Christmas Presents from you and Santa - How do you do it

My2Beauties wrote: DH and I got into sort of a heated argument that ended in Hanna crying and me crying the other night. In my house growing up, my parents always put the presents that were from them under the tree once they wrapped them. That way I could look at them, think about what was in the box, get excited about it, etc. Then the ones that were from Santa they put out the night before. This is how I figured we'd do our presents. Well the other night we put up our tree and I told Hanna to wait in the livingroom because I had surprises for the tree. So I brought up some of her smaller presents, DVD's I had already bought and wrapped. Brian didn't say anything. Well then I decided to bring up one bigger present I had wrapped, it's just a little Barbie thing. Well when I brought that up, Brian started yelling about why was I bringing her presents up and I need to leave them alone until the night before and it got pretty heated. It resulted in me saying pretty much "F" it we won't have any presents under the tree and I went to take it back downstairs. Well of course Hanna was so excited about seeing presents under the tree, so she got really upset and started crying. That made me upset, he was being such a jerk about the whole ordeal, so mean. He apologized later on but it really hurt my feelings, it's like you know it's Christmas. I said we did it that way last year, what's the difference? He said she's getting more into it now, she's into the whole Santa thing and she told him what she wants for Christmas this year instead of crying when she went to see him etc...so she was really into it. He said I thought it'd be better to bring all her presents out the night before. I said well I was only bringing out a couple, not all of them just so we had something under there for right now and she could get excited over it. I know he felt bad, but it really hurt my feelings. So I'm wondering how you guys normally do it, if my way isn't normal and he is making more sense than me. Thanks.

luvmykids replied: We do it the same as you, gifts from us go under the tree as soon as they're wrapped....that to me is one of the funnest parts, having weeks to stare and wonder what they are. Then on Christmas Eve Santa comes, and of course, leaves his gifts.

Did your DH not want any of the gifts to be from you guys, just all from Santa? I'm sorry he was nasty about it But I'd be fighting too, besides a tree needs gifts under it, right?!

bawoodsmall replied: My parents did the whole wait till the night before thing. I like to bring down a few and the majority the night before. I remember that feeling of waking up and seeing all the presents. Last year we put a tree in Emily's room and put some of her and Aidens presents under there also. She thought that was soo cool

Calimama replied: My parents always put the presents they bought under the tree as soon as they were wrapped, and then on Christmas Eve, Santa came and put all of his under the tree as well.

Kaitlin'smom replied: I guess you would call me other, when she was really little I put them all under there, she did had no clue, however last year we put gifts from each other underthere and then all santa get wraped in one paper she never sees, so she knows they are from santa. I will probably keep hers the same this year, but DH and I are at a little oddes on who gets presents from santa, and who fills the stockings.

luvmykids replied:
We do that too, the Santa gifts are always wrapped in the same paper, usually with.....Santa on it

MoonMama replied:
Same here....and this is how we are doing it for Braedin.

moped replied: We do it the same as you as well.....the santa stocking stuff goes out after bed on the 24th and everything else is under the tree.........funny how people do things differently and don't want to budge on that. Like Tom says, you HAVE to have colored lights on a tree, can't have clear/white lights like i want! Whatever.
I am sorry it got heated, but I understand.......

My3LilMonkeys replied:
Same here.....and Santa always picks special wrapping paper for each of the girls (this year Brooke's is Tinkerbell and Madison's is Disney princesses)

AlexsPajamaMama replied: We dont put any presents under the tree until the night before.
I think my kid would so try to open them.
I dont think we had any under the tree before Christmas morning when I was growing up either...

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: In our house growing up, my parents put all of the gifts under the tree. Then, when Santa came, he left 3 unwrapped gifts (one for each kid) on the love seat in the living room. We got to play with the new gifts from Santa and whatever he left in our stockings until our parents got up.

Our Lil' Family replied: Well Santa doesn't wrap in our house so those don't go out until the 24th....the ones from us go out early, but not too early!

MommyToAshley replied: We put the gifts to each other under the tree (including those to Ashley). Santa brings his presents while she is sleeping in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. His presents are wrapped in special Santa paper as well. Santa also fills our stockings when he brings the presents. (DH and I have fun... we do each others stockings and we don't knwo what's going to be in them until Christmas morning).

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: My parents did it like you, put the presents from them under the tree right away and then the present from Santa went out in the morning, but unwrapped. We got only one gift from Santa, but it was usually the one we REALLY wanted bad.

My DH does the opposite. Presents don't go out until the night before. He has compromised with me though over the years, because I have a thing about a bare tree for so many weeks. Like many of you, I like to stare at them and shake, plus they just make good decor!

