What's your Santa request system

[Tesa]

Everything is from Santa in our house. We do buy one present from mum and dad (and exchange family presents after lunch)

The children use the Smyths or argos catalogue to cut out and make their lists. We tell them the shops copy things the elves made in previous years which is why you can get the same type of thing.

They can ask for 5 things - some they will get but they never get everything on their list (or else there is no element of surprise) In addition Santa will bring a few additional small items.

TBH i think the inconsistancies in how parents explain Santa helps the children to gently (over time) come to the realisation themselves that it isnt real.

 

[motherofboys]

90% is from santa here. The boys know we ' can't afford to buy all those expensive gifts', ds1 already found out the truth and all he said was "wow, so how did you manage to buy the vita?!" and I told him I saved up, I save all year to be able to give them the things they want. I don't stress about Christmas, it's something I refuse to do. There is plenty of time for kids to know that it isn't santa and they will know that all the past presents were really from me and then I'll get my credit.
They can put whatever they want on their lists, because santa is magic, but they also know they won't get everything. The elves only make a certain number of each toys and if he runs out before he gets to your house, or thinks of something you'll like better, then he will give you a surprise instead. Anything you don't get from your list just gives mummy ideas for your birthday.
I tend to pick out the things that they want the most, and get those and then a few of the smaller bits then some surprises. I keep a little bit back for any last minute requests.

 

[motherofboys]

I've since included ds1 in the magic making and we've had no issues from finding out that it was me buying everything rather than santa

 

[Eve]

My daughter is almost 7. We didn't explain anything to her until the last few years when we told her that Santa only brings a few gifts and her stocking, and mommy and daddy buy the rest. She doesn't give me a list so I am mainly lost on gifts for her this year. Before that though, we would try to get them the main thing they wanted from Santa as they only usually ask for one thing.

 

[SpringerS]

I suppose most people do what they've grown up with. We always picked a toy or two and got that and possibly surprises (depending on how expensive what we'd asked for was). My parents never let us ask for something we wouldn't be getting, so they didn't risk any disappointments on Christmas morning. If we wanted something that they thought was a fad/not worth it/we wouldn't play with after the initial excitement, they managed to convince us we didn't really want it and they'd get us to set our hearts on something they knew was better value/had better playability. Like the year I wanted Fisher Price 3 in 1 roller skates and they convinced me that proper roller skates with rubber wheels would be a much better toy.

My DS is a much more stubborn child than I was (though I was epically stubborn as far as I can remember) and I've just been through a stressful week convincing him that he doesn't want Santa to bring him some toy he was setting his heart on, that there was no way I was buying because I know it would get 5 minutes of play and never be used again. I seem to have it sorted now but I do feel kind of bad telling him he shouldn't want what he wanted.

 

[tommyg]

We have been known to tell DS that "Santa won't bring things that you are too big or too young for" which kind of gets round the issue of toys that we know he will outgrow in 5mins. But that is also the reason we only let him put a few things on a list forces him to chose carefully.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

1 present from santa. Rest from us.

 

[wildflower79]

My dd has asked for baby annabelle, but her other things are just what I've picked. We do all gifts from Santa, apart from the friends/family ones.

 

[fairytales87]

We will do most gifts from Santa with a few from mummy and daddy
All gifts bought from mummy daddy nanny papa etc get sent to Santa
Santa leaves them at nanny & papas aunty & uncles houses too so when they bring your present to dinner that will be the story. We had this as a child and will do the same. Santa can't bring everything you ask for so you can for a main present and then he leaves surprises.

 

[Bex84]

We just do stocking full from Santa. I gave my eldest the catalogues and told her to tell me 5 items wanted, she has a lot of surprises, the list was for us and santa. She knew one doll was meet impossible to get and said maybe Santa could find, I managed to get new off eBay so that will be a Santa one. She likes being involved in what her brother gets from us to and has picked bits for him

 

[george83]

We do all our presents from Father Christmas. This year my ds1 is old enough to write a proper list to him which I'll talk to him about choosing 4 or 5 presents which he really wants. At the minute everything he sees on tv he desperately wants so I'm trying to pick off the things which he'd genuinely like.

