Different traditions re Santa

[daisyflowergirl123]

Hi all

Needing some insight into people's Christmas traditions please!

For me as a child, Santa would bring a sack which had a selection of presents (small things like pjs/books/chocolates) and these would be specifically from and delivered by Santa. My parents would then have main presents under the tree from them.

DH has discussed that as a child, the parents that Santa delivered were actually from his parents, so no presents under the tree but his tradition was that the presents in the Santa sack/stocking delivered by Santa were from the parents.

Now my DD is at the age of starting to understand Christmas's were having discussions over which tradition to follow!

So what is/was the tradition in your household?

Quite a few saying stockings only from Father Christmas. What do people do about the bigger gifts that they ask Father Christmas for? Things that can't go in a stocking? Do you just say he can't get any of it so you bought it for them yourselves?

We try to do a bit of both, so the stocking is from Father Christmas and then a couple of the presents from DS's list to FC are under the tree. Then other presents are from us or relatives.

We've always done stocking from f.c, and one small thing they're specifically asked for, and everything else, and main presents are from us and family. The children have always been told that the stuff they ask father Christmas for, he has to "okay" it for the parents to be allowed to get it, so the "magic" is more of a team effort. This year my youngest has asked for a Stitch cuddly toy, so that will be from f.c, along with her stocking. Elder DD has asked for a cuddly toy of an animal she likes at the moment, again this will be at the end of her bed with her stocking when she wakes up. I won't let him take all the credit for our hard work 😆, and I think it's important they understand that they can't ask for and expect ludicrously expensive presents from father Christmas, as it doesn't seem fair on other children who won't get as much. When they've gone back to school, and said things like "Santa bought James an Xbox for Christmas!" I tell them that his parents would have bought it, as father Christmas doesn't do big gifts, but not to spoil it for their friend, and to let him believe f.c got it, because it's obviously made him happy. This has always worked well, and saves any confusion over and disparities in what children receive.

What do people do about the bigger gifts that they ask Father Christmas for?

We never did letters to Father Christmas. We did 'suggestions lists' which closed round the first of December.

Basically we kept the whole 'Santa' stuff as low key as possible.

@DiaNaranja When they've gone back to school, and said things like "Santa bought James an Xbox for Christmas!" I tell them that his parents would have bought it, as father Christmas doesn't do big gifts, but not to spoil it for their friend, and to let him believe f.c got it, because it's obviously made him happy. This has always worked well, and saves any confusion over and disparities in what children receive.

That's a nice way to play it.

In our house, just one gift comes from Father Christmas, the rest are labelled from the friends and family that have given them, so that they can be thanked for their kindness and generosity.

Since our DS turned 8 years old, each family member has responsibility for doing a stocking for one other family member. The budget is £15 and the only stipulations are it must contain something you want, something you need (chocolate falls under both of these categories!) and something to read. It's amazing how much you can get for £15 when being creative, last year my son bought me a beautiful compact mirror that he found in a charity shop for a £3. DH and DS love ice cream and I found a set of 4 ice cream sundae glass dishes for £4.

More importantly it has taught DS to think about what would bring enjoyment to the other person, to be creative (baking is encouraged as long as the ingredients are within budget), budget wisely, and that the greatest joy comes from giving. He has been more excited on Christmas morning about the stocking he is giving than the gifts he is to receive.

Father Christmas fills stockings in our house - usually including a mid size gift they have asked for in their letters.

We steer letters to only contain small/mid cost presents and explain if they want something bigger we would definitely consider that from mum and dad. I could never bare the thought of a child receiving very little and thinking Santa brings more to others because of finances.

When I was a child:
Stockings from Santa (in bedroom, delivered after we went to sleep on Christmas Eve)
Containing gifts from parents including orange, chocolate coins, socks, and bigger things). Can be opened in PJs in room.

Downstairs under tree (put there as and when including when people arrived on Christmas Day) - gifts from family/anyone else. Opened only after everyone had got dressed and had breakfast.