A&A'smommy replied: we totally do it the way you do it... sometimes... but I like it better your way, its also the way my parents do/did it.

Cece00 replied: We put some out before Christmas (I just finished wrapping them tonight, actually...) and open those on CMAS Eve...then Santa puts out more overnight. Santa doesnt wrap presents, which works out great for me

Chris&KennysMamma replied: We don't teach that Santa is real. We talk about the spirit of Christmas and giving but we teach our children that Christmas is about Jesus and his birth etc. This will be our first Christmas with our boys and I am really excited. We are going to write a letter to Jesus thanking him for all the wonderful things in our lives etc. My only worry about this approach is they may ruin it for another child. I am working on ways to keep that from happening.

mom21kid2dogs replied: Santa only fills the stocking here~the rest on the presents are from mommy & daddy. We don't put out any family gifts at all until Christmas eve here.

Crystalina replied: Ours come out on Christmas Eve only because it they were there longer they would be torn open. Santa's come that night.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: We don't DO santa. So we put the gifts out. There are some now.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: Scotty and I have never discussed it, we just do it my way.

We put presents from us under the tree as soon as they are bought and wrapped...which is sometimes Christmas Eve. We open those gifts on Christmas Eve (usually at my parent's house). That night Santa comes and leaves his gifts in front of the fireplace, unwrapped. And Santa fills the stockings. I never get anything in my stocking. I think some of your husbands need to have a discussion with mine.

luvmykids replied:
Me too

Bamamom replied: Presents from us are under the tree the day the tree goes up (or as soon as I get them wrapped ). Gifts from Santa are unwrapped and put out after the kids go to sleep on Christmas Eve. Stockings are filled after the kids are asleep too as Santa fills their stockings.

Boo&BugsMom replied: Presents from "us" go under the tree right away. It is usually the bigger presents of them all (because mom and dad are way cooler than Santa ). "Santa's" presents go under the tree the night before after they are asleep. I also fill the stockings up. Santa's presents also have different wrapping paper. Tanner would notice if it was the same right away and start asking why it was the same. I also try to put smaller items in larger boxes so it looks like the floor is filled with presents Christmas morning. This is the first year that Tanner is SUPER excited about Christmas so I am really excited to see the look on his face this year.

Anthony275 replied: gifts always go out at like 5am christmas morning

Brias3 replied: We put all our wrapped gifts for others under the tree as I get around to wrapping them, but the gifts amongst each other (me, DH and the kids) aren't put out until Christmas morning. Santa gifts are "brought in" that morning too. Aliyah is scared of the idea of Santa being downstairs walking around during the night so she likes for him to leave everything on the front porch, and writes so in her letter each year.

So now, DH and I have to haul the Santa gifts outside bright and early and then make sure she sees us bringing them in that morning

My2Beauties replied: Glad to know a lot of people do it my way. I would have had no problem with this had DH not blown up about it but oh well. What's done is done, the presents from us are under the tree anyways....

coasterqueen replied: In the past I've always waited. This year I went ahead and put what presents we've gotten the girls from us under the tree. I did not mark them and they have asked if they were for them. I just told them "who knows" . I don't have to mark them because I wrap all of Megan's in one kind of paper and Kylie's in another and that paper is only for the girls presents.

I put Santa's out that night because we mainly leave them unwrapped and "displayed" in front of the tree.

~Roo'sMama~ replied: We don't do presents from Santa ~ we get all the credit for what they get. Seriously though each of our kids are only getting a couple presents from us and then a few little things in their stockings... which in my opinion is more than enough, especially since they'll be getting presents from grandparents and aunts and uncles too - but there isn't enough for Santa to give them anything. In my family we always wrapped the presents and put them under the tree a couple weeks before Christmas so we'd have time to enjoy how pretty they looked. This year at my house we might wait until closer to Christmas before putting them out so that they don't get unwrapped before they're supposed to.



This is the way I grew up too - Santa really just isn't a big deal to me because I never believed in him. One year when I was really little my mom put "from Santa" on the presents in our stockings because my oldest sister (13 years older than I am) wanted us to believe in Santa, but my other sister and I recognized my mom's handwriting. I don't think there's any harm in kids believing in Santa, but for me the meaning of Christmas has always been about Jesus being born and God's gift of salvation to us, which is why we celebrate by giving each other gifts.

momtoMegan&Alyxandria replied:
Me too. I always buy a roll with Santa in secret and hide it the same place I hide the Santa gifts.
I always put all the gifts from us (once wrapped) under the tree and then Santa's are put out the night before after the kids are in bed.
This year is a little sad for me though. I have 1 less believer in the house thanks to a bunch of kids at school and daycare. 8 is just too young to not believe anymore.