flying for xmas - what do you do with presents?

[lilacmamacat]

We go to the in-laws in Germany every Xmas, which is great but buggers up present giving. We want to give our DS a bike this year but my dilemma is when to do it. Obviously we can't take it with us to give him on the day, so what to do? Give it to him beforehand, or when we come back (early January).

What do other people do?

For smallish presents - order on-line and have delivered at holiday destination, bringing empty suitcase along to bring them all back home again. For big presents - quickly put under tree before leaving (while kids are waiting in car) so that they're there as a surprise when we get back. Hope that helps!

We've spent Christmas abroad for the last four years. DS gets a stocking full of little presents from Santa/Kristkind on Christmas Eve/Day and something like a note from Santa either received at Christmas time or when we get home saying something like 'I didn't know where to deliver the rest of your presents, please put your stocking out when you get home'. It varies from year to year but helps to get him into bed at a sensible time if he's putting out the stocking overnight rather than arriving home late to a load of exciting presents.

As a child the Easter Bunny used to always visit us twice if we were away, we would arrive home to big Easter eggs on the doorstep. Loved it.

Only a few small presents will go to Germany with us (can't be arsed to cart empty suitcase about) and the rest (the bike and maybe another couple of big-ish things) will have to be delivered by Santa in January, although I would really like him to get the bike asap (he has massively outgrown his balance bike).

bunny we are barely organised enough to be ready to get a cab to the airport, let alone sneak presents under a tree

Ina we will also do St Nikolaus so can spread DS's Xmas presents over this too. Love the easter idea but even a sniff of chocolate turns DS into a raving loon. I always used to get 2 lots of 'birthday' presents because we celebrated birthdays and name days (saints' days) too. That was fab.

Agree with Bunny, get the small stuff delivered to destination, so they have a stocking etc on Christmas Day, and bring an extra bag to bring it back with. Talk to them before you go about the fact that they will get the big stuff when they get back and aren't they so lucky to have two Christmases?

We are planning to tell the kids that Santa will leave their presents under the tree at home while we are away. DH has arranged to leave the gifts with a friend who will stop by just before we get back and put them under the tree for us. Also leaving stockings filled up too!

As kids we drove and ferry to Germany. That way we had a great family trip and got all our pressies. In fact it was even better as we genuinely knew nothing about alot of them