I think once I was old enough to question what mum and dad had bought me I had outgrown Santa!

Stocking is from Father Christmas, with small presents, to be opened first thing.

Presents under the tree, opened in the afternoon, from parents, DGPs etc.

The 'letter to Santa' was more about suggestions and DS never actually queried what Santa did with the letter ... he knew presents were from named individuals because it was drummed into him from a young age that he had to write his thank you letters (pre email !).

I've no idea what other families do - not sure we've actually spent a Christmas Day morning with other children thank goodness.

I haven't been able to convince my little one so presents will just be from me.

Tradition in our house never was important until DD came home from school at 5 or 6 and said, so and so got a bike from Santa!
And I thought, poorer children would potentially grow up thinking, not only are we poorer than x/y and Zs family, but Santa prefers them too! I worried about children's self esteem a bit, so from then on Santa filled the sack for gifts which were always smaller things and anything that was significant was purchased by whoever purchased it.

It also helps as they're old enough to understand why money is maybe a little tighter at that time of year, if they understand that as parents we have contributions to make toward the general pile of gifts.

In our house F.C does stockings and one main present, which has been asked for in letter to him. Stocking are downstairs in one room, under the a tree. All presents other presents from us/family/friends are under the main tree in the dining room. This is a tradition we started when we lived in a house where the only fireplace was in the snug, but the main tree was in the living room. So naturally, F.C came down the chimney in the snug and left his things there. We don't live in the same house anymore, but we have stuck to the two different rooms..it also means no one sees the main pile of presents until after breakfast so it's a second 'wow' moment! Works for us. No idea how others do it and can honestly say the children have never come home and questioned anything different.

Santa brought stockings, and maybe one present under the tree that would be to my sisters and me (maybe like a board game or something we'd all play with).

Still though, the presents under the tree appeared overnight and my mum would excitedly proclaim (and still does) "ooooh Santa's been" even though this made no sense because we already had stockings so knew he'd been, and the presents under the tree were from family, and no one pretended otherwise. I knew Santa didn't deliver these, because I knew my mum posted presents directly to my cousins. I think I just accepted the nonsense without really thinking about it.

We now do Santa bringing stockings, everything under the tree is from whoever it's actually from.

Father Christmas fills stockings with small bits. One of which is always chocolate coins.

Everything else is from whoever it is from and is under the tree whenever it is ready and wrapped. DH wrapped loads yesterday so under our tree is pretty full now.

Never had FC give or even deliver any big presents. Fortunately DH and I had the same experience growing up so no differing traditions now to thrash out!

Quite a few saying stockings only from Father Christmas. What do people do about the bigger gifts that they ask Father Christmas for? Things that can't go in a stocking? Do you just say he can't get any of it so you bought it for them yourselves?
Never really come up. We've never suggested writing to FC. They know if they ask for anything specfic they are asking us because FC just brings stocking bits. Think DC1 may have done a letter at school once but it never came home. They go through the Smyths catalogue with post-its.

Father Christmas does stocking/sack of little things, mostly things that seem a bit magical such as things with lights or sparkles, bubbles, magic tricks, giant tubes of smarties, socks with marvel superheroes on them (or whatever the current fad). All other presents for children & adults are under the tree with a label saying to/from.

The reason why Father Christmas can't bring the big/expensive things they ask for is because he has to buy for all the children, so has a strict budget!

Santa brings everything unwrapped on the couch/space in the living room wherever they choose to lay out their stocking the night before. Stocking is also filled by Santa.
Everything under the tree is wrapped and from family and friends.
Christmas Eve present is from us which is always PJs and hot chocolate.

This was my traditions growing up, expect the present we got to open on Christmas Eve was from an auntie and not my parents.

My husband had a very different Christmas experience growing up, he got a stocking and a present, which he knew from very young wasn't really from Santa.

