Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Other subjects
Original poster

High expectations from Father Christmas . . . what would you say?

51 replies

theshrimp · 29/11/2005 22:55

My DS (Age 6) has chosen what he really really wants from Father Christmas from the Lego catalogue. He has made a good choice of 2 reasonably priced things and we are happy to buy him these (from Father christmas.) Plus a few surprises in his stocking. He's always been really pleased before.
But . . . he keeps drooling over a Star Wars spaceship that costs £250 and I have told him that there is no way on earth that Santa is gonna bring him it, as it's too expensive, etc.
Apart from the comments (But he's magic mummy!) . . .how do i explain if a school friend is given a very expensive gift from Santa? It is bound to happen.
DS's a lovely little boy( most of the time) who is not spoilt at all andI don't want to disappoint him but I wouldn't feel comfortable spending this amount of money. (I also think he wouldn't really play with it that much.)
Has anyone else had a similiar problem?

OP posts:
edam · 29/11/2005 22:57

Um, sorry, if I could afford it, I'd buy it, tbh!

Caligyulea · 29/11/2005 22:58

Hmm. Difficult one.

Round about 7, I made the connection between money and the gifts Father Christmas brought us. That was the same time the rumours were flying that he didn't exist after all.

I just explain it as Santa's arbitrariness. He just decides on the night, and it all depends how many mince pies and glasses of port he's had. There's simply no accounting for why sometimes he'll bring something big, and sometimes small.

So far, he's accepting that.

colditz · 29/11/2005 22:59

it was explained to us as children that Santa has to be paid by mummy, with a credit card, so children only get what the parents can afford.

Flossam · 29/11/2005 23:00

Oh, Caligula, I love that one! What a brilliant reason!

colditz · 29/11/2005 23:00

Otherwise why does the little shit up the road who set fire to the bike sheds get a mountain bike, and your angelic friend who lives in a 3 bed council flat with her mum and 4 brothers get a pencil case?

Milliways · 29/11/2005 23:01

In our house FC only ever bought stockings + one small gift to tide them over until grand unwrapping after dinner. That way, they knew to say ThankYou to all relatives etc, not just FC, and as they got older appreciated that Mum & Dad can't afford it. It never took the magic away. They sent lists to FC who let everyone know what they wanted and bought their stocking stuff.

At school, they compared who got what, but no-one said if from FC or parent etc, never came up.

Socci · 29/11/2005 23:03

Message withdrawn

Flossam · 29/11/2005 23:03

Thinking back I thought all my pressies came from Santa, and monetry value of gifts never came into it for me. I was just glad he came!

Gobbledigook · 29/11/2005 23:04

Ds1 has asked for 'a toy father christmas' = doddle

Sorry, that doesn't help. I wouldn't spend £250 cos I just think it's excessive - whether I could afford it or not. Can it really be worth that much? say it's too big to go on his sleigh withthe other things he'll be bringing.

Original poster
theshrimp · 29/11/2005 23:04

oooohhh Caligula -what a briliant idea. I'm going to do the rest of my shopping armed with mince pies and port ! Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
theshrimp · 29/11/2005 23:10

Gobbledigook- your Ds sounds sooo sweet.
There a Lego Father Christmas you know . . .

OP posts:
Gobbledigook · 29/11/2005 23:10

Is there?!! Ooh, sounds good!

moondog · 29/11/2005 23:15

My dd has asked for a mouth organ and a ball for her brother.

FC will be pleased........

(She also insists that he only drinks water,not wine or beer.)

lockets · 29/11/2005 23:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Tortington · 29/11/2005 23:58

our children were always informed that we bought the presents santa collected them from the shop and made them work with magic dust or sommat.

but they know and always have done that the stuff they have - we work for.

BadHair · 30/11/2005 00:11

We're like Gobbledigook - we tell him it won't fit on the sleigh.
Dses saw FC at the school Christmas fair today. Ds2 told him that ds1 had been naughty and should only have an onion in a smelly sock! Naturally his own list was pretty lengthy.

mumeeee · 30/11/2005 11:11

We have always told our children that Father Christmas brings stocking stuff and all other presents come from us and relations.We did this as we wanted thenm to be encorged to get things for each other. This never seemed a problem to them and just seemed to accept that some children had bigger presents.They are 18, 16 and 13 now and still have a stocking and love tp pretend there is a Father Christmas!

ThomCat · 30/11/2005 11:17

£250 for a spaceship, bloody hell, can he climb in too and does it actually fly? If it the answer is no then don't even slightly feel bad. That much money on a tree house,. wendy house, rocking hourse, something that will be played with for year after year after year or can be passed down through generations is one thing, but £250 for a toy that will end up in apile of =other toys that get played with now and then, no way.

I think Caligula's post is great, I've made a note for when it's my turn to answer anyt akward questions!

baka · 30/11/2005 11:18

ds2 is like this- keeps going round with the Thomas catalogue saying father xmas is going to bring everything -or- the one that makes me laugh- I hope father xmas will bring x.y and z. I just tell him that father xmas has to bring presents to all the boys and girls not just him, and that if he had everything other boys and girls would get nothing.

I'm not sure they notice the inequality of presents in the way that we do. If ds2 points out something too expensive I just say "that's too many pennies"

Unless you have money to burn £250 is ridiculous for a spaceship. I bet he's so excited by the stuff he does get on xmas day that he won't even remember the spaceship.

BudaBabe · 30/11/2005 13:38

I usually say that FC has to bring to all the children in the world and can't bring really expensive things.

I think it's good for them to realise that they can't have everything! Never did me any harm! Although I am a bit of a shopaholic.......

puddle · 30/11/2005 14:13

We do the same as Mummee - Father C fills the stockings with small presents and one other gift and the rest of the christmas booty is from family and friends.

Do some people really say that presents from grandparents for eg come from Santa?

I've seen that spaceship shrimp - doesn't it have an age limit on it anyway? That arguement always works with my ds (who is around the same age as yours).

mazzystar · 30/11/2005 14:21

that he doesn't exist?

(no, bit mean)

same in our house as child and what we will do when DS old enough - santa filled stockings with tangerines, chocolates, books and little things.

presents under the tree from mum, dad, granny etc

Mud · 30/11/2005 14:22

the present they get form santa is the one that santa sees they really wnat in their heart and will get the most joy out of. santa knows best

Mud · 30/11/2005 14:24

santa only brings one presetns

am shocked anyone would ever spend £250 on a chirstmas presetn. talk about conspicuous consumption

foundintranslation · 30/11/2005 14:26

oooh I like that Mud.
250 quid for a star wars spaceship?! FFS. That level of pricing for that kind of thing is just cynical, isn't it? I wouldn't get it either shrimp.