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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

How does FC 'work' in your house? me and dh have very different ideas!! need MN help to decide!!

124 replies

llynnnn · 07/12/2009 07:50

It appears that Father Christmas worked very differently in my house as a child to how he worked in dh's! Now dd1 is 3 we really need to get our act together and discover how he will work for us!

So, in my house my parents didnt actually give me presents, they all came, unwrapped, by FC. We had presents from other family and friends under the tree which we were always aware of who had bought them for us. The factthat we had no actual prersents from my parents was never an issue and iirc we were told that parents sent money to FC to pay for them!

In dh's house santa only actually brought one present from him, wrapped, the rest of the gifts were from his parents and family (which were also brought by FC but tagged and left by him on xmas eve, so dh didnt actually see any presents from anyone until christmas morning)

So, how do you do it? dh thinks its shocking that FC didnt wrap our presents and also that there were none from my parents! he says he wouldve been upset that his parents hadn't actually bought him anything for christmas, this never occured to me as a child!

OP posts:

Maveta · 07/12/2009 07:57

FC brought us a stocking and we left out a pillow case for overflow bigger pressies from him. These we could open as soon as we woke up.

Remaining presents were from parents, sisters, family and friends wrapped and tagged and under the tree from mid december onwards.

Dhs family has a rather complicated and confusing tradition for 3 kings which culminates the kings all leaving the presents for all the grandkids at grandmothers house and they open them all together in one manic hectic hysterical scrum. I can´t stand it but I try to remember its their thing, so that means we get to do FC my way! Though its a hollow victory as dh didn´t really do fc...

Saltire · 07/12/2009 07:59

In our house the DSes have presnets, wrapped, in a sack from Santa. The toehr rpesents from family members go under the tree, these go under before Christmas day, so they know they are there.
They also get a small stocking on their beds, full of things like shower gels,sweets etc.

When I was a child, ours from Santa were never wrapped and were laid out on a chair along with presents from family members which were wrapped and we were aware of these as we always ahd a big family party to hand them out

QandA · 07/12/2009 08:01

This is our 1st year of having to really think about it too, I think we are going to do the main present from FC (wrapped!) and some others from us.

All of the presents will arrive after bedtime, except for those given by other people which will already be under the tree.

I agree with your DH that it is odd for you not to be seen to give anything. Your dd probably wouldn't notice this year, but may next year.

It is very exciting though, I keep thinking of DS's face on christmas morning

SoupDragon · 07/12/2009 08:02

The SmallDragons have a sack of presents (wrapped) from Santa, all bought according to their letters to Santa and things "he" thinks they'll like. I buy them a couple of presents from me and family buy stuff - these are under the tree.

BexJ78 · 07/12/2009 08:04

We did pretty much the same as maveta, but didn't have stockings - pillowcases were left out for father christmas, which were crammed with pressies (big and small) on christmas morning, plus presents under the tree from parents, family and friends etc.
My DH and his brothers each had a stocking with really small gifts in from father christmas, then parents and family and friend presents were opened later in day...

eidsvold · 07/12/2009 08:05

In our house the dds get no presents from santa. We do not follow that tradition and so all their presents are wrapped and are from dh and I or other family relatives. Nothing from santa.

Growing up - santa brought one present that was left on the end of our beds and we were allowed to open that. The rest were from parents.

DaftApeth · 07/12/2009 08:06

I think part of the excitement of christmas as a child is seeing a pile of wrapped presents. The anticipation of unwrapping them whilst (generally) not knwoing what is in there is what presents are all about. So I agree with your dh that not wrapping them is odd - but very environmentally friendly.

I bet your patents started it because they couldn't be bothered ran out of time.

We are always very hazey about what happens here,. Have never had a conversation about where all the presnets come from but they mostly all appear on christmas morning.

I mainly remain non-commital about how they all get there in case they find them in our small house and it's all magical so we don't really know

FC brings a stocking for their bed (or hallway as they are usually scared of them in their rooms) and then he gives them one, desperately wanted present, wrapped and tagged from him in his spidery writing and left by the fireplace.

The other presents are all in a pile under the tree and from various family friends, us and them.

Meglet · 07/12/2009 08:06

Father Xmas left little unwrapped presents in the stocking overnight (think: bubble bath, colouring pencils, chocolate, socks etc, practical things)

All other presents from parents + family were wrapped up and left under the tree and opened late xmas morning, when grandparents arrived.