FC fills the stockings only which are opened as soon as the kids get up, presents from family are wrapped and under the tree and opened later in the day. I love the growing mound of presents under the tree during the build up to Christmas, I guess the 'everything from Santa' crowd are the people who buy tree skirts. DH's family didn't do much at all from FC, just sweeties really whereas we 'only' got an annual from Mum and Dad under the tree and never questioned it but we got presents from our large family so there was a lot under the tree as well as lots in the stocking.

I was told my parents bought/sent for presents to the north pole. Santa simply decided if I was good enough to recieve them or not. If I wasn't the presents were kept or given away to less fortunate/hospitals etc.

Then in Christmas morning, if I'd been extra good, Santa wood leave a couple extra presents (usually ones that went with my main gift) that were wrapped in different paper so easy to spot plus my stocking that would have clothes and little bits in it.

That way I wasn't expecting the entire toy shop on Christmas morning, appricated and thanked my parents for the gifts, didn't ever wonder how the elfs made millions of toys and electricals, and still got the magic of Santa. I also believe this explanation helped me believe until I was 11 of 12. My parents never had to have the "the santa chat" with me either, it just naturally moved from believing in Santa to simply enjoying the magic of the season.

I have continued the tradition with my kids and honestly it makes life easier too. I have, on occasion, picked up presents I have seen on sale when I had the kids with me and we "post" the items to Santa through our Elf on the Shelf. It has stopped me missing out on so many bargains as my kids are with me 95% of the time lol.

We do just the stockings from Father Christmas; he doesn't have anything to so with presents that come from family members. The stockings are often fairly bulky in our house but they include pants/socks/PJs/sometimes new clothes/soap/novelty toothbrushes etc etc- a lot of stuff that the kids need anyway but i don't just give them through the year if i can avoid it. I then add a toy from their letter, maybe a small game or puzzle, a book or two and selection box etc.

We then give them a present from us under the tree, and all the gifts from friends and family go there too. Usually opened in batches during the day to slow things down a bit!!

For my dc, we just do a single gift from Santa and it can't be too expensive or too big. The rest of the gifts are from parents. We don't do stockings.

Santa wasn't a huge thing in my house growing up, we didn't have stockings and didn't write lists but we did leave a mince pie out for him. We'd wake up Christmas morning and gifts would be under the tree (all in the same wrapping paper 🤦‍♀️) and we didn't question it in terms of what was from Santa and what was from parents, just got stuck in!

I make a bit more effort with my own dc and I wrap the Santa gift is special wrapping paper so it stands out and (hopefully) seems more special / magical. I've never had the nerve to do stockings at the end of the bed as I'm convinced I'd fumble it and then take them up! 😂

We do the main present from santa and the rest of the sack is full of craft/sweets then everything else is under the tree and from the people who bought it

In our house, Santa only fills the stockings. This is how dh grew up as his parents felt very strongly that he knew the actual presents (that they worked hard and saved for) were from them.

Growing up, I had actual santa presents that just turned up on the morning, as well as from my parents. I think Santa probably also filled the stockings but I can't remember.

I don't have particularly strong feelings either way, but dh does feel strongly about presents being from us/other family and them knowing who to thank, so that's what we do. It also means that dh gets a lot of joy from buying and filling the stockings as it's 'his thing' and I don't have to think about it - so I enjoy that aspect!

We just do everything from Santa other than gifts from extended family and friends. They don't receive a present from mum and dad and have never really questioned it.

Stocking from FC, small gifts generally. I used to sometimes get one “extra nice” thing in there like earrings when I was an older teen. Opened first thing. When our kids were little they also used to get a “main” present from FC next to their stocking which they could open first thing, but it turned more into just stockings as they were teens, and main presents from us.

All the other presents are put under the tree by us on Xmas Eve or Xmas morning, sometimes the kids help us put them there. Prior to that they’re either hidden or stashed slightly obviously but covered in towels in our bedroom. They’d be clearly put under tree by us and labelled from whoever the giver is. No loss of magic, FC brings the stockings.

Father Christmas would bring our main present, the others were from family. I can’t remember whether stockings were from FC or parents.