Filling the stocking without waking them!

[NCcoziwannaNC]

Last yr the then 9 year old. Stayed awake until 4am! Every time we tried to sneak in they sat up!

I tried to suggest leaving the stocking on the fireplace or by bedroom door. But that's a big no go.

They're personalised so cant do the swap for a pre filled one :/

You messed up. Stockings in the living room by the chimney or at the very least on the landing outside their bedrooms. Tell them apparently Santa leaves extra sweets if the stockings are downstairs.

Oh mine hang their stockings in the living room for this very reason.

If you’re awake Santa doesn’t fill the stocking, that was always the rule in our house. We always hung stockings on the outside of bedroom doors and the children brought them into our bed to open.

Our stockings were left downstairs to save Father Christmas time, given how many deliveries he’d have to make 😁

Then sneaked onto the foot of our beds when parents came up to sleep!

The excitement of poking a toe down and feeling the weight and hearing the crinkle of paper, and knowing that He’d Been, then cuddling down again till it was morning!

I’m no help, sorry! Luckily this problem has sorted itself out for us this year as my 5 year old doesn’t like the idea of Father Christmas (or the tooth fairy) coming into her room at night so it was very easy for me to advise her and her 9 year old sister that they would be left outside their doors this year.

Could you just try and explain that he doesn’t come if they are still awake? It’s so hard when they’re so excited.

Our elder dd is a Bugger for waking up. We put the stocking in at 1am and she was in our room at 2am saying he’d been. Had to let her open one thing then try and get her to go back to sleep.

Yes, stockings are always left downstairs by chimney place here.

Im thinking the elf could leave a note saying santa has requested to leave the stockings by the fire as hes going to be in a hurry.

Then when filled i can go in, in the pitch black to drop on beds ( 3 in one room) and i wont get seen. Could wear hood up on dressing up gown.

Last year it was morw the going in, getting the stocking, filling it and returning it

We always as kids had on the bed as no fireplace. I remember catching my dad doing ours at around 10

I got caught last Christmas and had to tell DD that santa asked me to bring her stocking down to him...

You buy two identical stockings, fill one as you go, and then swap them over....in and out like a dose of salts.

Never once got a caught.

Can't get identical. I had them personalised at £20 each we all have one so 6, although wouldn2need double of mine and dh. But still £80 on doubling up isnt do able, and im sure the lady that did them isnt trading anymore.

You are over thinking this one. You don't need notes, elves or sneaking about. Just tell the children 'this year we are leaving the stockings downstairs'

Get a Christmas card and ask a friend to write it to your children so they don’t recognise your writing.
Card is from Santa asking that all stockings are left downstairs. Card is addressed to your children and comes in the post.

Tell them if they're awake Santa won't come. It still works for my older teenagers, they do at least pretend to be asleep. I get all the gifts laid out on our bed, sneak in, get the stockings, fill them and return them as quickly and quietly as possible, usually around midnight. No way would I ever consider stockings downstairs, there's nothing like the feel of a heavy stocking by your feet on Christmas morning, it is one of the best things about Christmas.

I used to have stocking presents in a carrier back hidden in my wardrobe, I'd sneak into dd's bedroom, retrieve the stocking, pop into my room and quickly fill it and then sneak it back in. She claims she once saw me but even though she's now an adult I continue to deny it. Stockings are now downstairs so I fill it when she's gone to bed. Same process though, I'll have DD and DPs stocking presents in a bag each ready for a quick stuff before bed.

DDog and Dcat have little sacks in place of stockings, these are filled ahead of time but kept hideously upstairs until they've also gone to bed Christmas Eve otherwise DDog stands guards on his.

Just tell them stockings are going downstairs. They won't care once they wake up!

You're overthinking it, a 10yo knows, so no need to go to great lengths to pretend! Just explain it will be left downstairs this year since Santa doesn't want to be seen, with a big theatrical wink.

I also think you’re over thinking, just tell them stockings are being left downstairs this year. You fill them when they are in bed then sneak in and drop them in the wee small hours, I set an alarm for about 4 ish

I'm surprised they don't suspect at that age (I never got past 8 years old) but I'd insist they were all hung on the fireplace. Then I'd make sure you exhaust them on Christmas Eve so they aren't awake at 4am.
My DC were bought their stockings on their first Christmas (one is looking a bit rough now it's 28) so no way I could duplicate either. I still do them for the each, including the one that is no longer at home and the 18&16 year olds and put them on the end of their beds once asleep.

Duplicate stockings? Just exchange the empty one with the full one.

I used to set an alarm for 3am 😭

You still put the filled stocking on the bed! You just don’t have to go into the room with the sleeping child to collect it before filling it, so halving the chance of spoiling the thing.

Agree with others, you are seriously over thinking this ... just tell them ... stockings downstairs this year. If they don't like it ... toughen up!

Agree with the posters who said to leave downstairs, or you could do what we do and hang them on the outside of the bedroom doors very quietly before you go to bed?
DH was never keen on the stocking at the foot of the bed, when he was a kid he woke up and caught his dad in the process of doing this. I didn't argue, sounds too stressful among potentially a load of other festive-related stress!

We have duplicate stockings - bought them on sale years ago. I also leave it to my DH as my nerves can’t handle it!! They’re older now so know it’s him so that makes things easier.

one year for our oldest, I bought a very cute looking stocking that had bells on - never again!!

At 9yo they probably suspect that SC is you and are trying to prove it - but without asking directly in case of disappointment. Because if they don't believe, he may not come.

If you don't want the stockings to be placed outside the bedroom then you need to be blunt: FC will not come if you are awake.