Explaining Santa...and money...

[Lisa loves Pooh]

So--my oldest is 5...and wow--sees all the print ads...oooh...I want that, Santa gave me that.

I told her--well we can't afford everything and if you want X--you can't get Y, too!

She said--"well Santa will bring it."

I said---"well we have to pay Santa."

She said--"Ohhhhh"


I don't know why I think this is sooo funny. But hopefully over the years it will be handy. B/c it was a long time before I realized that there was money involved with the holidays.

So does anyone tell their kids they have to pay Santa--or am I the only one?

 

[Aidensmom]

My son is 4, and also wants everything he sees on TV, in the Disney catalog, or in Walmart.

I tell him Santa can only fit so much in his bag for each kid, and that anything he doesn't get he can put on his list for the next year. So far he accepts that.

 

[TinkerBess_SnowTori]

I haven't - but I might

Last year I gave my DD6 nearly the whole Sweet Streets line -- I picked them up here and there on sale and clearance over about a year and a half... well Santa brought the whole thing... and she was thrilled

the other night while in TUR - she saw Princess Alexa and said she wanted her, and her outfits, and her carriage, and her bed, and her carrier...

I said "We can't get you the whole set for Christmas"
and she said "Oh no - not you mommy - Santa will bring it"
I said "But that is a lot to ask Santa for - he might think you are being greedy"
Why mom -- Santa brought all the sweet street stuff last time - I think he would bring the whole set for Princess Alexa

I might have to say something about paying Santa

 

[poohtown]

lol i think that's cute about paying Santa. One thing I was really glad I did when my kids where young was Santa only brought 'hand made' items. I shop at the craft fairs and speciality stores. When they started asking why 'johnny' got playstation and stuff, I explained some parents feel Santa should do more so they buy stuff and write Santas name on it. My kids never felt short-changed and have some beautiful collections that will be around a lot longer than the playstation.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Ohhh poohtown--that's sneaky...but soooo clever!!!!

 

[barkley]

from the time our kids were aware of christmas and santa we have always had him NOT bring the main items on their wish list. if we could afford these they came from mom and dad. in this way, if we are unable or unwilling to purchase something at christmas we can explain that it is based on our budget or our decision. santa fills the stockings and brings the smaller items.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

We do only one gift from Santa. Usually the 2nd thing that they really wanted. (hubby always says he wants the best gift coming from us) LOL

Anyway..then when we give them our gifts every year..it's not such a big deal if we fluxuate in what we are able to afford year to year. After all..Santa is delivering presents to EVERY CHILD IN THE WORLD..he can't carry 8 toys for each child in his sleigh now can he??

 

[elismom]

When my older kids where small now 26/24/20
Every year we always bought gifts for the santa tree(a tree that was in the mall and you picked a name of a child off of it and bought them a present)
I remember my kids asking if there was a santa why didnt the poor kids get anything?
I told them that after Christmas Santa sends the bill to the parents.
So he only brings what the parents can afford to pay for.
They never questioned it.

 

[PixieDust32]

Well, DD's think that Santa makes all the toys at the north pole with the elves, and of course they want everything they see, so i told them that Santa brings toys to all the kids all over the world, he can't bring everything to 1 or 2 kids.

 

[laurie31]

We've always used the "Santa has to bring toys to so many kids, so he can only fit a certain amount for each one in his sleigh" excuse and when they got older and wanted more expensive stuff, we also added the "Santa onlly has so much money to spend on making all the toys and he has to divide it up evenly among everyone."

I wish we'd thought of some of the ones y'all have. Santa brings TONS of stuff to our house Year before last, DD1 realized there was nothing to her from DH and I! I never remember getting gifts from my parents until I was too old for Santa. I wasn't ready for that one. It never occurred to me to give her things from Santa AND things from us. Last year I was ready, though However, I'd promised DH I'd "hold back" but it still looked like a Toys R Us had thrown up in our living room. Sigh. DH even said aloud, "What'd he do, back the sleigh up to the chimney and dump it all down here?" but sheesh, he helped me put the stuff out, so he knew how much there was. LOL. I can't help it - I usually buy al few things each month, throughout the year and don't realize how much there is in all until we get it all out that night. This year it really will be different (I promise!) as they both want video game systems, so they will get those and only a few other things. A lava lamp (don't ask me why, but they've both been begging for those for months. I got them on clearance a while back ) and some books.

I also wish I'd done the thing where Santa only brings 3 gifts. Hey, if it was good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for anyone, right Unfortunately, I never heard of that until it was too late.

My kids do still think Santa is totally magical and brings them all this cool stuff that we can't afford. I though dd1 was close to figuring it out last year and so I asked her if she thought DH and I would buy her all that stuff and she exclaimed, "NO WAY!" but I think this will be my last Santa year with her, though. She's 9 after all. I figured it out when I was 7...

Laurie

 

[MinnieM3]

We go with the whole, Santa can only "afford" so many gifts for each child, not being greedy, thing. When we buy for the Angel Tree or adopt a family, we are "Santa's helpers," to be sure no one gets missed accidentally.

