Santa traditionally brings...

[ksl5f123]

My kids get new winter hats and gloves/mittens in their stockings every year.

 

[santadog]

I always get a pomegranate and pistachios in my stocking - DD gets an orange and Hershey's Kisses. We both get trading pins and a Disney gift card to be used pm a future Disneyworld trip. The family gets the new Birnbaum's Guide and our plane tickets are under the tree.

 

[jacksmomma]

DS always gets a Pez dispenser in his stocking. His second Christmas he was 17 months old. When we showed him how the Pez worked he was hooked! His eyes lit up every time he pulled the head back and there was a new candy. It was so cute!

 

[mom0299]

Santa always brought a Lifesaver story book to our house too! It was wrapped and the tag said From: Santa.

 

[bigmama67]

In our house, Hanukkah Harry makes sure everyone in the family gets a nice warm pair of PJs every year! Usually the kids give them to us early on in the week. This year DD had already gotten 2 pairs for her birthday in October, so Hanukkah Harry brought her lamb slippers from LL Bean instead (SO CUTE!) She got her big brother Lego Star Wars footies for his birthday (December 4th).

 

[maslex]

My boys are 13 and 15 now. But years ago when they were just little (maybe 4 and 5) on a whim, I bought them each one of those big Hershey Kisses for their stockings. Thing is though, the kisses didn't fit into the stockings at all (unless you took them out of the box but I didn't think about it at the time) so I just placed them on the floor next to their stockings.

Well, let me tell ya....You would have thought they each won the lottery or something. If I would have known, spending just $3 on each kid would put a spark in their eye as these Hershey Kisses did.....LOL So needless to say, they each get one every year (and ironically my oldests favorite color is green and the youngests is red, so this works out great at Christmas time) I still ask the boys to write out a Christmas list for me (helps me to know what they're looking for, ya know?) and every year they BOTH put down, "big hershey kiss" and one year my youngest put down "big hershey kiss, because it just wouldn't be Christmas without it" LOL

But when my brother, sister and I were growing up, we ALWAYS got a "joke" gift along with our regular gifts. As far back as I can remember, my sister got a big jar (think BJ's warehouse big) of pickles!!! My brother got a jumbo sized container of peanuts and I usually got a big box of peppermint patties. All of these things were wrapped like a regular gift, so the first year was a bit puzzling for my siblings (just looked like a big ole wrapped jar....and yep, that's exactly what it was LOL) I'm really not sure why my parents started this but one year (I'm guessing $$$ was tight) we didn't get the "joke" gifts and boy were we disappointed. From there on out, my parents made sure that those gifts were under the tree. I mean it's not as if we couldn't have a pickle or peanuts or peppermint patty any other time during the year. But those were some of our favorites!!!

 

[Duckyiam71]

I love this thread. Made me think back to my childhood and why I do the things we do today. Like a pp stated, Santa would always give us underwear and socks. My oldest brother got a Whitman's sampler, my other brother would get a box of Turtles and I would get a huge Hershey kiss. I am almost 40 and my mom still gives this. Santa brings my boys underwear and socks but we have changed the sweets to m&m's. They also have been getting a new set of pajamas on Christmas eve. We have been doing this since my DS 11 was 2.

 

[buzz5985]

M&Ms to our house. Every year since I was old enough to eat them (a good 40+ years at this point) Santa has always brought every child in the house a bag of M&Ms. I have continued the tradition with my kids. The bag gets wrapped along with all of the other presents, and the 4 bags typically end up all mixed together into a giant bowl before the day is over.

Oh, and on the years I get to travel home for Christmas, my mommy still makes sure Santa has brought my M&Ms

Just curious if anyone else has a similar Santa tradition?

On Christmas Eve, Santa always left a new pair of pajamas. I am 51 now, and just went to Kohls and bought a new set of PJ's for everyone to leave on the beds before we go out visiting on Christmas Eve.

Janis

 

[charming23]

Christmas eve we always get a new pair of pj's to wear and Santa always leaves a lifesavers storybook in our stockings.

 

[RMAMom]

At our house Santa hides the Christmas stockings, as the kids grew he started leaving notes. One note would lead to another and so on until finally you found your stocking. The kids alway had so much fun with this! Santa also fills the candy dishes that are out this time of year and he always fills the tree with candy canes.

 

[mrs.sammich]

When DH was little, Santa would set up the train under the tree. I've seen pictures of it, houses, cars, fake snow, etc... I have no idea how the man got to any other house that night.. Santa would also put tinsel on the tree- DH said that just put the magic touch over the top! I'm glad he's got so many houses to get to now that he can't do that for everyone. Santa always leaves tooth brushes in stockings, and the kids get three gifts from him. This year I'd like to have the boys help make a "Birthday Cake for Jesus." Santa might help himself to a slice and leave a small token for the boys to give at church....

 

[lovesdumbo]

My kids get chocolate coins just like I did as a kid.

My kids also get new PJ's and an ornament to open Chirstmas Eve.

A few years ago I got the kids snow gloves in their stockings. I made their stockings-don't know why I made them so big-the gloves take up a lot of room. The next year they also had them in their stockings. I let(make) my kids wait on the staircase until DH is ready to go down. When oldest DD saw the gloves again the 2nd year she got so excited so now they get them every year.

Another tradition from my family-I am the youngest of 6-Santa didn't wrap gifts in our house. Santa doesn't wrap here either. And when the kids were little Santa opened gifts that had plastic ties-so nice not to deal with those Christmas morning.

