Stockings/Father Christmas presents/presents under the tree, how do you do it?

[SillySausage81]

I'm dithering over how to arrange things, as this year will be our first Christmas where my DD (2.5) will actually know what's going on.

So when I was a child, we had our Father Christmas presents which were left in our rooms, and then our presents from family under the tree.

Father Christmas would bring us all our presents from our parents - we'd have one or two "main" presents plus a few surprises, which would all be left in a pillow case or sack at the end of our beds. We didn't really have actual stockings or "stocking filler presents". We'd open our Father Christmas presents as soon as we woke up on Christmas morning.

The family presents (aunts, uncles, grandparents) would sit under the tree for ages before Christmas. We were very lucky to have a big family which meant a massive stack of presents under the tree each year. We'd open them with the whole family after going downstairs.

I always thought that's how everyone does it, but now I'm hearing other things from different people, so just really interested to hear how everyone else does it.

My DD only has a couple of aunts and uncles so our tree present pile will look a lot smaller if we do things the way I did them as a kid, so looking for inspiration of other ways of doing it...

Are your kids' "main presents" from you or Father Christmas? Do you have lots of presents under the tree too? Do you have a stocking full of little gifts?

Santander only brings the stockings I'm our house!

Everything else is from us/ family

*Santa

Santander give us sod all but interest charges

We changed our system to 'Father Christmas only brings the stockings' when our ds were slightly older - I wish I had done it from the beginning! Luckily all ds went with the change and never questioned it!!!

This year both ds2 and 3 have said that they really don't mind about presents because their favourite thing is the stocking. Usually a mix of fun and practical things that don't cost a lot.

My mum still gets me a stocking and it is my favourite too!!

When I was a kid, the stocking came from Santa (it always had socks, choc coins and bath stuff in, along with other bits and bobs) and one slightly bigger but not main present was from him too. This is what we are doing with DD as well. Sometimes stocking was in bedroom but usually downstairs with the other presents. I always had one present that was just from my dad, he had input into my other presents but my mum bought them, so there was always one thing that she had no idea what it was, I always looked forward to it because it was always something unexpected but always really good! DH is doing this for DD this year too.

Stockings in the bedroom, from Santa ( kids think he uses magic from the lounge) , I used this excuse as I didn’t want them to get creeped out about him coming in the bedroom)
Santa big presents, on the floor or sofa, and all of presents from us under the tree.

Same as when I was a child, we always did relatively little things in stockings only from FC/Santa. Anything else or bigger things were from parents, other family, and went under the tree.

Best IMO to avoid from the start Santa bringing everything. Can save a lot of hassle later when they want puppies, or in a very little Gdd’s case, a real baby!* anything ludicrously expensive or just unobtainable.

*FC by the way is not allowed to bring babies or live animals, in case people don’t know how to look after them properly - also it’d be too cold on the sleigh. 🎅🏻

Stockings from Santa, they used to go in together when they woke up and open stockings together. Presents under tree also left by Santa. That included grandparents who wanted that. Other people gave presents labelled from them. Santa came until the youngest was 10. All over 10s became Santa’s helpers with the adults and kept the magic alive for the little ones! I remember when my dd turned 10 she was disappointed that there were no younger ones so we convinced her that my mum still believed and gave her (dd) the job of filling my mum’s stocking! She is 48 now and remembers the ‘magic’ of that Christmas.

For those saying that if Santa brings all the gifts, there would be ‘bottomless pit’ requests or requests for siblings or puppies, it isn’t the case. Santa always brought everything when I was young and the same for my kids now. It is up to the parents to manage the child’s expectations. Eg in our family the children were told that Santa did not bring pets, Santa held off bringing electronic gifts until they were a certain age and most importantly Santa would not bring any gifts if he thought the parents wouldn’t be happy with them. List writing is managed by limiting the number of items asked for so there is enough to go around for all the other children expecting Santa.

I guess Santa expectations are met in the same way that parents who buy and present the gifts from themselves are met.

Obviously gifts from relatives and friends are not passed off as being from Santa! They are labelled and a thank you card written/video message is sent from the kids acknowledging them!

The idea of Santa is magical. I cannot imagine giving a little stocking and saying ‘there’s the magic part’ but the rest are all from ME ME ME . It seems a bit frugal but it is interesting to read how others do it.

My children go to school with many different nationalities. St Nicholas visited some of them a couple of days ago and other children are very accepting that Christmas magic applies to whatever you/your family believe in and for some it is not celebrated at all.

I remember when my dd turned 10 she was disappointed that there were no younger ones so we convinced her that my mum still believed and gave her (dd) the job of filling my mum’s stocking! She is 48 now and remembers the ‘magic’ of that Christmas.

This is really lovely and is exactly the meaning of Christmas.

Anything else or bigger things were from parents,

How do you avoid being pestered and nagged for gifts you don’t want to buy eg VR headsets or phones. For me it’s very easy - Santa doesn’t bring phones or electronics.

If they thought I had to buy them a very special gift for Christmas and it was going to be something they desperately wanted, they would not give up nagging for them.

Stocking presents are small and are wrapped -the unwrapping is half the fun - and the stockings are left downstairs. We have a proper fireplace with chimney, so stockings are left on the hearth. FC brings the stocking presents.

The main present from us, or presents from Grandma etc, are left around the tree. They only go around the tree on Christmas Eve after the DC go to bed. There no big pile of presents. All the tree presents are from people, not FC.

We do stockings from Santa, maybe one or 2 toys that they have asked for, pants and socks sweeties etc.

Then at lunch time it's gifts from each other and other family.

Then in the evening we do an under the tree gifts to really make the most of it, this is a silly gift or a book and pjs.

