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

[llynnnn]

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!

We had socks on the end of our beds filled with small nice things from FC. Big pressies always came from parents and were under the tree with pressies for and from everyone else.

Not sure how DH had it but I'll be doing the above with DD.

As a child, we had a sack with presents from FC and FC would put the presents from under the tree in the sack too, we didn't get anything from parents.

With my dd's, they have a main present from FC and a stocking from FC and then a main present (this year a joint present) from dh and i, any extras are from dh and I.

This is how it always was for me as a child, and we will be doing the same for DD (DH reckons he can't remember getting presents from FC as it was so long ago)
FC brings stocking presents, (wrapped in tissue paper and ribbons, so old-fashioned looking) These are the only presents which can be opened as soon as you wake up.
All other presents are tagged under the tree (but my parents would always keep back the presents from them until Christmas Eve, so we didn't see them before Christmas day - not sure if I will do this with DD).

In my parents' house, all tree presents are opened in the afternoon, after washing up from Christmas lunch, and each person takes turns at opening a present while everyone watches. In DH's parents' house, presents get opened mid-morning, and everyone hands out all their presents, so each person has a small pile in front of them, then everyone opens everything simultaneously.

When I was young, Father Christmas gave us each a stocking (and it was a stocking too- the baked-bean coloured type, all long and stretchy) and the presents were unwrapped and could be enjoyed as soon as you woke up. They were supposed to keep you quiet until a reasonable hour!

Then we all had a huge sack of presents, all wrapped. I really don't remember wondering who had brought them- it was enough that they were there! There were 6 of us too- God knows where mum found the time and money to do it all.

Here the boys get stockings from Father Christmas and they are supposed to keep them quiet but never do so are unwrapped (yes FC sometimes uses the same paper as mum) and then all other presents are unwrapped the minute we go downstairs- in dressing gowns and slippers. No waiting here.

The rest of the family give presents as and when we see them so this year there will be presents on 20th December and Boxing Day as well as Christmas Day.

we didn't have stockings or pillowcases: Santa / Father Christmas would bring one present, wrapped, which would mysteriously appear overnight on Xmas Eve (sometimes by fireplace, sometimes under tree). Other presents would be under tree, tagged, for a week before Xmas so you could surreptiously feel / smell them and try to guess what they were (other than obvious one of things, such as a bike, although those kinds of things were more likely to be birthday gifts).

Can't imagine Santa just doing delivery, rather than purchase - makes him sound a bit like Ocado!

no idea what happened in DH's house, so we are doing it my way.

A few modern day additions in relation to DS's questions:

Father Christmas has a budget (obviously), so no, a Lego Death Star is not a possibility.

No, I don't know whether they make a road runner game for DS Nintendo, I will telephone the elves and ask them to find out before you start writing your letter to Santa (do elves have phones? well, I expect that they must, as they have to contact the factory in China about the Ben 10 figures and things like that. Or they might have email. BT will know. No, we can't ring Santa directly, he has an unlisted number and is much too busy to take calls at this time of year)

No, the guy with the red suit at the fair is not the real Santa, the real Santa is far too busy, this is his busy season especially with population growth and stuff like that.

No, I don't think the elves make all the presents themselves. They supervise, and get other people around the place to do it on the basis of orders under secret names. It's called outsourcing.

(am doing my best to keep the dream alive but.... I found out there was no Santa aged 4 and wasn't dreadfully disappointed)

Becuase Mummy is Swedish and Daddy isn't Father Christmas arrives in person on Christmas Eve, at around 5pm when it is dark. He has come straight from Sweden and always calls at our house first before going about his usual schedule in the rest of the UK. He rings on the door and, depending on the age of the attendant children, either does a runner back to his sleigh, or if the children are young / brave enough he waits and hands over the sack. Presents in the sack are all tagged with who they are from - he's just the postman on Christmas Eve.

But then, amazingly, every year he comes back in the middle of the night and leaves some little (stocking filler type) presents under the tree for children to open on Christmas day morning.

