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Christmas

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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:

MuppetsMuggle · 07/12/2009 09:45

We do one pressie wrapped from Santa, and the rest are from us, both sets of grandparents and great grandparents, aunts, uncles and godparents.

DaftApeth · 07/12/2009 09:46

Yes, I do the pen and paper/list thing too (they are not allowed to open anything without me watching to make a list see their reactions) but the dcs don't really care who gave them what

BornToFolk · 07/12/2009 09:47

We had a stocking full of unwrapped presents from FC, then one big present from our parents under the tree. Presents under the tree were put there as and when they were ready.

It was similar deal at DP's I think, but his presents were wrapped and he got more of them!

We did a stocking for the first time for DS last year and I wrapped everything. It was mainly small things then he had a few more bigger things from us under the tree. We'll probably continue like that, for now anyway.

stealthsquiggle · 07/12/2009 09:47

Itsallabitnoisy - do friends and relations get Thank you letters and if so how do you know who gave them what?

MadameDuBain · 07/12/2009 09:48

FC just fills the stocking, which is small presents that are unwrapped (but in a stocking obv). Other presents are under the tree and are from us/rellies/etc.

DS who is 4 loves asking endless complex technical questions about how FC/santa gets down the chimney, how the reindeer fly, how is it that he only comes at night when you're asleep but you can see him in the daytime at nursery/in a shop, etc. he has also starting asking me to ask FC for presents but I explain that FC brings little stocking presents and we will get him something bigger.

DS's latest scheme is to go round to a friend's house on xmas eve when they are asleep so FC will come, but he, DS, will be able to see him and check out what actually happens!

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 07/12/2009 09:50

In my house as a child and do the same with dc's too Santa brought a tocking with small things in it and all the main presents.
Stocking was put in my bed and other presents sat waiting in living room for us to get up in the morning.
My parents did have a present for us but it generally wasn't a huge big thing and presents from relatives were put under the tree during December when they arrived.

I remember one christmas feeling really sorry for my brother and sister. I must have been coming up 4 years old and they got way less presents from me and I had loads.
The thing was they got a telly each and as they are 9 and 10 years older than me and didn't believe in santa by then and also understood cost of something they were delighted with their tv's but I was very sad for them.

ItsAllaBitNoisy · 07/12/2009 09:50

No, we don't do thank you letters, we just never have done, the only gifts they get are from family who they will speak to and thank in person or on the phone.

Well the gifts from family are tagged, so they know who it's from!

shelleylou · 07/12/2009 09:50

Itsallabitnoisy, thats what i do too. Always had to wait for everyone to come downstairs before we were allowd to and dad handed them round...

Ladyem · 07/12/2009 10:08

In our house my Parents bought the presents, then 'sent' them to Santa (via their wardrobe, it seemed!!) who wrapped and delivered them! When our DCs are old enough I'll tell them the same thing! This year our eldest is only 2.6 yo, so she's only just grasping the idea, so I've told her that I'll tell Santa what she wants and if she's good he'll bring them for her!! DS is only 3 months, so no worries there!!

MadameDuBain · 07/12/2009 10:15

As for thank you letters, we send them for all the presents from other people. I get thank you cards and get DS to sit down with me and go through who sent what and try to sign his name etc.

OMG thank you letters were such a pain when I was little, to the extent that they really cast a pall over christmas. My mum would spend the 2 weeks after the 25th nagging us and nagging us to write them, but they had to be proper letters on writing paper with lots of description about what a lovely xmas you had and what presents you got, and it was just soul-destroying having to sum up the enthusiasm when we just wanted to play. I want my DC to take part but just doing cards, a quick note/signature and I will do it with them asap and get it over with.

alwayslookingforanswers · 07/12/2009 10:20

no it's not stilted making them wait. They actually get to enjoy opening their presents and don't just have a greedy "me me me" attitude to it.

Presents are handed round in turn , it's about appreciating the presents as well.

monkeyfeathers · 07/12/2009 10:23

My DP is a big meanie and decided that it was time to tell DS1 (9) that FC is all a ruse. He was all concerned that DS would get teased for still believing.