Apparently this started when I was a kid as we had such a big family that would be so many gifts it was overwhelming and it was a way for mum to distribute the gifts throughout the day and has just evolved from there.

I love it as you spend all day getting presents and it's not all over within an hour of getting up.

‘The idea of Santa is magical. I cannot imagine giving a little stocking and saying ‘there’s the magic part’ but the rest are all from ME ME ME . It seems a bit frugal but it is interesting to read how others do it.’

I agree with this. The children who think the stocking is the best part are thinking that because it’s from Santa. Imagine how excited they would be if other presents were from Santa too.

We do it the same way as myself and DH did it when younger. All presents from us are from Santa. Presents from family/ friends are from family/ friends and we send thank you cards.

You don’t want piles of presents at that age they will become overwhelmed. We do stocking from Santa in their room and the gifts under the tree are from us.

@Bournetilly our dds were always super-excited over their stockings or pillowcases with relatively little things from FC. Though having said that, we never went overboard with presents from us - just one Big Thing*, but there were always presents from other family under the tree, too.

*And one year it really was big - a massive floppy soft toy a dd had fallen in love with in a shop window, but it was horrendously expensive so I said no. But just a few days before Christmas it was down to half price. 🙂🎄

The stocking and one special present is from Santa (wrapped in special paper that isn’t used for any other presents). Other presents are from us/ family and are put out on Xmas Eve. So far, there haven’t been any requests for big/ expensive things (DD is 7), so we haven’t had to say who pays for the presents from Santa.

I have mentioned that other families might have different arrangements with Santa (he might bring more presents, or all the presents, or just deliver the presents) to explain why people do things differently!

Remember that your daughter never saw the size of the pile under the tree that you had a a child so she won't be drawing comparisons! She'll be starting to develop her own understanding and her own excitement in Christmas.

In our house Father Christmas only does stockings which are a bit more than just knickers and pencils not less than a main present. They usually have the obligatory satsuma and chocolate coins plus a little lego set (the tiny little ones or often the freebie from getting bigger sets for main present), a small game or cuddly toy, things like an sd card if needed for phones. My big teen is getting a decent powerpack this year. So a mix of needed stuff and fun stuff.

Main presents are under the tree and go under there once wrapped, both presents for its and presents for other family members. None of these are from Father Christmas. We get the dc 1 main present plus books and I'll usually get a new board game for all of us to play and wrap that up too.

I saw 2 issues with saying all the gifts were from Father Christmas-

1. Some children were given loads of presents- I didn't want my son thinking Father Christmas didn't like him as much/didn't think he was as 'good' as those children because he got fewer/less expensive gifts and

2. Some children are given presents by their mum and dad. Again, I didn't want my children thinking that their mum and dad didn't love them enough (or whatever) to get them gifts in addition to Santa's.

I was a single parent through much of ds1's childhood, and there wasn't a lot of money floating around for huge piles of gifts, so expectations had to be managed.

As for managing nagging- I just told mine that everything they wanted went on their Christmas List, but certain things wouldn't be allowed, either by Father Christmas himself or by me (unsuitable games/phones when too young/animals etc etc).

Both mine still ask if 'Father Christmas' will please bring them X or Y (in fact ds1 asked last night if FC was deffo going to be putting pants in his stocking, as he's down to 2 pairs and if FC is going to bring some then he won't bother buying any 😂) and they're 26 and 15!

OP, it won’t matter at this age, but in future everything from Santa needs to be wrapped in different paper from anything from family. I used to buy much cheaper stuff for the purpose - it tore easily but that didn’t matter when they ripped it all off so fast.

Can’t believe that Santa doesn’t wrap everyone’s stocking contents?!!

We are agreed, as a 4 generation family that one of the best and most magical parts of Christmas is the rustle and weight is filled wrapped stocking…

The cheaper and crinklier the paper the better as that is Elf wrapping paper!

Always the cheap paper for stockings!

I didn't grow up with stockings but my mil made my kids some so we put gifts from people outside the family in it. They opened it on Xmas morning. Tree gifts were from us and Santa. Got rid of the stockings as soon as I could (they were huge and of unequal size and no way could I fill them even if I put all the presents together in them). We now just hang cute stockings on the mantle for our four pets with treats and toys.

Our child is still tiny so this is all yet to come but for me it was stockings on the bed. We'd take them in to mum and dad's bed and open them there together (I have 2 siblings). After this we'd go downstairs and open the main gifts from Father Christmas. Family presents were after this. We were opening presents all day as my parents would spread it out as long as they could - I love this idea!

We do it the same way that I did growing up…

Santa brings everything bar family presents.

Stocking are left downstairs beside sacks as my middle daughter (like I as a child) was hesitant of Santa in her room!

Stockings are a free for all, I do end up spending quite a bit on them as would rather stuff they like/need than tat and with now 3 tween/teen girls don’t have very cheap tastes!!!

We stop for a break, champagne/hot chocolate top up and then it’s on to the main sacks, these are opened one at a time. We actually started this when the girls were much younger and my eldest said one of the best things about Christmas as keeps the magic and gifts keep going a bit longer.

We then have breakfast, pop on Santa hats and and big coats over PJ’s and go out to see if Santa has filled the ponies stockings!

Back for showers, tidy up, get dressed up dinner prep, tradition that my Eldest makes the blinis, and then back onto the living room for presents under the tree from family, which my husband hands out and are also opened one at a time.

We are very happy to give all the magical credit to Santa, childhood last such a little time and i think grown up children are more appreciative when they realise the effort and spirit that goes into it…that’s when you get all the little moments of “WOW you really made all that happen”.

Wholeheartedly agree! My mum is in her 60s and still recalls her excitement at hearing the rustle and feeling the heaviness of the stocking under her feet.