Do you wrap your stocking stuffers?

[swilshire]

Santa presents also have special tags.

When child # 3 was just starting to doubt the magic, he made a big deal of the fact that Santa's handwriting looked a lot like Mom's. After that, I saved tags from other gifts they received each year and cut off the "From" line. It worked well because most people misspell his name and we could talk about those silly elves that can't spell. Of course, it didn't last long but at least I still have one believer in the house.

Sheila

 

[gottaluvdis]

When child # 3 was just starting to doubt the magic, he made a big deal of the fact that Santa's handwriting looked a lot like Mom's. After that, I saved tags from other gifts they received each year and cut off the "From" line. It worked well because most people misspell his name and we could talk about those silly elves that can't spell. Of course, it didn't last long but at least I still have one believer in the house.

Sheila

That's an ingenious way to do the tags! DD9 still believes, but has been able to read since the age of 4 or 5, so we've had to be creative with tags. I finally designed and printed them from the computer. I use a hand writing font and make color tags so she can't decipher someone's writing. Also, when DD was young my MIL tried to send her some gifts from "Santa" in her hand writing! I had to respecfully ask her to stop this. Kids are just too smart nowadays. DD asked me yesterday if I thought Santa would sign a piece of paper she plans to leave for him so she can prove to her friends that he's real. Unfortunately I think this might be the last year of believing for her.

 

[Tamis3girls]

All Santa's gifts are wrapped under the tree, each child, I have 3, has their own paper, this year we have Cinderella, Bratz, and Dora paper. They love organizing all of their presents. Stocking stuffers are wrapped, but not the candy. My kids usually get up at 3 in the morning....ugghhhh, and they are allowed to open their stocking presents, and then they sleep on the couch....

 

[snowgooseltd]

When my children were small, all "Santa" gifts were wrapped in Santa paper to distinguish what came from Santa and the rest were from us. Stockings were never opened until after all gifts were open and breakfast was served. Stockings always held special gifts....jewelry, gift cards and when they were old enough, the toe of their stockings had the key to their first car. You'd think they would have caught on but there was several years between each child so it was always a surprise. I could give you a blow by blow of each Christmas morning when each child found that key. It's seared in my brain!! My son was sitting on the couch in jockey shorts, a hockey shirt and a pair of socks. When he found his keys he ran out the door, got into the car and drove away....we had six inches of snow on the ground. He came back about 10 minutes later, very cold but beaming like a lighthouse!! It's one of the highlights of my life!

 

[maggiew]

That's an ingenious way to do the tags! DD9 still believes, but has been able to read since the age of 4 or 5, so we've had to be creative with tags. I finally designed and printed them from the computer. I use a hand writing font and make color tags so she can't decipher someone's writing. Also, when DD was young my MIL tried to send her some gifts from "Santa" in her hand writing! I had to respecfully ask her to stop this. Kids are just too smart nowadays. DD asked me yesterday if I thought Santa would sign a piece of paper she plans to leave for him so she can prove to her friends that he's real. Unfortunately I think this might be the last year of believing for her.

The way we got around this is that Santa would wrap each girl's gifts in a separate type of wrapping paper. No names needed!!! They are always placed in order under the tree by age - oldest on the right.

We do not wrap stocking gifts, but they are little things like lip gloss, hair scrunchies, sponge bob figures, etc.

Oh. I feel like a mean mommy. I didn't let my DD shave until 12.

Maggie

 

[babytrees]

I do. Santa's big gift is generally unwrapped, and already put together/set up for christmas morning. The stuff in the stockings are all individually wrapped....

DD9 has in her stocking, intuition refill, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, pencils, erasers, candy, a beaded curtain for her door etc.

DD8 has the same, but no razor refill LOL.

unwrapping is one of my girls favorite parts of christmas.

I asked DD9 if she wanted her stocking wrapped, as she no longer believes in santa, and she looked at me like I had 10 heads, and said "well YES"

Brandy

I am glad to see I am not the only with a nine year old that should be shaving...my nine year old doesn't want to learn(and as long as I am the only one who sees the hair why not?

I have a mixture of wrapped and unwrapped Stocking stuffers....can't ever make up my mind I guess.

 

[gottaluvdis]

My 9-year old hasn't even inquired about shaving yet, although she probably has enough hair to do it on her legs. She's blond, so you can't see the hair and it's very downy. Nothing under the arms yet, so I figure we have some time yet before we have to navigate that road!

 

[babytrees]

When child # 3 was just starting to doubt the magic, he made a big deal of the fact that Santa's handwriting looked a lot like Mom's. After that, I saved tags from other gifts they received each year and cut off the "From" line. It worked well because most people misspell his name and we could talk about those silly elves that can't spell. Of course, it didn't last long but at least I still have one believer in the house.

Sheila

We still have a believer at 9 in our house and we have always done tags this way.....Santa has a different elf each year write out the tags, and these tags are nothing like the ones we use in our house.......Just got them this morning from the North Pole. One good thing about having to work on the Friday before Christmas.

