Gifts: Santa vs. Mom & Dad

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Last year, my mom forgot to make the bags up ahead of time, and she just called everything out ---"I've got pick nailpolish, who wants it?" "I've got a bag og cashews, who wants' it?"

LOL! Totally sounds like something my mom would do!!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Last year Santa even fixed our middle daughter's most beloved stuffed bear...sewed up a hole and fixed an eye, then put a bow around bear's neck and put him in bed with her...when she woke up on Christmas morning it was AMAZING to see her reaction! She still talks about how Santa fixed Bear!! I will be so sad when the Santa "truth" comes out.

That is so sweet

A few years ago I had to start a new tradition. I was having trouble remembering what Santa had brought and what we had brought and if a child said "Is this from you or Santa?" I couldn't remember and I couldn't check the tag or they would know and I had gotten caught a couple of times by a child old enough to read for another one so now each child has their own wrapping paper, no more tags unless I run out of that child's paper and have to use a different wrap (which usually happens with each of them), then I only put their names on the tag, no "from". I told the kids that Santa was saving paper so we agreed to cut down on the number of tags we used.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

Santa brings one toy at our house and fills the stockings with treats (an orange, nuts, a little candy, maybe a CD or DVD). Santa only has enough elves and time to make one present per person. Mommy and Daddy are good and get a toy too (Daddy wants a Transformer this year and Mommy might get a Lego Creator set).

Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, and her uncle get credit for all the rest.

 

[mesnowwhite]

Santa brings each child one "big " present they've asked for. However some years, Santa has brought just one "big ticket item" for them all together, plus stockings. Santa wraps all three presents in the same wrapping paper, (and the roll is mysteriously discarded and never used again so they won't recognize the wrapping paper). We do stockings but they are usually inexpensive small items and candy.


Mom & Dad bring the rest of presents. Each kid gets to pick out their own wrapping paper, and I wrap all gifts for that kid in their special wrap.

Santa tags are never written by Mom and Dad. I've actually run down to Hallmark late at night to have the store clerk sign the santa tag one year! Other years I ask friends at work to sign them for me!

I only have 1 believer in the house now. I'm kinda sad, but also looking on the bright side b/c it takes so much work to pull off the magic!

 

[mjkacmom]

Our kids get jammies and ornaments from us - that's it. Growing up, santa always got all of the credit - much more magical this way. They figure it out eventually!

 

[Lady V]

Santa brings one BIG item for each child here. All the others come from mommy!! And there are no tags on Santas gifts yet he always puts them near the front door and in the same spot! But-I will say that mommy gets an equally BIG gift to give them. Its so funny-a few months ago my dd was talking about the American Girl she would like for Christmas. (Santa has brought her one the last 3 years) she told me not to worry because she looked at the catalog and knew they were really expensive so she would just ask santa for the expensive gift so i didn't have to worry about it. LOL

 

[RALuck]

Santa brings one special gift and fills the stockings in our house. We have carried on my parent's tradition that Santa gifts only have the child's name on it while the "from" is filled out on the gifts from Mom & Dad. Each year our children write a note to Santa with questions about him and to say thank you in advance. For the past few years, his letters back have reminded our kids that presents and Santa are not the true meaning of Christmas and that he wants them to focus on that.

 

[Crystal0608]

Santa gets all the credit here and gives them all the cool toys and video games. I spend hours undoing twist ties, unbox everything, dispose of all boxes in a dumpster then cover them up, put batteries in everything, then I sort them in either a red or green rubbermaid bin (for dd or ds) then put those up in the closet. It takes a good 4-5 hours so I have to do this when they are at my mama's. "Santa" decided to do this so Christmas morning, the house would be a complete mess of packaging and the kids can immediately play with their toys and we know they work. I give them new pjs and clothes.

 

[Liberty Belle]

At our house Santa fills the stockings (small toys, candy, new toothbrush, etc) and gives each child one "large" (more expensive), unwrapped gift. The rest of the gifts are from Mom and Dad.

This is the way it was when I grew up and fortunately the way it was at DH's childhood home, too! The only difference is Santa did not wrap our presents and he did wrap DH's, including the stocking stuff.

