How do you divide presents for your children? What goes in their stockings/sacks?

[Zellie1027]

Curious to know how other parents manage Christmas gifts for their children?

I’m a mum to two girls - 3 (just turned) and 11 months - and I’m just starting to think more about how to manage Christmas gifts going forward.

They have present sacks but all their presents go in there at the moment. This is probably the first year my eldest understands who Santa is etc

Some of my friends have said they do smaller gifts in their stockings/sacks and the rest under the tree. Some have said presents in their stockings/sacks are gifts from Santa and those under the tree are from them.

If you do smaller gifts in their stockings/sacks, what sort of gifts are these?

I’m just curious to know how everyone does it. I haven’t decided what we’ll do yet!

Stockings are from Santa
4 or 5 gifts from Santa and the rest (most expensive ones) are from mummy and daddy.

Their stocking is one thing from their wish list to Santa, along with small things:
a clementine, nuts, chocolate coins, chocolate mouse
pair of silly socks
a book
bubble bath (or similar now they're older e.g. Nail varnish)
stationery - something silly and Christmas themed like glitter pens, or pencils etc
and when they were younger, a small table suitable toy/activity to keep them occupied at lunch. Now something small or gadgety like a fidget spinner or whoopie cushion.

The rest is from people and goes under the tree.

We’ve always done a stocking in their bedroom for the excitement of “he’s been” (they’re teens now lol) something they can open themselves and tide them over until a more reasonable time! The stocking is unwrapped and just has a few bits like socks, sweets, those little “surprise” toys you get. Then their main presents are all downstairs wrapped and under the tree/in a sack.

everything Is from Santa in my house - stocking and sack by the tree. Was the same for me when little. Kids grow up and eventually work out all is from parents so we were never worried about him taking the credit!

all wrapped, different paper for each so easy to know who has what.

whaever you do I’m sure kids will be happy but definitely wrap is my view so mush more exciting!

The stocking contains small gifts like books/annual, board game, stuffed toy, selection box, chocolate Santa, small Lego set etc. Mum and Dad buy the main present which goes under the tree along with gifts from family and friends.

Our stockings were always wrapped, so I have continued that tradition. Growing up, my siblings and I had the contents of a box of Roses or Quality Street scattered through them.

I still remember they looked like jeweils among the presents when we tipped them out. Whoever ended up with a green triangle or a strawberry cream had extra bargaining power for negotiating swaps! My sister would swap practically all hers for one green triangle.
Roses and QS have rubbish wrappers now, so I try to recreate the magic with pick and mix Lindt balls.

Some things I started when mine were toddlers I still have to put in now - a gingerbread man, a chocolate orange, socks, a book, a bracelet.

But the things like playdoh, colouring books and pens and little animal figures have been replaced by things like makeup and perfume now.

I have small gifts in a stocking, a have a sack with santa gifts, and then a pile of gifts from us/other relatives

My children are older. I set a budget of £50 for their stocking. I don’t buy ‘tat’. My youngest writes a list and we send it to via Royal Mail. He writes back. We have a chocolate Santa and chocolate coins in every year. I put things like socks, smellies, a book, stationary. All other presents are from us and go under the tree. Stockings go on the end of
the bed.x

We always did main presents in sack from Father Christmas and then small gifts like a novelty pen or a keyring in a little stocking by the fireplace. Under the tree would be shared things like a board game, Playdough or felt tips and presents from family.

Everything came from Father Christmas until they all stopped believing and was put in a sack.

Yep, stocking gifts are there to keep them busy and entertained until all the adults are ready to get up so they get wrapped 🤣

Always a clementine and a net of chocolate coins in the toe, and then some more snacks, a book (usually something like a joke or puzzle book), and then little age appropriate gifts. When DS was small it was things like Hotwheels cars, colour changing bath lights, temporary tattoos, puzzles, novelty socks. This year (13) he's getting Pez, pokemon cards, a map of silly UK place names, travel Ludo, handwarmers, a power bank, a fidget toy, some stationery (some sensible for school, some novelty), Dan Cake rum truffles, an Eevee stuffed toy, and I'll probably put in a few scratchcards.

Not read whole thread but one thing I stopped doing as they moved past toddler stage was making the good gifts from Santa.
Santa usually brought slightly more boring gifts and smaller ones. The good stuff was from us.
I think I read it on here actually - someone posted "why should that fat fucker get all the credit for my hard work in choosing, buying and wrapping the damn gifts" and I found I totally agreed 😂

We dont do stockings.

All presents are from mom and dad, but santa brings them. Each child has their own wrapping paper, and presents go in piles on the floor on xmas eve once in bed.