It's the highlight of your year, actually. That one second when you hear laughs, screams and gasps as they catch that first glimpse of the Christmas tree and run to see what Santa has left them.
Santa, huh? Your fingers are raw from wrapping, your bank account is dry from buying, you have dents on your car from fighting over parking spots, and you got into one too many arguments in the Target line and now the fat guy in the red suit gets all the credit?
You're kidding, right? Those gifts should be from me, not Santa.
I've actually been hearing a lot of parents lately who are doing this very thing. And I get it. No really, I do. Christmas is a lot of work and you want your kids to have gifts from you, not Santa. I mean, you buy gifts for everyone else in your family, so why don't you buy any for your own children? {Or get the credit for it, anyway.}
Or? Perhaps you give some gifts from Santa and some from you? Like "Here kiddies, this candy cane is from Santa but this big huge gigantic thing that you've been wanting all year? The one that you've been trying to be good for in hopes of seeing this very thing under the tree? Yeah, that? It's from us. Merry Christmas!"
Which I'm sure your kids are now thinking "Wow, Santa's cheap but my parents are wonderful!"
Ok, I kinda get it. But not really.
In our house? The big guy always wins. For all the presents. Not just some. Every last one of them.
Why? It's tradition. It's the power to believe. And that's not to say that those that chose to have some gifts from Santa and some gifts from themselves are taking that belief away. But I just feel that it's a magical time for the kids and they've worked so hard {ahem, most of the time} to earn those presents from the big guy. Not from you, but straight from the North Pole.
From Santa Claus.
And although I'll never forget the day I found out that there was no Santa, I loved the time in my life when I truly did believe that I earned those gifts. All of them. The days that I sat up with my sisters and thought every passing airplane with a red light was Santa {and Rudolph, duh} flying over our house. Or waking up in the middle of the night to sneak downstairs to see if he had been to our house yet. Or waiting at the top of the stairs Christmas morning until our parents were ready with their coffee and camera so that we could run down and gasp at all the gifts that Santa had brought just for us.
It was magical. There are no other words for it. It was truly magical. And I'll never take that away from my children {for as long as I can.} I don't need the credit.
So while I massage the cramps out of my hands as my kids open their gifts wrapped especially for them by Santa's elves, I'll smile with a warm heart as they too experience this wonderful time of year filled with love and magic.
Now I'm sure my kids will be thinking "Wow, my parents are cheap but Santa is wonderful!"
And I'm okay with that. =)
So, what about you? Do you split it up so that some gifts are from you and some are from Santa? All are from the big guy? All are from you? I'd love to hear what you do!
Oh, and PS? 6 more days.
25 comments:
In our house the good gifts, toys and such, that are from Santa and things like clothes and slippers come from the hubz and I. Of course my step-son just informed us he no longer believes and our little guy is only 15 months and doesn't get it yet but next year I'm sure the excitement will be like it was a few years ago when the oldest still believe.
We are sticking w/ tradition too which is that most is from Santa, but the one big thing (play kitchen this year) or the thing that you really really want and will die if you don't get (as they get older) will be from Mom and Dad. That's how it was for me. Cabbage Patch Kid? Mom and Dad. Nintendo? Mom and Dad. Everything else? Santa.
99% is from Santa...and not wrapped...so we wrap a few little things for them to open. As they get older, Santa may wrap, but for now, it's just easier to keep it unwrapped.
This year O did ask us to get him a remote control car, not Santa...now i"m pretty sure that was so he didn't have to go back to Santa, but I'll follow through on his wishes...so O is getting a remote control car and some random clothes from us, everything else is Santa. B is getting all from Santa minus and outfit or two.
Bennett is still young, but we have decided that most of the gifts will be from Mom &Dad and a few from Santa. I want to make sure that he's excited about Santa but doesn't give ALL the credit to him. Ha ha is that selfish? ;-)
My husband and I were talking about this last night. For now, everything is Santa. Eventually, we'll probably do a gift from us for each child and then the rest will be Santa. I don't need the credit. I'm just afraid they'll start thinking too much and figure out why we don't buy presents.
I only do one gift from Santa. I try to make it the one they ask Santa for. The reason behind this is if we have a bad year financially, we can still keep the kiddos believing in Santa.
my oldest is almost 4 & the baby is going to be 2 months in January so everything is from Santa.each set of gifts is wrapped in special paper so this way when hubby helps me arrange everything under the tree he knows whos pile to put it in(not that it matters w/ the baby). I did grab a few little things for each of the girls from hubby & i but nothing spectacular. Santa is dropping off the Bitty Baby Crib & bedding set for my oldest since that's the ONLY thing she asked santa for,everything else were things I think she'd like.
I feel the exact same way as you. Some of the small gifts will be from us, but everything else, the big gifts.. all from Santa! I want them to believe as long as possible and share the same amazing memories of Santa that I had growing up
At our house, Santa stuffs the stockings and brings all the good presents. The play kitchen i saved for two months to buy, the new doll strollers and big block sets she wants so much. But we dont want the kids to think we dont buy them anything when we are obviously buying for everyone else, so mama and daddy buy clothes, smaller toys and books. It was the same for both dh and i growing up.
