believing, the stockings were left downstairs so can happily be filled as soon as kids go to bed.