Spin Off re: Does Santa Wrap

[Liberty Belle]

Like I said in the original post, Santa left one big present (usually the most expensive) unwrapped gift under our stockings (filled with unwrapped gifts). I think that's how it was for most of my friends. So, I'm wondering what country/region/state everyone grew up in. Is Santa wrapping regional? Could you answer the questions regarding your childhood:

1. How many gifts did Santa leave?
2. Were they wrapped?
3. Where did you grow up?

 

[leebee]

We lived just outside of Boston, MA. Santa brought stockings full of wrapped gifts and one major, unwrapped present under the tree. The stockings held all manner of things- little toys, toiletries (doesn't every kid want toothpaste in his stocking?), favorite candy, goodies, make-up, etc., with a can of mandarin oranges in the toe. I know, we were weird, but we never had mandarin oranges except those from our stockings, so it was special. The stockings were originally filled by Santa and left hanging on the mantlepiece, but somewhere along the way, Santa took pity on my poor, tired parents and started leaving the stockings on the foot of our beds. We were allowed to open our stockings, with our siblings, in our rooms, before waking Mom and Dad to go see what Santa had left under the tree!

 

[kimblebee]

1. Santa left one big gift and filled the stocking
2. Big gift was unwrapped, stocking was not
3. Grew up in Manitoba

Reading the other thread, it seemed to me that is Canadians were saying one Santa gift and that it was unwrapped. Wonder why that is?

 

[smiths02]

1. Santa left several gifts
2. Stocking gifts unwrapped, all other gifts wrapped and labeled (that is how I figured out who Santa was because of the handwriting)
3. Grew up in Southern California

I guess I read on a parent board that Santa could just leave one gift and leave it and stockings unwrapped. It made sense so I wouldn't have to worry about handwriting and wrapping paper. Also helped so DH and I get credit for some gifts. Also helps explain charity, if Santa only brings one gift, we still need to help those in need.

 

[Liberty Belle]

1. Santa left one big gift and filled the stocking
2. Big gift was unwrapped, stocking was not
3. Grew up in Manitoba

Reading the other thread, it seemed to me that is Canadians were saying one Santa gift and that it was unwrapped. Wonder why that is?

I don't know, but I grew up in Michigan and that's how it was there, but stocking gifts were not wrapped.

 

[scrhsa]

Like I said in the original post, Santa left one big present (usually the most expensive) unwrapped gift under our stockings (filled with unwrapped gifts). I think that's how it was for most of my friends. So, I'm wondering what country/region/state everyone grew up in. Is Santa wrapping regional? Could you answer the questions regarding your childhood:

1. How many gifts did Santa leave?
2. Were they wrapped?
3. Where did you grow up?

For me growing up:
1. I don't ever remember getting presents from Santa. My sister spilled the beans early on so my Mom was quite happy not to have to do the whole Santa thing
2. I'm believe they were wrapped though.
3. I grew up outside of Houston, Tx.

For my girls:

1. At first Santa brought quite a bit. I had to tell the girls that they were getting too many presents from Santa. That since they got a lot of gifts from Mom and Dad and all the Grandparents/aunts and uncles that Santa could give more to the kids that didn't get a lot. So I told them that Santa was only gonna bring 1 present! They were good with that
2. Santa ALWAYS wrapped. It's more fun to open presents than just see them sitting there ( There were quite a few years that we weren't able to put alot under the tree so the more they had to unwrap the more fun it was)
3. We lived in several different places while my girls were growing up. Texas, Florida, California. But the bulk of their growing up was Texas! Within hours of where I grew up.

 

[mjkacmom]

Santa left all of the gifts, unwrapped, including stocking stuffers, in NJ.

 

[wenrob]

1) Depends on how many paydays Santa had that month and whether or not tips were good for Mrs. Claus.
2) Wrapped unless it was something like a bike. Stockings were unwrapped.
3) Nevada-my SIL is from California right next door and they don’t wrap. They also open on Christmas Eve. Not sure how this part of the poll will shake out for you.

 

[amberpi]

Grew up in middle TN. All gifts were wrapped by Santa. All family members had their own wrapping paper - like My Little Pony. Mom and dad wrapped until they ran out of paper! Once Santa presents were opened, my brother and I got a "together" present from our parents, like a video game system or a computer.

 

[wenrob]

In my home the kids get a gift from Mom, a gift from Dad, a gift from Mom & Dad and the rest is from Santa. That’s usually 3 or 4 presents plus the stocking. Some years it’s more, some years it’s less.

