What does santa get your kids and what comes from you?

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My little boy will be 16 months old 2 days after Christmas so he won't understand but I want to keep it the same every year. Last year I did a letter from santa (will be mics to look back on as he grows) and mentioned some things I said he liked and then santa got him his stocking presents and a want, need, wear and a read and everything else was from us/whoever got him it. Does this seem like a good idea going forward? What do you do?

Elves bring advent calendar and Christmas PJs/socks

Santa brings stocking

Everything else from us/family

Everything is from FC/Santa here. Was the same
for me and DH growing up, didn’t occur to us to do anything differently.

Family gifts are given in person by family.

Father Christmas (or his team) bring advent calendars (deliveries with elf) a Christmas Eve box (delivered when the elf goes home) with pjs, something to eat and a game or film, stockings and one big present each. Santa can’t do electronics so no consoles etc, toys and clothes only.

Oh he also delivers our presents but they are from us. Family presents are from family and sit under the tree from when they get given..

Father Christmas does the stocking and one wrapped present.
We do 2-3 presents

Everything else is from whoever it’s from

I had no idea until this year that some people do xmas eve boxes from 'Santa' but you are like the 3rd of 4th to mention it.

I have had xmas eve boxes (not actually in a box they use to just appear laid out at the end of your bed) since I was born, my mam had it all the way back in the 60s too but I just never linked it to Santa.

Our xmas eve boxes are just sat on the dining room table all year round because they are just storage cubes really lol.

In our house Santa fills the stocking (sweets, stationary etc, and a small toy - this year an LOL surprise ball for DD1 for example). Then he brings a sack which contains one gift from the wish list, pjs and a book. The gift doesn’t tend to be the biggest or most expensive thing, but something really wanted.

Then we tend to get a few other bits off the list wrapped and labelled from us including anything bigger/more expensive if appropriate. I also always get a surprise that isn’t on the list plus a few books, an outfit etc.

Gifts from other people are from them, and go under the tree if DC are there when they are brought, or are hidden away if not and appear on Christmas morning.

We decided from the start to keep the gift from Santa something smaller in case a) there is a Christmas where we have a smaller budget, so we can explain that anything big on the list isn’t affordable without spoiling the magic and b) there is a school friend who gets something smaller and does wonder why they got less than my DC. However, I do agree with others that DC don’t really discuss Christmas in that way and this is probably unlikely.

It’s because it magically arrives on the doorstep as the elf vanishes and we feign surprise lol, it just evolved. It stretches out the magic a little plus means I can make pyjamas and hot chocolate a present!

Sorry @mam0918 the above was meant to reply to you x

Everything comes from FC in our house we send him the money and he decides what the elves make them with the money we sent. If they are on the naughty list he sends the money back to us🤷🏼‍♀️. We done it this way so the children understand why they get more or less than others and why we have to work so much. We also do Xmas eve boxes they wake up to them in their rooms on Xmas eve morning, we tell them the elves dropped them off because they have made the good list and need to get ready for FC. If they wake up and no box is there it’s because they are on the naughty list and don’t need to get ready. They have never not got a Xmas eve box but it does help them be extra good on the run up and day of Xmas eve.

I just don’t understand the logic of sending the presents (or money) to Santa for him to bring them back again… not that any of the FC story is logical 😂

I tell my kids that I buy it all, send it to the elves to wrap (because I’m rubbish at wrapping) and then Santa delivers it back to us on Christmas Eve.
In our house he’s just a magical postman with a snazzy uniform! He’s not getting all the credit when I’m the one pulling pints behind a grotty bar every hour god sends to pay for it all 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

You see the logic in telling kids if they really want something it just comes for free though?

@mam0918 Santa makes most of their presents, which thankfully aren’t particularly expensive or extravagant, but any big ticket items are bought and wrapped by me and DH or grandparents. It’s only magic for a short time and mine would find it less believable if Santa becomes an Evri delivery guy for the night.

O god they’d never get anything if Santa works for Evri 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Santa brings one gift you ask for plus a stocking with some surprises. Mum and dad get everything else, up to our budget (£100 per child usually, which includes the Santa gifts). Santa gift is usually £20-30 ish.

Nothing has ever been from Santa/Father Christmas. From a young age 2DC were asked to write a list, they knew that friends, family and ourselves bought their gifts but then any gifts were sent off to the big man to deliver. Never left cookies/biscuits/mince pie and drink either.

We've never had a discussion about who brings what. I would think the younger ones think it's all from Santa, and the older one/s who don't believe know it's from us. Never been asked, never had to say. It's never been complicated.

Are family gifts to your DC from other members of extended family or you too?

Santa only bring stocking nothing else

Santa brings one or two moderate sized gifts. (Eg a Lego set or a soft toy.) Everything else is from us.

We don't put tags on the gifts and we just roll with whatever the kids say lol my son is 9 so I'm guessing he will thank me for the presents and daughter is 2 so we can be all oh wow santa with her.