 

[Liberty Belle]

In our family Santa gets all of the glory. He brings the children an abundance of things including the big ticket items. We do not buy for our children throughout the year with the exception of outdoor toys and seasonal clothing so we don't mind the splurge. Our children receive new Christmas PJs on Xmas eve and they receive a well thought out gift from Mom and Dad and then one from each other. They seem to be as excited and grateful for our gift and thought as they are about Santa's.

PS My children are 6 and 3 (almost 7 and 4)

We do that, too, but I throw a new book in the package.

 

[lspst8]

My dad (who is in his late 50s) has cousins who are about 15 years younger than him. When the cousins were small, Santa used to bring the Christmas tree, in addition to all the gifts.

His family would go over to his cousins after the young children were in bed, and have to wrap all the gifts and SET UP AND DECORATE A TREE! Can you imagine that? And his cousins were Catholic and went to Midnight Mass, so this all took place at 2am!

 

[jacksmomma]

Santa always brought the smaller ticket items. Mom and dad gave the big stuff. The reasoning was that if something went bad (loss of job, etc) a little one would understand mom and dad cutting back, but it would be harder if Santa did.

That is how we do it at our house too. Same reasoning...if there is a big item that we cannot find we do not have to explain how or why Santa did not get it.

 

[BeckyScott]

I spend hours undoing twist ties, unbox everything, dispose of all boxes in a dumpster then cover them up, put batteries in everything, then I sort them in either a red or green rubbermaid bin (for dd or ds) then put those up in the closet.

I hear that! We had one disastrous Christmas where it took hours to get everything put together, and then I discovered we didn't have enough batteries for everything. I was stealing batteries out of anything I could get my hands on at home- DH's flashlight, the DVD remote- this was before the Walgreens opened and there was literally not a store open in town.

Seriously. Santa would not bring toys with no batteries. Try talking your way out of that one.

 

[bevtoy]

Sant gives them the least best gift . I am not giving Santa credit for all my hard work...

Ok, since we seem to be talking Christmas.... everything from gifts to budgets, I am interested to knwo who spends what on what. What I mean is: What kind of gifts does Santa bring.... and what type of things do Mom and Dad give? Of these items, what part of your budget is spent on them - More $$ from Santa or more $$ from M&D?? Thanks!!

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

Santa brings stocking stuffers and one gift they ask for. Mom and Dad bring the rest.

One day my son was talking to a friend and his friend gets 2 gifts from Santa and my son wanted to know why. I told him each Mommy and Daddy tells Santa how many gifts we need help with, and since he gets so many gifts from Mom/Dad, grandparents, aunts, etc. that we told Santa he only needed one gift. Worked for us!

Santa wraps in Santa paper-everyone else gets coordinating patterns but each person gets their own so it is easy to tell who gets what.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Well, ds is now 11, so it's moot now.

When he was younger, Santa would bring one or two big gifts (unwrapped and on the coffee table), and fill the stockings. Everything else was from us. This started when it he was getting castles, bikes, etc. when he was 3, that were going to be a pain to assemble and wrap. We decided putting them together was enough work, leaving them unwrapped seemed like genius at 3 am, and a tradition was born!

Maria

 

[DebMcDonald]

Santa brings the one gift they really want, the rest all come from Mom and Dad.

 

[njcarita]

Santa get credit for absolutley everything......we parents nothing........... its just adds to the Christmas Magic......

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Santa bring almost all of it.

 

[CherylA]

Santa brings one toy at our house and fills the stockings with treats (an orange, nuts, a little candy, maybe a CD or DVD). Santa only has enough elves and time to make one present per person. Mommy and Daddy are good and get a toy too (Daddy wants a Transformer this year and Mommy might get a Lego Creator set).

Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, and her uncle get credit for all the rest.

Yup, this is how we do it too. Also for the reason mentioned earlier, 'in case something goes bad'. The kids would understand Mom and Dad not having the money but not Santa. Many of the books and movies about Santa show him bringing only 1 gift for each child (of course some also show him filling up under the tree) but anyways it works for us!