 

[mickeyfan2]

We wrap small gift for the stock, but not candy. I would not wrap an orange.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I love this thread, it's so fun to read about your traditions! Santa never wraps our stocking stuffers, but for the first time this year Dh and I have our own stockings and I asked him if he wanted his wrapped and he said he didn't care, but he wrapped mine. Now that I think about it I'll probably have to wrap his or he'll see them before he goes to bed. How do you wrap a spatula/pancake turner thingy ?

To get a little more sleep this year we're trying something new. My kids know they each get a new book from me each year so I told them I will put it in their beds sometime overnight and when they wake up they can unwrap it and they have to stay in their beds and read it. I think I should've bought them longer books I like the idea of wrapping the stocking stuffers and putting them in their rooms to unwrap, though, if the book thing doesn't go very well I might try that next year.

BTW, girls really shave at 9 ? My Dd is 9 and has asked to, but I told her no, not until she had hair under her arms. I don't want her to be teased though (she does wear skirts and shorts to school when it's hot), maybe I need to rethink that.

 

[etwinchester]

Here is the wrapping paper we use for santa. They are sold out now but get it in every year. I just love it...

http://currentcatalog.com/productDetail~useStoredQuery~1~subCatID~~superprodid~9281.asp

They carry matching tags but I don't buy them. I just use the paper and that's it.

For the bigger presents (anything but stocking stuffers), they get wrapped in this paper and put in a Santa Sak that I bought. DD thinks that Santa left his sak behind and we mail it (pretend - I don't actually take it) back to him.

Last year she said how Santa is getting forgetful since this is the 2nd time he left his sak behind. I laughed and told her that he has so many presents to deliver that he's in a hurry.

 

[FallDisney]

Santa wraps stocking stuffers for our DD's, 10 and 7. He also wraps all gifts in paper starring only him. Can't be Santa and a snowman for example. Has to be Santa only. He's done this since he started visiting our house ten years ago.

Some years Santa doesn't have time to do the gift tags, so he uses stickers. The girls usually write him a last minute note to read while he's having his milk and cookies. He usually responds and this year, he'll let them know which sticker indicates their present. I have it on good authority that the sticker that shows Santa from head to toe indicates the gift is for my 10 year old DD, and the sticker of Santa's head indicates the gift is for my 7 year old DD.

Wow! I'm pretty amazed that a girl shaves at 9. My 10 year old hasn't even brought it up, but as another poster said, she's blonde and hasn't started growing underarm hair, so it's probably not horribly noticeable to her right now. EEEKKK!!! I guess shaving isn't so far away for us. <sigh> Where does the time go?

 

[Tinkerbell_Girl]

Normally stocking stuffers in my house are not wrapped. Now that I'm older my sister and me exchange stocking stuffers. Her's is wrapped because I wanted to put it in a box this year (it's jewelry) and mine is in my stocking unwrapped because she didn't want to wrap it! I have been instructed not to look at it!

As for the santa tags, my mom used to get coworkers to sign them for us!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

We wrap our stocking stuffers. My mom always did, because she put our stockings out early in December & one of my sisters would have peeked. I keep the same traditions she had.

I have a DS(13) who still says he believes. When he started doubting, I told him that Santa will come to see him as long as he says he believes. Translation: As long as he tells mom he believes. He was smart enough to read between the lines, & will still tell anyone that he believes in Santa. That is, if he's in front of me. Downside: Santa may still have to pay him a visit, when he's 40.

 

[babytrees]

As for the santa tags, my mom used to get coworkers to sign them for us!

Don't you mean a different elf would do them for your mom

 

[babytrees]

BTW, girls really shave at 9 ? My Dd is 9 and has asked to, but I told her no, not until she had hair under her arms. I don't want her to be teased though (she does wear skirts and shorts to school when it's hot), maybe I need to rethink that.

My 9 year old has always been hairy....but this summer she sprouted hair under her arms!!! (and they are LONG!!) So we have been going back and forth on whether to shave she doesn't want to so I will let her be my baby for a bit longer.

 

[Leader of the Club]

This thread is so fun!

The mixture of stocking stuffers, Santa gifts and underarm hair and shaving is really cracking me up!

Thanks for all of the replies.

Santa does not wrap his gift that he leaves behind.

 

[Syrreal]

I wrap everything!! It's just DH and I right now (and a friend who came to visit this xmas). But if I don't wrap everything (including gift cards!) DH (abd our friend) peek. They may know it's a gift card but they definitely don't know for where and how much

 

[Debbie]

I have five kiddos...11-21. The tradition is five rolls of "Santa paper" - not necessarily Santa, but definitely rolls that were not in the family tub. Each child has his/her own paper and, since the stocking stuffers never totally fit in the stocking, the extra gifts underneath are easy to have the owner determined. And, yep, I wrap almost every gift. . . .chapstick, toothbrush, dental floss, candy. . . but this year, I'm taking the box OFF of the Terry's chocolate orange, and just tucking that in the toe of each stocking.

My DD11 (12 in March) is getting an Intuition razor since she's been 'borrowing' her sister's. And, since I found MY lipstick in her backpack, she will get some very pale makeup. . . . wrapped in the stocking!

 

[bettyann29]

Yes I wrap each thing in the stock except the candy.. My kids love it..