How does Santa work in your house?

[T16GEM]

I was just reading on the US community board and some people were saying that they have their presents under the tree for a couple of weeks prior to Christmas, so what do you do, how do you explain Santa to your kids and what happens with presents?

In our house, if the kids have been given something by a friend or something then it gets left on the bottom of our stairs and the elves come overnight and take the gifts back to the North Pole, now that my wardrobe is bursting at the seams Santa has had to call to say that he won't be able to send the elves out to collect any more presents because it's his busiest period and they are getting left under the tree! He will however, still be sending the elves to peek on the children to see that they are behaving

 

[Sapper383]

The gifts my children get from family and friends go straight under our tree.....but the gifts from Santa only apear on Christmas day.

I often think back to when I was a child and as an adult I realise that as a child I didn't question Santa.....I remember one year I wanted a Sindy dolls house....it was huge three story, as tall as I was...well in the run up to Christmas this huge wrapped gift appeared on our upstairs landing, I did ask my mam who it was for and she said my nan....well come christmas day it was my dolls house....I never once asked was this the pressie on the landing or where did nans big gift go!!! It just reminds me of believing in Santa is so magical, kids just don't question it when they are young.

we also have table pressies which we open after christmas dinner, not sure why my parents started doing this but we all look forward to the gift after dinner.

sorry for rambling on.....just nice to remember the magic

 

[Muscateer]

When my daughter was younger presents from family and friends went under the tree and Santa left presents laid out on settee late Christmas Eve. Now all the presents go under the tree. I so miss the build up and excitement with little ones. I usually have to make as much noise as possible to get my daughter out of her bed Christmas morning now.

 

[mandymouse]

When my daughter was younger presents from family and friends went under the tree and Santa left presents laid out on settee late Christmas Eve. Now all the presents go under the tree. I so miss the build up and excitement with little ones. I usually have to make as much noise as possible to get my daughter out of her bed Christmas morning now.

I miss all the excitement too All the family and friends presents went under the tree, and Santa delivered our presents on Christmas Eve. Yep Christmas morning I will be up early, and everyone else will still be in bed in no hurry to get up

 

[scottish mum]

Any presents that we get given by family/friends in the run up to xmas go under the xmas tree. On xmas eve santa brings his toys and puts them out on a chair for each child, all santas presents are unwrapped. Santa doesn't bring presents from anyone except for himself, the kids know what presents are from him and the wrapped up ones are from granny, auntie, uncle etc.

 

[T16GEM]

Keep them coming! It's lovely to hear everyones take on how to give out the presents!

 

[taylor91]

When both my brother and I were younger, gifts from other family members and friends were put under the tree before Christmas day as we would see them anyway being delivered. We would then go to bed for around 9pm on Christmas eve and then Santa would arrive My mum and dad used to tell us that if we looked into the living room before my mum and dad in the morning, then pixie dust would make the presents disappear and we wouldn't get anything. It definitely worked and stopped us getting up really early etc.
It is interesting reading how other families work around Christmas, so many different traditions and ideas

 

[TotallyAngelic]

awwww ..... can't wait until we have little ones again so that we can do the whole Santa thing. Now everything just goes under the tree.

 

[tennisfan]

When we were little the presents were delivered by santa on Christmas eve & left in our own little spot in the living room. We then used to have a small tree present which we opened in the evening of christmas day.

I still have my usual spot in the living room but we just put the presents out on christmas morning, even more so as the dog would just rip them open.

 

[olwyngdh]

I never had presents under the tree growing up, we always had a village there. Whenever my husband and I have been in military housing that we have had space, we have done the same thing (Yea! This is the first time in 8 years!!) The years that we have had gifts under the tree, everything goes there except Santa's gifts. Those come from him unwrapped and assembled. With the village, once gifts are brought into the living room, they are stacked in different places for different people (Older DD on the couch, DH and I by our chairs, younger DD will probably be in front of the TV this year since that is where there is space for her.)

 

[janiebubble]

we lived next door to a church, and on the tower was a lightening conductor .... my dad told us it was fairy tinkerbell's wand, and she was watching us ... any bad behaviour she'd tell Father Christmas and there would be no toys ... we believed him!

 

[joolz1910]

Santa comes on Christmas Eve and leaves a small stocking and a sackful of presents for each child by the fireplace. DD (6) is determined to catch him this year and has decided to stay awake all night. We've all tried that one, haven't we?