I get the kids an ornament every year and a collectible. Kendall gets a snow baby figurine and Sydney gets a snow globe. Those are from us, as well as a photobook from the past year. Everything else will be from Santa. I can't wait!!
we are 50/50 around here. we have a big gift to give the kids this year & we toyed back & forth if it should come from santa. the ultimate decision is that it's from us, not the man in the red suit. we worked hard to get this gift to the kids (& us!) santa will be providing a few gifts/accessories.
my husband grew up with santa not wrapping any of the presents from him. i have a hard time with this b/c part of the fun is seeing the kids unwrap the gifts. HOWEVER, as the sole wrapper in this house, i see the appeal of the santa gifts not being wrapped! call me lazy, but really, if you think about it; how could santa (& the elves) wrap all. those. gifts. for all the children 'round the world?!? we're still deciding & i have special santa only paper but there is a lot more that goes into this whole christmas she-bang that i ever would have imagined as a kid. :)
Almost everything is from Santa. The stocking, clothes, and underwear is from us! ;)
We do both. This year since my daughter still really doesn't understand (she's 171/2 months) all but three gifts are from us. The biggest thing ( a kitchen) is from Santa with a couple small things to go with it!
Now next year will be different. But I'm still likely to make it even from Santa and mom and dad. Lol Santa can't out do mommy!
I grew up with everything was from Santa and i never question that! My hubby grew up with everything was from his parents (which they opened chrismas eve) and then Santa brought them one gift on Christmas morning and filled their stockings. Up until last year (i have a 5 yr old and 1.5 yr old) everything was from Santa. Last year and this year i made sure to have gifts from both. It covers the mommy and daddy didnt get me anything and the excitement of Santa coming! I make sure all the cool stuff comes from Santa!!!! I think the magic is still there with gifts coming from us and him!!!
My boys know about Santa and he's mixed in our abundance of holiday celebration, but they know he is just a pretend character (like Batman or Elmo). They know we buy the gifts too. I'm the momma who can't bear to tell her kids something that isn't true in fear that they'll discredit other things I say, and I don't ever want them to have to earn gifts..I want to bless them with them I guess. On the same note, I have absolutely nothing against santa lovers and even took my kids to sit on his lap, whatever works!!:)
This post made me laugh because I just don't think we could be anymore different. How are we even friends?! :) (love ya, chickie!)
No, we don't do Santa. Not the make-believe Santa, at least. We do plan to teach our kids about Saint Nicholas and what he did and how he became folklore, because I think that's a really cool story, but we won't do make -believe Santa mostly just to keep the focus on Jesus.
We didn't really do Santa when I was a kid...my mom did write From: Santa on some gifts, but I don't ever remember believing he was real. And in spite of that, there was still a ton of magic and wonder surrounding the holidays - we have so many wonderful traditions and it's always been a great time of year for my family. :)
95% from Santa - new Christmas jammies & one gift from Mom & Dad on christmas eve. That's how it always was for us growing up.
You only have so many years to believe in Santa so I am going to make the best of them and make sure that years from now, my children have great memories of those years Santa brought them everything they wanted.
I'm with ya! Santa stuffs the stockings and leaves two bug presents (which "he" found on sale this year). We bought books, clothes and a few cool toys each.
Growing up, "Santa" always brought the stockings, but nothing else. We were taught from the beginning that he was not real, and that's how we plan to do it with our kids as well.
It's inevitable that they will hear/see Santa around the Christmas season, and while we are totally fine with that, they will not be raised to "believe" in Santa.
Anyway - all that to say, "Santa" brings stockings at our house and that's it! :) I love how everyone can be different and that's totally fine, we just do what works for our own families.
EVERYTHING is from Santa. I too love the excitement and have awesome memories of waiting for Santa and listening for reindeer on the roof. I want the same for my kids. I don't need the credit, I'd rather have Santa be the awesome guy I remember as a child.
Santa brings everything (including filling our stockings) to our house too! I wouldn't have it any other way :) I have such great memories as a kid, and want Emma to have the same. My mom still writes "From: Santa" on some of my gifts from her ;)
Growing up, we had presents from my parents and presents from Santa. The presents from Santa were never wrapped, and usually the "big" gifts that Dad would have to put together. And I swear anything they felt was too awkward to try and wrap, we'd get from Santa.
I'd say we had equal amounts from each which is to say TOO MUCH.
I understand now how freaking lucky we were but then I just didn't get it.
We only give gifts from "santa". My kiddos (3 and 1) are too young to think we're cheapo's just yet! I grew up with only gifts from Santa and I'm Okay with raising my kids that way. My aunt, to this day, still only gifts from Santa. To everyone haha! I love the twinkle in my sons eyes when he talks about Santa and cannot wait until he sees what the "big guy" brings him!
We do stockings & a few gifts unwrapped from Santa under their stockings..and the wrapped presents under the tree are from us..that was how it was when i was younger. it makes no sense to me to have everything from santa because why would we as parents, not buy our children some nice stuff for christmas. and also santa's sleigh is only so big, he cant fit everything in there considering he's going to every other kids house too! perhaps i have put too much thought into this, lol !
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