I think he was at the bet-hedging stage, but hadn't decided that he didn't believe. I'm pretty sure that a sizeable proportion of his class still believe too. I make sure to explain to him that he's not to go ruining things for the kids who still believe and that next year he'll have to pretend to believe for his wee btither's benefit.

In our house, FC left a pile of wrapped presents (other than when a present was too big/awkward to wrap) and a stocking filled with tangerines, bubble bath and sweeties. My parents would give us a present or 2 each too, and these only appeared on Christmas morning. Other presents lived under the tree and were opened along with everything else on Christmas morning.

I've always done the same with DS (because we always spent Christmas at my mum's house). His dad would always come up with more presents (because he has more money than sense) mid-Christmas morning, then take DS down to visit his parents for a bit. He'd bring him back mid-afternoon (so he could go back for his Christmas dinner) and we'd go to visit my aunt and uncle for our Christmas dinner with the rest of the family.

This year is the first year DP and I have done Christmas together, previously we've just gone to our parents (who live at opposite ends of the country). Now DS2 is here we're going to do the proper family Christmas thing. We're staying at home for Christmas morning and visiting his parents in thr afternoon but we'll do things the same way as I always did because that's what DS1 is used to.

LilyBolero · 07/12/2009 10:26

In our house, we don't do Santa as a 'real person'. The kids do have stockings, but know the presents are from us. They don't open any presents until after lunch, as up till that point it is all to mad with getting breakfast, getting to church, getting home, cooking lunch etc etc. So after lunch (and carols), we do presents.

The first present always comes after ds1 (age8) slips out and returns dressed as Santa with a present for everyone. He has done this for 4 or 5 years, and was his own idea - it is SO exciting when he arrives, and the little kids love 'seeing Santa' even though they know it's ds1!!!

Then we do 'rounds' of presents - one present each, and then a game, then another present, then another game etc.

I love the way we do it. And I love that there will never be that crashing reality that 'Santa isn't actually real' - he is 'real' to them, but in a true way - they are acting out the legend.

sweetkitty · 07/12/2009 10:31

Santa brings two presents each as asked for in the letters and the stockings. These are unwrapped.

Everything else is from Mum and Dad or family. These are all wrapped and we spend all morning opening each of them in turn.

halia · 07/12/2009 10:39

santa brings you your stocking and one 'Father Christmas' suprise present.

Tambajam · 07/12/2009 10:45

I think that the OP's childhood home was unusual in this respect. Why would FC not wrap? That seems bloody lazy. I can't imagine it's all flapping around in his sleigh.
Normal for me is stockings/ pillowcases from FC (presents still wrapped) and larger presents under the tree from mummy and daddy and family.

lal123 · 07/12/2009 10:49

When I was a kid my Mum didn't get us any presents - they were from Santa. We knew who other presents were from - and all were left under the tree wrapped. In DPs (and in ours now) ALL the kids presents come from Santa - this will probably change when they get oder (DD1 is 6, DD2 only 8 weeks). I think that my side of the family find it a bit odd, and are a bit miffed that they don't get the credit when they've chosen what they think is the perfect present.

When I was a kid it was a free for all as soon as we woke up to open presents. Now we follow DPs family tradition - in theory the youngest gets to open ALL their presents first. In practice DD1 usually wants to play with her presents as she opens them and we'd still be waiting for her on boxing day,so I start opening mine when I can't stand the suspense any more!

ShinyAndNew · 07/12/2009 10:50

We buy the presents and they are hidden in our wardrobe FC's fairies come and collect them from our room and take them to the north pole to be wrapped and made 'magic'

He leaves pressies at every house the child visits, not just our house, so they are aware of who got what for them.

GreatGooglyMoogly · 07/12/2009 10:51

FC brings small, wrapped presents for the DC that he puts in their stockings on Christmas Eve (-these will obviously be wrapped in different wrapping paper to those under the tree!). All other presents are under the tree already from family and friends, including a "big" present each for the DC from us.