 

[florida sun]

Now Im going back some years, but we never had presents under the tree, mum and dad always left them in our bedroom from Santa at the foot of the bed, and all round the bedroom and they were never wrapped either. we always had one of mums stockings as well, with walnuts, tubes of sweets, and oranges in.When I think about it, they must have spent hours placing them all out for both me and my sister without waking us. I still get a warm feeling thinking about these happy times with mum and dad.

When Vicki was younger her gifts were always wrapped and placed in Christmas sacks downstairs in the living room from Santa, she always had a stocking in her bedroom with wrapped gifts in though. Every Christmas Eve when she was little, my father in law always stood outside the window downstairs (turning blue sometimes) tinkling a little bell and I would tell her "ooh he must be close as that was Rudolfs bell, so get to sleep quick"
I forgot until writing this down how magical those days were

Now days we just place our gifts to each other under the tree and open them Christmas morning.

 

[torsie24]

When I was little presents from friends and family went under the tree as they were giving to us, and then on Christmas morning my presents from santa would be in a pile/a sack by the tree in the living room.

Jack and his sisters would have a stocking left on the end of their bed from Santa, and then all the toher presents down stairs would be from his Mum & Dad.

I think when we have little ones we'll do a mix. Definitely presents from friends and family straight under the tree, and then a stocking of little things in their room, and a pile of the main presents in the living room so everyone can open them together.

Also in Jack's house which was really good is that santa would leave a trail of glitter from the fireplace, up the stairs to the stockings. Hopefully he'll do that for our kids too.

 

[scottish mum]

Something else that I did when the kids were really small, we would have loads of footprints leading from our fire all over the living room. These were made of snow (talc). Really effective but my god what a mess to clear up .

This only worked when the kids were really young though as they soon got old enough to suss out that snow would melt inside .

Also a couple of years ago when oldest ds was doubting, Santa took the whole fireplace apart and there was soot everywhere. Worked a treat as he thought there was no way that we would make such a mess so it must've been santa

 

[MazdaUK]

Pillowcases/sacks go out in bedrooms (on doors) for Santa on christmas Eve. Now kids are old enough not to poke too much, family and friend presents go under the tree.

Growing up we had Santa sacks, but aslo small presents on the tree to open in the afternoon to stop us going wild

 

[Laurafoster]

When i was little all friends/family presents went under the tree. Santa would then leave a sack full of presents at the bottom of my bed

My husband was never allowed to believe in Santa as MIL always wanted him to know that all the presents were from them.

This year is Megans first Christmas and shes not really away of anything other than the pretty lights and tinsel! So ive just put all of her presents under the tree. Next year however her Santa sack will come out!

 

[joolz1910]

My husband was never allowed to believe in Santa as MIL always wanted him to know that all the presents were from them.

One of DD's friends was told 'the truth' when she was 6 because she asked if he was real and they didn't want to lie to her. My kids will still get letters from Santa until my kids have kids of their own, and then I'll do it for my grandchildren.

 

[scottishgirl87]

Don't remember having any presents under the tree growing up, they all magically appeared on Christmas morning, even one's from aunts/uncles etc.

We have a glass pane on our living room door and I remember when I was wee I used to run down to look through and make sure there was presents there before waking my mum and dad

Since I was about 14 (I think, I'm 23 now) we now open our presents after midnight on Christmas Eve, so technically Christmas morning! Mainly because we're lazy buggers and can get a lie in then Works well for us as boyfriend and I spend Christmas Day separately with our families, so he stays over and opens presents with us and then I'll drop him off with his own family on Christmas morning.

Was saying to my friend today we don't really have any little kids in our family now, and the one's we do have we don't see on Christmas so not really any magic these days

 

[Lowen37]

We started the elf tradition this year that i got from the american board... its great the girls are loving it. We will leave a gift of christmas eve morning that the elf has brought back from the north pole which will be new pj for the girls to wear christmas eve.

Christmas eve night they leave their stocking at the end of their beds and they each have a santa sack which santa brings with him and lays out in the living room, all our presents from and to friends and family go under the tree before christmas.
I also did the message from santa 2 days ago and the girls were so excited!!! definetly really believe in santa!! they are only 2 and 4 though!

I love christmas. Christmas and disney are my 2 fav things, now if i could just combine the 2.....