We have stockings, on beds from Father Christmas.

All other presents under the tree (not there until Christmas Eve night) come from family.

We had stockings on the bed from Father Christmas with all sorts of random small wrapped things in.
All other presents are wrapped and put under the tree by name.

In DH's family they have a mahooisive sack of rpesents from father christmas, seriously, like a bin bag full, that stays doenstairs and everyone opens together. Then another gift from teh family, including one thing from his parents.
And then after lunch there are 'tree' presents, which after 14 years I still don't really understand, but is usually some chocs or sweets under the tree.

As we are not made of money we do our version.

FC gives all the presents (one per person/giver). He comes during the night after the children are in bed, leaves presents under the tree on the owner shoes left there the night before. He drinks his coffee and the donkey (or rather rudolf now since DD follows the trend) his carrot.
When DD will not believe anymore she will say thank you to the people sending present, for now I do it on her behalf. If DH says thank you to me for his present he gets told off by DD and he's asked to thank FC properly. She always thinks of saying thank you to FC and to say that she is a very lucky girl. I tell people that send gift that she still believe in FC and won't thanks them, and if that is a bother I would keep the present for her Bday. (never happen though)
I am amazed at people wanting a "reward" for choosing a present for a young child, do you want to be their favorite? It is not with presents that it happens.
When DD gets older the present will be open on Xmas eve after the meal, and we will all go to bed very late... proper thank you to the giver will be done immediately and politely, whether the present is an orange or a play station

wow such a lot of replies, thank you all for sharing.
love the comment about santa not doing any work but taking all the credit!! too true!!

I guess however it is done the dc will LOVE it, thats the main aim of FC isnt it. just need to keep the magic alive for as long as possible!!

It does make you wonder how FC managed pre-computers, keeping track of all these different family traditions.

He must need a lot less elves now he has it all on his PDA

we do exactly the same as tabitha twitchett -almost to the second

santa fills stocking with random crap little trinkets, and potential one gift with a bit of substance. these are opened on waking

all other presents are from named people under the tree, and never opened until after christmas dinner

it all prolongs the anticipation and keeps convoluted explanations to a minimum

When we were small we got a stocking from Santa which was opened first thing in the morning. Then breakfast, then church, then home and allowed into drawing room where Santa had left big presents. We only got presents from one Aunt, can't really remember at what point we got these - before breakfast I think.

Now my sister does roughly the same but they don't go to church so it's stocking, breakfast and the Santa presents.

DS was too little last year to know what was happening but plan to do stocking, breakast (get dressed) and then big Santa presents. Family presents at other times during the day eg when my mum comes round, when ILs come round and when we go to my sisters.

i think this sort of thing ought to be discussed during 2/3/4th dates, along with the do you want kids? do you like drum'n'bass? type questions

fundamental to longterm compatibility imo

Definitely the different paper as well, forgot that bit And chocolate coins and a satsuma wrapped in tin foil so the toe of the sock was all crackly. God I really miss the Christmases of my childhood

For those nostalgic for the crap low cost paper which FC favours, may I recommend Tesco Value wrapping paper?

When I was little, FC brought small presents only, which were put into one of my father's old cricket socks at the end of the bed- nuts, chocolate coins, an orange, maybe a fancy pencil, that sort of thing. All other presents were under the tree, nothing to do with FC.

We do something similar with our children, although I've bought fancy stockings from the White Company and I buy slightly bigger presents (little books, DVDs, pyjamas). I try to buy things that I know my children really want and love. I'll also do chocolate coins, nuts, an orange etc.

When I was growing up we new a family who ad to save some of their presents till boxing day to open.

Now I'm a middle-aged old puritan I think that's an idea with some merit - prolong the anticipation, avoid being overwhelmed etc. But as a child I remember thinking WHAT LOSERS

Sorry shitey keyboard keeps missing letters.