Saltire · 07/12/2009 08:06

When I was a child I used to ask my mum why Santa did things differently in each of my friends houses. In one he left everything at the foot of their beds, another only got small things in a stocking,and bigger presents from family under the tree.
She told me it was because the elves ask the parents what they want to do

MsDoctor · 07/12/2009 08:08

FC brings everything except from family and friends, nothing from parents. I think it's weird and unkind to have nothing from FC.....why wouldn't FC bring presents eidsvold?

borderslass · 07/12/2009 08:13

Santa brings their Christmas pillows the rest from us and family when they were little we told them we sent their presents to Santa.

YohoAhoy · 07/12/2009 08:13

Father Christmas brings stocking presents here.

DS is 10, and I'd heard a lot about that being too old to beleive, but it appears he and at least half his cass still do. Although I suspect it's more in the hedging-their-bets way

DD (nearly 8) is still a firm beleiver, as are all her friends.

YohoAhoy · 07/12/2009 08:14

class

fishie · 07/12/2009 08:17

father christmas brings small unwrapped stocking presents here too. that is meant to be enough to keep children amused until after lunch, when the wrapped presents under tree are passed around. also helps with good behaviour at table.

dh thinks this is too long to wait, so he gives ds a biggish present (say playmobile) mid-morning.

ApplesinmyPocket · 07/12/2009 08:17

Santa comes in the night and leaves a stocking full of wonderful things to be opened far too early in the morning.

Everything else is from who it's from, piled under the Tree and opened on Christmas Day after lunch.

I never understand how this 'Santa brings your big presents' works. Apart from the whole due-gratitude thing, surely it must lead to awkward disappointments if a child thinks Santa may bring what M&D refused/couldn't afford to buy?

Santa fills stockings, and that's that! they can be nice stockings of course and not need to contain all rubbish, though some rubbish is essential for a good stocking.

Original poster

llynnnn · 07/12/2009 08:18

ok, so general consensus says fc wraps presents! will have to ask my parents why they didnt lol!

saltire - like the elves asking the parents, will remember that one

thanks for the replies will show dh the thread later so we can continue the debate

OP posts:

ApplesinmyPocket · 07/12/2009 08:19

Agree with fishie - main presents after lunch means better behaviour for the meal and also means the excitement of the great day doesn't peter out too soon with everyone bored and squabbly by mid-morning.

Saltire · 07/12/2009 08:19

Ours have never had big presents from Santa, last years Wii for example was from mum and dad, he always brings smaller things such as lego, PS2 games, DVDs annuals etc.

alwayslookingforanswers · 07/12/2009 08:21

We do it exactly same as it was done in your DH's house. He brings all the presents on Christmas eve, wrapped and tagged. One from FC himself, the rest from everyone else that he's delivered and taken care of for us.

I think it's shocking that FC didn't wrap your presents as well!

alwayslookingforanswers · 07/12/2009 08:24

oh yes - as just read in a later post - Santa only bring a small present in this house, never the "big" one.

And they open one or two presents before church (but AFTER breakfast) and then the rest are opened while waiting for Christmas lunch to finish cooking.

Usually that's ready just as they've opened the last few presents - so if they want to play with them they have to sit down and eat nicely

FaintlyMacabre · 07/12/2009 08:27

Stocking presents from FC, to be opened at whatever awful hour we woke up (without disturbing parents). I think it seemed a little more plausible that elves would make a packet of crayons or some bubble mixture rather than Barbie or some more technological toys.

All other presents wrapped under the tree, opened gradaully throughout the day- one every 1-2 hours depending on quantity.

ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 07/12/2009 08:28

FC brought small presents that were left in/near a stocking (if too big), some were wrapped and some not. Under the tree was the 'main' present from parents and all other family gifts, labelled from family.

mistletoekisses · 07/12/2009 08:30

We are doing a stocking from santa at foot of bed. And one big santa present by the chimney, which will be wrapped but only loosely since it is huge!

Then there are also presents from mummy, daddy and family etc wrapped and under the tree. But those we will put under the tree as santa is only bringing stocking and one santa present.

Then we are also doing a little xmas tree present for boxing day so all the fun isnt over on christmas day.

Nowtheres4 · 07/12/2009 08:30

as a child all my presents including my stocking came from fc, it never occurred to me that my parents didn;t buy me anythig according to this ritual. it was christmas and fc brought the presents. as i got older my parents said that they paid for the presents but fc made them and wrapped and delivered them.
for my children i do it that fc brings the stocking on the end of thier bed whihc contains small gifts such as xmas socks, thorntons choc lollies, hair clips, toy car etc and mummy and daddy buy the presents that are downstairs waiting for them.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 07/12/2009 08:31

FC does stockings and one present under tree which we have after lunch, everything else is from us, family and friends.

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