MrsBrendanCole · 07/12/2009 10:51

Am I alone in not having go a stocking when i was young then? We didnt have any presents in our rooms but we all had to creep downstairs together to see if "he had been"!!!

I knew that my mum and dad bought the presents and wrapped them up and then sent them to santa and if we were good, he brought them back on christmas eve, but i seem to remember only seeing small things and then on christmas morning, big things appeared too!

thedollshouse · 07/12/2009 10:55

When I was growing up the majority of my presents were from my parents but delivered by Father Christmas. I always thought that this was a crazy thing to do. My parents would wrap the presents up and then they would be put in the cupboard so Father Christmas could collect them in secret and bring them back on Christmas Eve. Bizarre!

In our family now FC brings the stocking pressies and sorts out the pressies bought from relatives (we have a very large extended family)and puts them into a sack. After lunch ds has the pressies bought by Father Christmas and his main pressie is always bought by us. It would be hard to explain to children that Christmas is an expensive time if we didn't buy any pressies.

Last year mil bought her presents over on Christmas day for ds and tried to tell ds that FC had left them for him at her house. SDs said "Don't be silly Grandma it says from Grandma and Grandad, why would FC take them from you and bring them back to you again, you are a fibber Grandma!"

alwayslookingforanswers · 07/12/2009 10:57

"and are a bit miffed that they don't get the credit when they've chosen what they think is the perfect present."

Can't say I blame them - I'd feel the same way. Actually if I knew that was happening I quite possibly wouldn't even bother buying a present for them at all.

Jux · 07/12/2009 10:58

FC brought us a stocking. Everything else was wrapped with to and from on it. Not quite sure how that squared with asking FC for something which the parents gave us, but somehow it did. Presents were put under the tree after we'd gone to bed on Xmas Eve, so perhaps the parents paid him for them?

We weren't allowed in the sitting room until, after breakfast, Dad would shut himself in there and decorate the room, light all the candles, draw the curtains and put on the Xmas tree lights. Then we'd be called in. It was like entering fairy land with all the sparkles in the dark, really magical.

Then we'd settle ourselves around on the floor, and dad would hand out the presents, reading the labels. He always made sure that there was time between each present for it to be opened, oohed over and shown round, before handing out the next.

Quite honestly, I don't think it matters too much how you do it. Your kids will think it is normal whichever way, as it's the way you do it. What I don't like is when everyone is allowed to dive in and grab willy-nilly, so no one sees what anyone else got, who from etc, and doesn't care either.

Sounds like you need some sort of compromise between you and dh though. How about one from FC one from ma and pa etc?

lal123 · 07/12/2009 11:00

Mrs BC - we didn't have stockings either and had to go downstairs to see if he had been. One year (must have been about 12 or so) we'd gone downstairs a couple of times and he still hadn't been by about 7.30am. We went to tell my mum - she'd been out/had friends over christmas eve - she handed us the keys to the car and told us that we'd have to get them ourselves. Guess that was when the Santa Claus magic was truly gone!

Jacaqueen · 07/12/2009 11:13

Father Christmas fills the stockings with small unwrapped gifts he also brings the main present along with one or two other items from the Christmas list.

The main present will be all set up in the middle of the sitting room. In past years this has been a bike, train set, race track etc. The other presents from FC are wrapped.

Some books show FC producing unwrapped toys from his sack. Others show a pile of wrapped presents on his sleigh. It is important to have both bases covered.

The paper has to be different and the tag written by someone they dont know the writing of.

My children also receive presents from us. They would find it strange if we, their parents, did not give them a gift. This is placed under the tree a few days before Christmas.

Other presents go under the tree or are given on the day. They are always from the person who bought the gift. I also encourage the children to help me buy and wrap the gifts that we give to others. I think it is important that they get involved in this giving aspect of Christmas and that they realise the value of gifts that they receive from others.

I think doing it this way helps keep it believable for as long as possible. My eldest is 11 and although I dont really think he does still believe I do think that there is a part of him that wants it to still be true. He has never asked me if Santa is real. I am happy to go along with it for as long as possible.

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