First year without Father Christmas

[Staghead1]

This is the first year we haven't had Father Christmas in the house for 20 years! First one for me as a parent and I'm wondering how to make new traditions and keep it fun. Youngest is 11 and she definitely doesn't believe, she probably didn't last year.
I want to keep it fun and maybe introduce something new.
Any ideas?

I’ve never told my DCs that he doesn’t exist, eldest is 27! When they were going to sexondsry school I just said he doesn’t deliver to you now.

our traditions are now Xmas dinner on Xmas eve - Xmas day was always overwhelming and dinner wasn’t being eaten. Xmas day is now wake up, open presents, then bacon rolls. Play games and watch tv and in the afternoon my youngest, the only one at home, can go on her phone and chat with her friends. My eldest doesn’t come round because neither of us drive and taxis in London are far too expensive,

Eating your main Christmas meal at a different time seems a good one to try.

We do things leading up, such as a lights walk, outside bbq if a cold crisp dry night, spend more time decorating together. We do a festive afternoon tea and go to the ballet. Then Xmas Eve we do something fun (go karting or the like) to be together as a family. We still put stockings out and we still leave a mince pie and whisky (even if youngest DD - now 12) asks her step dad which one he wants 😂
I find Christmas is ritual and tradition and that makes the magic rather than the belief in Santa, it becomes a lovely winter family time celebrating together rather than being about gifts, don’t get me wrong we like the gifts but if we didn’t have them we’d still love it and have just as good a time together.

We haven't confirmed he isn't real but she's started saying can YOU get me this for Christmas rather than Santa.
I like the bbq outside idea, that might be nice with some outdoor christmas lights. I'll put dh on cooking duty though😁

When any of the children in our family don’t believe anymore we have a pretend ceremony in early December with the adults and bring them into the ‘santas helpers club’. This means they get to help pick presents for family and friends and the younger cousins etc and fill everyone’s stocking on Xmas eve. It’s all a bit of fun

Like a PP said we do a random activity like go karting, laser tag, rock climbing etc on Xmas eve.

we do kareoke on Xmas day and the kids love to sing fairytale of New York as they feel they are rebelling 😂

we do a secret Santa for all those who don’t believe (12-18 year olds still get a pile of presents too) but they are included in secret Santa

they are also allowed one baby sham with Christmas dinner should they want one.

Christmas day all the family have to wear fancy dress we’ve had everything from elves, to a turkey, to the grinch, baby Jesus, to jack from nightmare before Christmas, a cracker, Brussel sprout.

we play kids against maturity and family fortunes, charismas bingo and games like that

we just try and include them in more of the adult parts of Xmas so it’s still fun for them

@littlebubblepop I love the fancy dress idea.
I just remember it all getting a bit boring when I was younger once santa was finished so I'm looking for fun ideas.
A secret santa is a good shout too.

We still have Father Christmas. My children are in their 20s! They may not believe in him, but I do.

I really dont understand this to be honest. My mother did a stocking for me, even when I lived in another country, until the yer she died. It wasn't from Santa but we all laughed and said it was. Christmas was still magical and fun and full of surprises.

Dd has just clocked hes not real. She's already looking forward to being in charge of the elves this year! Plus she has friends and cousins who still believe and shes loving being on the "inside" so to speak, to make it magical for them

This year we will do all our usual Christmas activities, perhaps without a snta visit. Christmas fairs, a panto or show, Christmas shopping, a big family Christmas lunch, present wrapping, Christmas cake making, Christmas decorations, carols with school... etc etc. It was never just about Santa.

My son is 21. I still do Father Christmas.
He humours me - he knows it makes me happy.
We always did something like a panto on Christmas Eve. Now we go on lights trails and have mulled wine

This will be my youngest DDs first year without officially believing in Santa. I'm still going to do her sack from ''Santa''.

DH and I are late 60’s and our sons are in their 30’s. Santa comes to all of us if we sleep in the house on Christmas Eve and to any visitors in residence. This is part of our tradition, and enormous fun too.

We still have:
-the robin who moves around the house to keep an eye on whether the kids are naughty or nice
-elves delivering new PJ’s outside the front door on Xmas Eve
-a drink and some food out for Santa
-stockings on the bed
-presents under the tree

’kids’ are 19 and 17 and their cousins who are usually here are 26 and 23

’kids’ over 18 join in with the family £10 present for relatives outside of immediate family who are there on Xmas day. Will probably move to a bigger secret Santa once youngest is 18

I had a couple of years without anyone believing in santa until DD was born and I still believed. Still did the whole looking on the Norad website for Santa's location, left mince pie and milk out and would tell my eldest DC that santa has come on Christmas morning. Despite not believing they never once tried to remind me santa wasn't real or that they no longer believed, they just go with it and enjoy it almost as much as I do.

When both my DCs stopped believing they decided everything had to be exactly the same. Everything.

So we still do a biscuit and carrot left out. Santa’s foot prints at the door (no chimney). Stockings sneaked into position hoping kids are asleep.

it’s still fun.

Our day never changed we still did pressies, breakfast, laze around, prep/cook food. Eat, watch tv.
we got up at 8 instead of 6 though! Dd23 still insists on going to bed before the pressies are put out so she can believe the magic!

Maybe I'll just carry on then!
My son still checks Norad and hes 20 but I thought he did that for my dd.
But hopefully I can now stop moving the elf evey night!!

My DC are teens...they know what's what but they still leave a stocking out for father Christmas...and I still fill it up. I will do this until they leave home...even when they leave, I might drop one round to them 😂

It’s sweet and not a great hardship, they can pretend and then get loads of nice presents… win win!

When I did my gap year one of the mums sent stockings for all of us that her daughter carted around for 2 weeks in her rucksack! And put on our beds at night. Over the top, but very thoughtful and made a fun Christmas morning.

We never did the Santa/FC thing, Christmas was still fun. 🫣

We continued doing stocking way after nobody believed in father Christmas, it was just a way of doing small fun gifts.

Why stop? Kids not believing in FC any more means that the adults can now have stockings, too.

DH and I set up the stockings as usual when we go to bed (before the dc!) and then get such a buzz out of hearing our dc creeping around during the night, 'secretly' tucking things into each other's stockings, including ours. We never told them to do this, a middle one started when the youngest had worked it out, and over the next couple of years they all joined in.

Ah, OP. It is hard. I have no useful advice, as I couldn't bear to face the demise of Father Christmas, so simply announced when DD was 12 that I believed in FC, and he only delivered presents to those who believed. Obviously it was a tongue in cheek conversation, but Father Christmas remains a presence!

Love this x

I'm 44 and still have a stocking.

My dc are 18 and 14 this year and I've changed nothing. They still love stockings and leaving out a carrot for the reindeer. We still stand on the 24th and look at the sky wondering if the big man is out there. It's part of the fabric of their childhood and their cultural traditions. It's just whimsy and we love it.

Dc 18 and 25 and still put stockings out!!!! They love the tradition of it. I would do a light trail or ice skating in the run up. Nice lunch out somewhere festive.