Santa help

[Dawbie]

Hi all. I’m reading so many horror stories about children who think Santa brings expensive gifts such as iPads and rare-as-rocking-horse-s* items. Seen parents say santa JUST brings stockings ect. Please help so I do Santa right from the start.

Our house dds write a list to Santa maximum of 5 items and we've always said he can't bring expensive or massive toys as theres lots of children in the world so it's rude to ask for big things. They have always understood that. Also no live animals (fighting and poo in the sleigh!), no electronics (North Pole magic messes with it and the Elves can be cheeky, they might fill up ipads with licorice instead of wiring!).

Santa brings their sack with stocking fillers and 1 or 2 gifts from the list. This is opened first thing.

Me and DH buy other gifts, this is particularly useful as our financial situation has fluctuated over the years and we can manage expectations based on what we can afford. Helps save the magic as Santa never brings expensive gifts. Our presents are opened after dinner is on and we are all showered/dressed!

^I dont think that what 'all gifts from Santa' means... obviously any gifts from 3rd party are from the 3rd party*

Nope all gifts sent to SIL ‘sends them to Santa’ and they are relabeled and put in the sack along with all others.

DH wanted to do it this way and the the year we went to MIL they wanted to moved the presents from under the tree to be hidden away - nope - not how we do things.

We do stockings and 1 present from Santa. Usually a middle of the range gift that they really wanted but not their 'main' gift

Dawbie, sometimes I think parents believe in Santa more than their kids! They certainly go to great lengths to perpetuate the myth.

Santa is a mythical/legendary person so say and do what you like but don't pretend there really is such a person. There's plenty of fun to be had in the Christmas season without going that far.

Don’t start the Santa/parent present rod for your own back. Simply tell children that Santa is not real, but this is not discussed outside the house or with friends. Other people may believe in him, but we do not. Keep cognitive dissonance for important things.
As for lists, choose one or two things from a child’s list, but don’t choose everything yourself. Christmas is very stressful; let them look forward to something they know will arrive.

Santa filled the stockings all other gifts were from whoever bought them. Too old for Santa now but the stockings are still filled by Santa.

Stockings from Santa, all other presents from the buyer in this house.

The children write a list. Father Christmas fills the sacks in their bedrooms - about 10-12 items each including a couple from their lists. Ranging in price from about £20-30 down to under a fiver. They open these on our bed first thing.

We also buy them 2-3 presents each labelled from mum and dad, which might include a big ticket one. These are put under the tree and opened a bit later.

They know the elves can't make electronics, and there's not enough room on the sleigh for bikes etc. That removes the expectation that Father Christmas can bring anything they want and allows us plenty of leeway to flex the budget each year

E.g. last year one DC wanted something costing over £500 - we could afford it at the time and agreed it would be useful and worthwhile, but we were very clear with them that we wouldn't usually spend so much (other DC was too young to have any concept of costs so far less was spent). This year neither has asked for anything over £50 so we're spending a fraction of what we did last year, but the Santa gifts are always roughly the same.

Just do what you want.

What way did you have it as a child?

DS is 4 this Christmas so we’re just getting to grips with the logistics!

We’ve done stocking and a sack with one or two presents from Father Christmas. Specifically things he wrote to Father Christmas asking for. This year he asked for Spiderman toys. The rest of the presents are from us.

I’ve also kept a roll of wrapping paper separate so the Father Christmas gifts don’t have the same paper as the other presents under the tree. Definitely overthinking that one 😂.

I really wish I’d done just one gift from Father Christmas because now I’m bloody hauling gifts into the living room at ungodly hours of the night hoping not to wake the children. Such a pain!

I’ve always wrapped Father Christmas presents one colour per child - so no need for labels and they can be quickly transferred to sacks/stockings.

Males life so much easier

Here Father Christmas brings your stocking and picks one or 2 things off your list, then a family game too (we’ve had cluedo, monopoly, this year is mousetrap)

Keep it Simple.

The simpler it is, the less convoluted you need to be, and the less the reveal matters in the end.

So stockings (and if you really must, at most one bigger present). Make sure you give presents from yourselves. Our stockings contained at least something I wouldn't normally buy like character T shirt.

Everyone is different. In our house we say everything is from Santa apart from other people's gifts. That's how it was for both me and DH when we were younger.