Anytime now I will ahve my yearly Santa Stress Dream, where I wake up in a cold sweat, panicked, because in my dream we have FORGOTTEN to get anything for the kids for Christmas and it's like 2 in the morning of Christmas Eve/Day and the stores are closed and I'm trying to figure out HOW I will explain this. EVERY year I have this dream, several times during the season, and it scares me to death!!

 

[mrsv98]

Yup, Santa does not like greedy children in our house! I am really trying to build some altruism in our spoiled rotten DD (youngest and probably last grandchild on both sides...think she doted on? ) I have told her she needs to go thru her toys and pick some out to give away. She has so many she wouldn't notice the difference anyway. Well she is digging her heels in so I think we will have to have another talk about asking for too much and not giving enough.

 

[graygables]

I don't want them to think of the "spirit of giving" personified as sending me a bill for his services. That said, my DDs have always been told that Santa will bring them what HE wants them to have and he will NOT bring them anything that Mom and Dad do not approve. The lists have always been short. Several years in a row, my DDs sat on Santa's knee and when he asked what they wanted, they would say, "Whatever you'd like to bring me". There were several Santas who needed to borrow Mrs. Claus' hankie after that one.

My DDs know about gratitude and greed, so it's never really been an issue for us. This year is the first time that they both wanted something *VERY* badly (they are 9 & 7) and it was Gameboys, so DH and I decided that we "might" approve that for Santa to bring. This year, they will each get a Gameboy w/ a game from Santa, and from us, a Littlest Pet Shop set each, 9yo will get the Tink lamp she's been drooling over all year, and 7yo a playset of horses. When they go to put away their new toys, they will choose 3 toys to give to charity.

 

[PaulaSue]

We don't hipe Santa but go though similar stuff with the girls' wish lists. I let them dream away and circle everything they want (with their own coded color, each girls has a special color) from the cataloges. I tell them that they can wish away BUT doesn't mean that they will get ANY of it and it gives me ideas and what suggestions to give to GPs.

I do go over the lists and remind them that we have this already or it is just like another thing similar, etc. They usually forget about it in a few minutes and now an then actually circle the same thing time to time.

I figure there is Nothing wrong with dreaming, I do it all the time.


~~~~~~~~
I forgot to add that we talk about money and if she REALLY wants it she can use her b-day/x-mas money to buy it afterward. Also how much she has now and how much more she needs to buy it. She has yet to follow through.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Note--we do the 3-4 gift concept. 3 to represent Jesus' gifts. The 4...from some suggestions on the budget board: something to play with, something to read, something to wear, and somethign they need...OR there was another option...something to eat that someone used.

So our girls are getting a toy, book, pj's...and I haven't figured out the last one if I get them that. Plus stocking stuffers. The toy/book are from our gifting budget...teh pj's and/or outfit are from our clothing budget.

Our family also has to do lists for hubbies family....so I let her go to town and put a bunch of stuff on that list....to her anyway. She put 2 or 3 things and then I fill in the rest. Parental censor . I HATE doing those lists with a passion. Already someone had a problem with the list--not really a problem..but it was in their tone. It seemed to insinuate I was being to particular. What is funny--the lists are really just suggestions..and I don't go and quiz this relative on what is on her list!

Lisa

 

[True North]

Help a new parent!

I am lost on all this. When you talk about presents from Santa, are these ones that just appear on Christmas Day? Santa has always done a stocking in my family. Kids might get a present or two around the stocking as well. (mind you we had BIG stockings as kids.) Presents under the tree had been there since the tree went up and were from family, including Mom and Dad.

This is our first real Santa Christmas (Mark was only 2 months last Christmas, and it ended up just being a whole lot of presents everywhere ) I am just trying to get all sorts of views before we lay out our new family traditions.

 

[graygables]

For us, Santa fills the stockings (not too big and there is always an orange or tangerine in the toe...lets you know you've reached the end!) with toothbrushes, hair things, some candies, just little stuff.

Under the tree, there are wrapped presents there from us and relatives, that have been there since they were wrapped. Santa never wraps, so that's how DDs can tell "his" apart. We have a living room we can completely close off, so DDs aren't allowed in until we've had breakfast, read the Christmas story from the Bible and opened stockings. That gives me a chance to go in and take some pictures (darned time stamp...used to be able to do it the night before! ) and get ready to take photos of them coming through the door.

 

[Free4Life11]

If I have kids I actually plan TELLING them Santa isn't real. My thinking is, why should the guy in the red suit get all the credit for their gifts? Then again, I don't really plan on having kids.

 

[NMAmy]

When dd was small, I didn't have a lot of extra money at Christmas. I told her that Santa brings one "big" gift (at the time that was in the $20-30 range) and fills the stockings. Everything else comes from Mom & Dad.

She's 15 now and Santa still brings her one gift (although her tastes are much more expensive nowadays!)

 

[urglewurgle]

in our house Santa fills the stockings... a few small gifts, maybe a CD, chocolates, kiddie jewellry etc.... and mummy buys the other presents....