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 :/

Until mumsnet I had never heard of the (frankly batshittery, who risks waking a child for NO reason) of sneaking into bedrooms, its not like that in tv/films/book or anything... stockings are always shown hung by the fire.

I dont think there really is a sane way to attempt an insane action... but damn sure I wouldnt be up until 4am, if your awake and trying to peek when santa comes then he doesnt deliver to you and you simply don't get anything.

Hasn't that always been the rules to keep kids in bed and asleep rather than up and wandering around all night.

Always left in the lounge! FC doesn't have time to wander around the house going in and out of bedrooms.

We grew up with stockings on the bed, I always thought the ones on fireplaces in films etc were just for decoration. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without stockings on beds. It is most certainly not batshittery.

@NCcoziwannaNC duplicate stockings is the way forward with this and Santa leaves them on the bedroom door knob. 4 daughters and this worked like a charm.... they are now all late 20's early 30's and we still do stockings but they come via the post these days

No hanging empty stockings here.

santa asks for the empty stockings to be sent to him so he can fill and drops off full. That way I can slowly fill the stocking throughout December based on what fits. And just place out filled in living room when asleep

I thought I had problems but our are downstairs and my son doesn’t go to sleep until we do. Just say you are leaving them downstairs this year.
if they ask questions say santas knees arnt what they used to be going up the stairs.
or too many kids not asleep in their beds last year.

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

Your 10 yo knows it's you, just wants to catch you out. So just walk in with a bag containing the stocking gifts at midnight, if they're awake tell them Santa is getting too old for the stairs.

I'd focus on getting them to sleep earlier - awake until 4am sounds like a recipe for a miserable Christmas day!

We take our kids out for a long walk or something like that to exhaust them on Christmas Eve, then have a long wind down to bed (including baths with Christmas bath bombs, watching The Snowman and then a Christmas film, reading a story together). Some years I find it easier to sit with them until they are asleep as it saves time overall.

I agree with PP your child knows it's you.

I'd just say Santa doesn't fill the stocking if you're awake so this year we're hanging them by the fireplace/downstairs or whatever to make sure you don't miss him.
End of story. Don't get into any debate as he's trying to catch you out!

The second poster got it just right OP as the extra sweeties are a good incentive, if not hang them on the outside of the bedroom door.

As a child I remember trying to stay awake to see Santa and, hidden under the bed covers, heard my dad say, "Whoops, nearly got caught!" Don't be like my dad.

We have duplicate stockings, so just have to swap the empty ones on their beds for the full ones, currently in our wardrobe.

@frenchnoodle

Even when DS was beyond......(insert as appropriate) he couldn't figure out how we did it, without waking him.

Then one Christmas morning he was bouncing on the bed, spied the empty stocking in the top box of the wardrobe and looked at me and said you are soooooooooo busted.

So they leave an empty stocking and expect Santa to fill it? There are no empty stockings here. Santa just delivers a full one to the end of their bed while they are asleep. That's what happened when I was a child too.

I'd just tell them Santa wants them left downstairs this year with his sherry and mince pie or whatever you leave him as hes very busy

Two identical stockings per child.
Fill one, keep in wardrobe

Swap out.

My child is 20 and has no clue I do this!!
I got that tip on here moons ago.

You feel very smug 😆

🤣 I'd call that a successful secret.

Duplicate stockings not expensive ones just bought 4 from home bargains type shop. Thanks to mumsnet years ago, this has saved me a lot of stress over the years.
Or you can move stocking to be found in the lounge which we did as kids didn't like the idea of Santa creeping around in their room.

Have you got stairs? Father Christmas is very old, you know. and v likely has a dodgy hip, so it’d be kind to leave the stockings downstairs to save his poor old legs. Imagine how many stairs he has to climb! So he’ll really appreciate not having to for once.

My DM's trick was to get two identical stockings. One for the dc to put out on Christmas Eve with the port and mince pie. And the other one away and is stuffed with goodies at the parents leisure. Then later when the dc are asleep the stockings are swapped

It is imperative that the two stockings are kept separate at all times. Including different places for storage

Send a letter from Santa ... (obviously personalised to you!)

Last Christmas Eve as I tiptoed through your house...
I was enjoying the cookies you left (but still quiet as a mouse) ...
And what did I find when I tried to open your door?
And looked past the Lego and hot wheels neatly piled on the floor?

A wriggler, a jiggler, a boy sitting up in bed.
Yawning and stretching but you kept turning your head...
The stocking left for me was left right down by your feet,
Every time I reached for it I had to duck down .. quick ... and repeat!

Well (name) this went on quite some time, I'll say it tired me out,
Poor old Rudolph even peeked inside the window with his rosy snout.

"Hurry Santa.. what's the fuss? We need must be on our way!
If you dawdle here for too much longer it will soon be the dawn of day!"

So please, dear boy, I must ask you to do something for me,
Ask your mum to leave your stocking close to the chimney.
I'll be back on Christmas Eve, and I've been warned by Mrs Clause,
That I need to be quick, there's lots to do, and no time to left to pause.

Love Santa
and his tired out Reindeer

Xx

Do you have an older child who no longer believes, than the 9yo?

As this happened to me last year. My eldest (who no longer believes) had fallen asleep and my youngest was awake and wouldn’t go to sleep until I did. I ended up laying in bed and making sure I didn’t go to sleep until I was confident that he was asleep. This was 1:30am. I was knackered!

I realised on Christmas morning, when eldest was awake early and youngest was fast asleep still, that I should have prepped eldest to fill youngest’s stocking.

Ours are personalised too (mamas and papas) and no longer made!

Santa will only fill stockings left downstairs, because of covid and health and safety…

Mine was on my bed. I believed until I was 12 I think😄 i was late to catch on. Somehow they never woke me!

It’s like a military operation 😂 I usually test the waters about 2 hours after they’ve gone to bed, 90% of the times they’ve been asleep... I take washing with me so it looks like I was bringing in laundry if they were to wake up 😂 if they don’t move I’ll grab the stockings quickly fill them and then bring them back within 2 minutes so nothing is amiss, then make a beeline for bed because it’s usually an early wake up call 😩

Tbh I found out this way when I was 11, saw my mum bRinging my stocking back in. I can’t remember why I even woke up. I just kept quiet because my brother was still 8

I bought 4 of the same. 2 are pre filled so when they hang theirs on Christmas eve , I swap them out.

Ds doesn't believe anymore but does for his little sister.