does anybody elses todler really dislike Father christmas?

[qwertysue]

just a quick wandering are there any other Mumsnetters children out there who dont like Father Christmas?? I took DD 2.2 to the grotto to meet FC, she burst into tears and went as far as her reins would allow, saying "she didnt want to see him". the float came round where we live about 2 weeks later and she was taken outside to see FC, and again, she protested " i dont like FC, i dont want any presents leaving under the tree" she made DS 15 bring her in and "lock the door so he cant get in". so on christmas eve, we decided it was best to just say that he had been and left just one gift for her, the rest were off us. She just pushed his gift to the side and didnt want to know it, still doesnt. she opened all of the rest and was pleased and really enjoyed the day. AIBU to think that next year i should just not mention him? or should i try again with the whole concept of FC??
Just like to add that she isnt spoilt, nor did she react like this because she had too much stuff, she was fine with the "idea" of him leaving presents under the tree until she met him. then it all went Tits up

dd (2.11) very keen on contents of stocking and gifts under the tree, but we had to hang the stocking on the outside of her bedroom door, and tonight ihad to close her bedroom door so 'christmas' wouldn't go in there. i can't advise about next year, but you are not alone in having a child who doesn't want some strange old man wandering into her house in the middle of the night

My DD (2.7) hates Father Christmas - pretty common at this stage, apparently. Mine loves pictures of Father Christmas, just can't bear real-life sized one!

I thought all toddlers disliked FC! Well meeting him
In person but liking the idea of presents, DD1 and DD2 both went through that phase, they grow out of it, next year he'll probably be the best thing ever and she'll be running up to hug him!

My dd is 6 now and has no problem with Father Christmas etc. BUT she was very worried about him right up until the Christmas she was 4.

I remember her 2 year old brother going up to Nikalaus at a Christmas market to be given a chocolate and dd was almost hysterical, hiding behind me, and that was when she was 4 and 3 months. She had been happily walking into the Christmas market chatting away and then Nikalaus walked out from between rows of stalls, distributing chocolate to children, toddler ds went forward, 4 yo (and grown up about a lot of things) dd was beside herself with terror.

She was also afraid of masks even if she knew the mask wearer - even if the mask is not a scary one and she knew the wearer was a child, but hysterically frightened of the jolly mascot type dressed up people with padded fake heads you get in soft play places for birthdays - good job we didn't take her to Disney Land, it would have been a land of nightmare!

I think it is a combination of stranger danger and the covered face (Father Christmas' big beard and often hat and glasses) - we teach them not to talk to (let alone take sweets or presents from strangers), then we tell them "Guess what, a stranger with a huge beard is going to creep into your room while you're asleep - isn't that fun?" Really any logical thinking child is going to be afraid, it's amazing more aren't!!

As I say dd has grown out of it now at 6 and was fine at 5 too, but I think the way in which they believe in Father Christmas changes somehow, and that helps - she knows the ones you see in public are people dressed up now. We never put stockings on the kids' beds though - when she was 2 and 1/4 she asked me to write Father Christmas a note asking him to leave the stockings downstairs (first she asked me to write to him asking him not to come, then we agreed on the compromise of stockings downstairs), and we have stuck with that - has the added benefit that if a parent should need to deliver stocking on FC's behalf if he's running late there is no danger of wakeful child seeing it being delivered!!

DD was 3.9 last Christmas and was freaked out by the thought of FC coming down the chimney. We left a note saying 'please can you just dropthe presents down?'

This year, she is somewhat unfazed, as she nonchantly announced that she doesn't think he came, and that daddy and I put the presents there and ate the mince pie. Ho, hum.

My DS (2.6) liked the idea of it all too, but when he started to see them about also refused to go and see them and I wouldn't push it, he doesn't like other 'strange' people so why should he suddenly like this guy?! Then on Xmas Eve he did start to say 'Noooo' when we said FC would come tonight and he could put out his stocking etc. He didn't want to put it out for him, so we just left it where it was and put him to bed. He was fine in the morning though, when it came to getting the tat presents from the stocking! We didn't mention FC again. Next year maybe...