What Does Santa Bring To Your House?
When I was four years old I told my mother all the things I wanted for Christmas. It was a long list. My mother said "who is going to pay for all that?" I responded "don't worry mama, Santa will bring it." My mother thought to herself - hey this guy is getting too much credit. So she told me that Santa only brings one toy and the rest come from mommy, daddy, grandparents and some relatives. When my husband and I were approaching our first Christmas with our oldest daughter, Charlotte, eight years ago, we decided one gift from Santa was a good policy. "And he fills the stocking with small toys and treats," he added. I agreed. I thought we were on the same page until two years ago when we gave our two daughters bikes for Christmas. Late on Christmas eve, as I attached the tags to the bikes that read From: Mom and Dad, he said "I thought Santa were be giving those. When I was a kid, Santa brought the biggest gift." Remembering my mother's thoughts, I said "he is not getting credit for these, we are! He can bring the second biggest gift." My husband laughed.
Then the other day, at the breakfast table, Charlotte said a girl in her class said Santa brings all the gifts. "Hmm, that is interesting she said that." I responded and then changed the subject. It got me wondering, what do most families practice in the Santa gifts. Does he bring one gift? It is the largest (most expensive) gift? Or does Santa tote all the loot? What do you give Santa credit for?
He can have the credit
Santa can have the credit, it's OK with me, that's why the PJs and clothes already wrapped and under the tree (shh) are from mom and dad and Santa brings all the cool stuff they asked for (well not all of it, the lists were drastically edited by the elves). Santa doesn't wrap, but leaves each child's special gifts in a corner of the couch with their stocking (full of tissue paper wrapped small tokens, like lip gloss and slippers and maybe a CD). Presents from relatives are put under the tree as they arrive and vigorously shaken, inspected and rearranged daily in advance of the big day. That's how we do things!
Michelle Galvez, Community Editor
Santa's gifts
A great thing about not having Santa bring everything is you can start putting gifts under the tree. We celebrate a traditional Polish Christmas Eve with my brother, his kids and my mom. The evening is always late. The first time we put all the gifts under the tree after we got home, we were up until 2 a.m. (because they were too little to understand or obey the gifts would have to wait until Christmas morning). But now we start putting them under the tree when we can so that when we arrive home from our extended family celebration, it is easy just to put that one Santa gift under the tree and go to bed! On another note, the extended family celebration on Christmas eve is great. You get your obligation in without having to go anywhere on Christmas day.
Susan Smigielski Acker
Santa brings about half of
Santa brings about half of our gifts -- I try to make it the ones they've asked for and the others ones from me and my husband are ones they once expressed an interest in and forgot about -- kind of to let them know that I'm listening and remember what they like!
Kristen De Deyn Kirk
Editor, Mytidewatermoms.com
Santa shouldn't get too much credit!
In our house, my kids each ask for one gift a year from Santa. Sometimes it's the biggest item (like this year, when they both asked for the Wii game system) and sometimes it's one of the smallest (like the classic year my older son asked for a fly swatter). He also stuffs their stockings with little knick-knacks we get from the Dollar Store. The rest of the gifts under the tree come from us, along with other friends and relatives. I agree with Susan... Santa shouldn't get all the glory! But my parents did it differently; Santa brought everything. I remember one year when my parents visited about a week before Christmas, they were surprised to see our presents already under the tree for my boys. I'd also be interested to hear what other families do.
Alison Johnson