FC brings a sack of presents and leaves them at the end of the bed - some small, some a little bigger. He wraps what he can be bothered to wrap but leaves some unwrapped. Under the tree for after breakfast and when everyone has arrived are presents from friends and family which don't get put there until after bedtime on Christmas Eve. Parents give a big and wanted toy plus some other small bits. Never really thought to wonder how they would get there - it's what happened to me when I was a child, but don't think I ever questioned whether FC brought them on behalf of everyone or my parents brought them out of a cupboard when we'd gone to bed...

FC leaves stocking by bed (small stocking filled with satsuma, nuts, choc coins ,small wooden toy etc). He leaves 1 wow present (unwrapped) and some more wrapped presents downstairs by fireplace. Under tree are presents from other family members. dh and i do not buy for our dcs as FC gives them enough ,and we use our money to pay for all the nice things to eat etc.
This is how we did things when i was young, as did my mum. We also open pressies in morning, in dressinggowns etc.
Dh was brought up with stocking from FC and 1 present from his mum and dad, they got dressed and had breakfast before opening. After 16 yrs of doing it my way, he admits it is more fun.

We didn't have Father Christmas or Santa as children. We'd go to Midnight Mass get back very very sleepy, and might just about be aware of my father bringing in a present and leaving it on the end of the bed for the morning. That was always a biggish present from my parents to keep us generally busy (we weren't early risers though). Then all other presents would be handed around with plenty of oohs and ahhs after tea (we always do a walk after lunch with my parents, and as children had candles on the tree before presents, so it had to be dark). One of the highlights was always having the presents that we had made for various relations opened. For me a big part of Christmas is seeing the face of the person you have bought the present for light up (when you've got it right) and then the big hug/kiss thank you.

dh's family did the free for all as soon as you get up (most adults being hung over) and Santa was involved somewhere along the line. I really really disliked that part of Christmas with my ILs.

We do stockings and presents under the tree, and they are all from whoever they are from, as we don't do FC/Santa (luckily dh was OK with that as there is no way I would have wanted to go down that route). Now we live abroad they arrive in exciting parcels for weeks before hand, so that's an additional excitement.

As a child we were left one wrapped parcel at the foot of our bed...this was always a book/annual. The tradition started because we had visited a department store santa who told us that he was trialling this appraoch that year in our area!! All children who received a book at the foot of their beds could open the parcel without waking their parents...they then had to read the book from cover to cover before going through to their parents bedroom!!! Thus ensuring no 3am trips downstairs and grumpy overtired children.

Once we had finished the book we could wake mum and she would go and check if Santa had been (turn tree lights on, make cup coffee and get camera ready). Then we came downstairs and everything there was from Santa and labelled as such.

When my grandparents/aunts etc all arrived around 1pm the adults would produce all the family presents and sort into piles for each person. This meant that all the cousins etc had the same amount of presents to open and we all opened the presents in tandem...so everybody open gift from gran, then gift from aunty may etc. This was good because we appreciated who had given us what and also meant gran/aunty may could watch us opening them.

Then my mum was smart...she said that all the children had top gather their own presents and arrange them neatly on their own beds so that the adults could look at them - like a showing of the gifts. Small prize for nicest/tidiest pile. It meant the livingroom was spotless again pretty quickly and they could move table to middle of the room...although I can hardly remember anyone ever viewing the presents!!

I have copied most of this for DS who knows the story about santa and the bed books. I wrap most of the presents in santas wrapping paper...I bought a job lot couple of years ago and have used the same one now for a while. Think this could be the last one though...not much left. DS gets one gift from me...has to be something to do with the christmas story. First christmas it was a childrens bible, then a cd with childrens carols, another year a nativity set etc.

He is ten this year and has told me there is no santa...tempted to leave a piece of coal in his stocking!!!

In our house FC brings the presents - one for each of the children is from him and the others are money that mum and dad have sent and he has got the elves to make them. I would hate to think my children thought we didn't get them anything and want them to appreciate that we work hard for our money and we send what we can to FC who then decides where they have been good all year. Other presents arrive from aunties and uncles etc.