 

[bigbabyblues]

1. "Fun" things were from Santa, clothes were from parents.
2. Everything was wrapped. Fun stuff was in Santa paper, clothes were not.
3. Ohio

The above was at my parents' house, where I did not live, and Christmas and birthday was the only time my parents got me anything. I was raised by my grandparents, and at our house, everything was from them and wrapped.

 

[shoney]

Santa left all gifts and stocking stuffers wrapped. Long Island NY

 

[luvsJack]

South Mississippi-- Santa wrapped several gifts and some were unwrapped. No exact number from Santa; just depended on what they were getting. Gifts for two or more to share were left unwrapped. Biggest gifts were unwrapped, everything else wrapped. Stockings were the same, some things were wrapped, some not.

 

[AuntieMe3]

I'm from Southern California and growing up Santa did not wrap and I hated that. LOL I really liked unwrapping presents and watching other people unwrap(still do....lol)

It's been awhile since a Santa visit here but he did wrap his gifts with special Santa paper. The only time it wasn' wrapped was if it was too big, like a kitchen set one year or a huge dollhouse, another.

Edited to add...we didn't have stockings growing up. We were actually lucky to get the one present so we didn't care about not having stockings. Stocking stuffers in our family are just shoved in there...lol no wrapping in the stocking.

 

[ronandannette]

1. Santa left one big gift and filled the stocking
2. Big gift was unwrapped, stocking was not
3. Grew up in Manitoba

Reading the other thread, it seemed to me that is Canadians were saying one Santa gift and that it was unwrapped. Wonder why that is?

Nope - not where I grew up in northern Alberta. I did generally only ever get 1 Santa gift but it was always wrapped, as was everything under the tree. Our stockings were mostly candy, nuts and fruit with maybe a few small items added in - almost none of it was ever wrapped. We've always wrapped our DS's Santa gifts too - it never occurred to me not to.

 

[kimblebee]

Nope - not where I grew up in northern Alberta. I did generally only ever get 1 Santa gift but it was always wrapped, as was everything under the tree. Our stockings were mostly candy, nuts and fruit with maybe a few small items added in - almost none of it was ever wrapped. We've always wrapped our DS's Santa gifts too - it never occurred to me not to.

I wasn’t trying to say that true for every Canadian..just like we don’t all eat fruitcake.

I was just pointing out that the ones who were saying one Santa gift all seemed to be Canadian. Even you are saying just one.

 

[ronandannette]

I wasn’t trying to say that true for every Canadian..just like we don’t all eat fruitcake.

I was just pointing out that the ones who were saying one Santa gift all seemed to be Canadian. Even you are saying just one.

Yes, definitely just one. But that was 40+ years ago; it was a simpler time. I was actually just thinking about it today - how absurdly over-the-top our expectations of Christmas have become compared to the simple, modest way we celebrated it when I was a kid. Case in point: I've just done up a hamper for another family. In it I put many of the traditional treats I associated only with Christmas as a kid, but they're not even really "treats" anymore because practically everybody can now have them at any time.

Does anybody really treasure the smell of a mandarin orange these days? And licorice allsorts were the height of festive luxury! A big box of After-Eights or Pot-of-Golds? Be still my beating heart!!

 

[disneychrista]

Santa always left one "big gift"
Never wrapped
California (grew up in Orange County)

 

[mommy2mrb]

Santa left wrapped gifts and stocking stuffers unwrapped.
He came Christmas Eve (guess my parents didn’t want to be woken up early) my mom would have daddy take us to pick up something at the store and Santa would always come when we were gone. funny enough all the other neighborhood kids got Santa Christmas morning. I figured it out at age 6 when I recognized my mom’s handwriting.

Grew up north of Seattle

 

[kimblebee]

Yes, definitely just one. But that was 40+ years ago; it was a simpler time. I was actually just thinking about it today - how absurdly over-the-top our expectations of Christmas have become compared to the simple, modest way we celebrated it when I was a kid. Case in point: I've just done up a hamper for another family. In it I put many of the traditional treats I associated only with Christmas as a kid, but they're not even really "treats" anymore because practically everybody can now have them at any time.

Does anybody really treasure the smell of a mandarin orange these days? And licorice allsorts were the height of festive luxury! A big box of After-Eights or Pot-of-Golds? Be still my beating heart!!

I am with you on the After Eights. Superstore makes a really good knock off version. It’s been a few years but I think they use superb dark chocolate. If I weren’t doped up on sleeping pills I’d hop in the car to go get some lol

I’d ask my husband but he’s diabetic and I try really hard not to ask him to buy anything chocolate for me. It’s his Achilles Heel and I don’t want to encourage or trigger a slip.