 

[TnTWalter]

we always got pjs xmas eve when i was little so i started that when we had kids. they LOVE it and look forward to their pjs and slippers.

i also always got an orange in the bottom of stocking but it was to fill the space. love the chocolate orange idea. might have to go with that.

love silly string idea. stealing that.

and tinsel from santa...how cute.

santa never wraps his presents and they always overflow onto the hearth....last year santa left a footprint in the fireplace ashes. kids thought that was cool.

i'm trying to figure out what to put under their trees in their rooms....love the book idea. how do you all sneak in? one of mine is a LIGHT sleeper.

Trish

 

[olwyngdh]

Everyone unwraps one gift on Christmas Eve, it is always new Pajamas.

Santa always leaves:
Fancy tin of Popcorn
Lifesaver book
Orange and nuts in the bottom of the stocking
Bubblebath
Candy Cane filled with fake M&Ms

There MUST be a bowl of Fruit on the dining room table. My grandmother did this during the depression, and there were years that that *was* the big Christmas present for the family.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

we always got pjs xmas eve when i was little so i started that when we had kids. they LOVE it and look forward to their pjs and slippers.

i also always got an orange in the bottom of stocking but it was to fill the space. love the chocolate orange idea. might have to go with that.

love silly string idea. stealing that.

and tinsel from santa...how cute.

santa never wraps his presents and they always overflow onto the hearth....last year santa left a footprint in the fireplace ashes. kids thought that was cool.

i'm trying to figure out what to put under their trees in their rooms....love the book idea. how do you all sneak in? one of mine is a LIGHT sleeper.

Trish

Bolding mine. Putting the books in their beds is the last thing I do before DH and I go to bed just in case they stay awake late, but the kids know the books are from me, not Santa, so I don't try to be sneaky. Plus I have a couple of "reluctant readers" so I like for them to tell me books that they want so I can be sure I get something they are interested in reading.

 

[acmmommymouse]

Towels
A few years back I was thinking about what I could put the kids Santa things in that would be really practical for them. My stockings that are hung are just for decor. Their Santa gifts would not fit in them anyhow. So, I decided on towels. I buy each of them a big fluffy towel and then hand sew up a seam on each side with HUGE stitches in bright red thread that is very easy to undo. Then I put their things inside and gather up the top and tie with a ribbon. My kids are grown and they and their families say they look forward every year to getting new towels. For my little granddaughter I always get one of those cute hooded animal type ones...this year I picked up a Mickey one at WDW when I was there this fall. Last year she was really into Elmo and I had an Elmo one sitting by the fireplace for her. It has become a really fun tradition that they all look forward to.

 

[Debbie]

When I was a kid, I always got a tangerine in the toe of my stocking. I love tangerines and they were a real treat back then.

Stockings for the kids have always included (again as a tradition from when I was little): [Terry's chocolate] orange in the toe, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, stuffy peeking out the top-sometimes a doll, sometimes an action figure. Now that they are adults, I've found stuffed gift card holders, or small stuffed animals. This year it is a puppet that I got at Costco for each one.

I was on Skype with DD24 this week, and I said no underwear, and the groans were unbelievable. (Luckily, each girl IS getting 2 pair. The boys, not, though)

One tradition I curse every year-Santa always wrapped the stocking stuffers. And so he still does. 5 kids, DH and this year a friend of my middle child who has no family=7 stockings filled to be wrapped. I have cut back on numbers (well, for now, anyway) and I have ~12 gifts in each stocking. 12x7=84 (and DH usually has a few extra in his stocking).

I did cut back and didn't get the book and CD for each kid, though. Run those $$$$$ numbers times 6.

 

[Suz D]

I LOVE this thread! Thanks for starting it. We don't have any specific traditions but plan on starting this year. Although for the last 3 years Santa has come to our house before Christmas (literally...our realtor is a very Santa-esque sort of guy who has a gorgeous Santa suit. He raises $$ for the Jaycees by coming to people's homes for a fee to visit their children). We leave a gift for each child on the porch and he puts it in his pack before he rings the doorbell. He always brings a DVD for each girl)

 

[lucigo]

My girls favorite tradition I started when we bought our house with a fireplace, they were 2 and 7 at the time. "Santa" dropped a small gift for each one into the fireplace on his way up the chimney, I didn't think they would find it so quick but the oldest noticed immediately. Its now their favorite part of Christmas morning is seeing what Santa drops. It has been everything from a fancy chocolate sucker to a dvd to larger glitter filled balls. This year they are 16 and 11 and are already wondering what Santa would drop!

I also always get them an advent calendar to count down the days and they still love them!

The fireplace is a cute idea, wish we had one, but alas its Florida LOL

I've wanted to get an advent calendar for a long time. My 7-yo is FINALLY mature enough to understand that Christmas is coming and is changing the "days til Christmas" blocks on our calendar, so I should have done it this year!!

We also get new pajamas on Christmas Eve and a game which we then play. Last year it was Wii Sports Resort. Don't know what game to get this year. Any suggestions?

How about Disney Sing-It Family? Thats the one we plan to play together

 

[verlee]

We always exchange family gifts on Christmas Eve. The boys give to one to each other, mom and dad give each boy a gift and them DH and I exchange. Santa comes on Christmas Morning with 3 fun gifts and stockings. It cuts down on the overwhelming # gifts at one time. It helps them concentrate on the gifts they get and not the presents yet to be unwrapped.