As a child I never believed in Father Christmas as my older sister was always scared of him and we always knew it was just mum and dad, it's only in the past few years that I realised that other children do honestly believe and I think it's so magical, there's no way I'm doing anything to spoil that for my kids

 

[jd83]

We do around 3 gifts from Santa, the rest are from us and family. I do try to make at least one of the gifts they have asked Santa for be from Santa. As far as what they ask for on their lists, I judge for myself looking at whatever it is whether I think they'd actually play with it to justify buying it. I hate buying toys they don't play with more than a few times total. There always ends up being a few things they don't play with, but I think I do pretty well with dodging a lot of the dumb toys they ask for. LOL.

 

[Sarah lo]

We ask Olivia to write a list for santa with maybe 4-5 things in it that she really wants, if she has too many items on it or they're all big expensive things we get her to think hard about it and take something off that she doesn't want as much so that we end up with a small list of the things that are really important to her. Then on the 1st December santa sends an elf to pick up her list and after that she's not allowed to change her mind about anything lol She knows she might not necessarily get everything on the list.

So anything she gets that was on the list is labelled as coming from santa as well as a stocking with surprises in, and then we will also get few surprise presents from us and the grandparents that weren't on the list.

Wesley is still too young to write his own list so we get Olivia to help us make a list of things we all think he might like to send to santa as well

 

[sabby52]

In our house everything is from santa bar one present from mum and dad and a present from each other.

My son gets to make a list of 5 main things he wants, 1 main gift, 2 medium gifts and 2 smaller gifts, santa brings everything on that list because mummy and daddy send him money to help him along, Santa then picks a few extra surprises that he knows he would like The one gift from mummy and daddy is usually something small, I dont mind Santa getting all the credit as thats what Christmas is all about, plus my son knows that we send money to help out, he has never questioned why other kids get more/less as we have taught him to appreciate what he receives and never compare to others

 

[happilyhappy]

in our house santa brings the gifts, a bit like a postman. DS tends to want one thing really badly, which is what we get him and then he will get other things that I know he will like or extra pieces that go with the main present.

He also quite often wants games so then we tend to ask family to buy those things. he generally only has about 5 things he desperately wants so we are able to split it between what santa brings and what grand parents etc buy.

I telephone santa to let him know what to bring obviously lol. DS (he's 5) understands that he can't have lots of expensive things or an item that costs hundreds of pounds because all the children in the world need a present so the pennies have to be shared out with everyone and if he had to many of the pennies then someone may not get a present. This approach has worked so far, although I have had to telephone santa to confirm that he will bring the present that DS is desperate for as he was getting distraught that the shops might run out before santa could get one!

 

[wendzwoo]

They ask for a couple of things each from santa and then anything else they get is a surprise.

 

[PB_Mcgee]

Everything under the tree is from Santa, I hate the whole 'I'm not letting him have all the credit' mentality. I think children only believe for such a short time they should have all the magic possible, they will find out it was us when they are older and you get the credit then.

My boys know we don't buy for them, but we do buy for nephews etc. If they ever question why we don't buy for them I will explain it is because we buy so much for them few rest of the year that this is a chance for Santa to treat them. If they asked for something we couldn't afford or I didn't want them to have I explain to them Santa knows when parents don't want them to have that (I.e a TV for their bedroom) or that the elves can't make enough of them for all the boys and girls in the world.

Also, strangely I've never known children to compare "why didn't Santa get me as much etc" they just sort of accept that's what they have and are happy with it.

 

[motherofboys]

Everything under the tree is from Santa, I hate the whole 'I'm not letting him have all the credit' mentality. I think children only believe for such a short time they should have all the magic possible, they will find out it was us when they are older and you get the credit then.

My boys know we don't buy for them, but we do buy for nephews etc. If they ever question why we don't buy for them I will explain it is because we buy so much for them few rest of the year that this is a chance for Santa to treat them. If they asked for something we couldn't afford or I didn't want them to have I explain to them Santa knows when parents don't want them to have that (I.e a TV for their bedroom) or that the elves can't make enough of them for all the boys and girls in the world.

Also, strangely I've never known children to compare "why didn't Santa get me as much etc" they just sort of accept that's what they have and are happy with it.

Yes! Last year on Facebook I saw lots of "be mindful what you give your kids from santa as other kids might not get enough" i never remember discussing it in that much detail as a child to even notice discrepancies in Santa traditions as a child and my kids certainly haven't ever come home saying such and such got this and I only got that. The one and only time we had something similar was last year, ds1 who plays on xbox with his friends had 2 friends get Ps4s for Christmas which meant he wasn't able to play with them online any more. But he had already been promoted to Santa's helper at that point so it wasn't really an issue

 

[rangersgirl69]

Everything from Santa here too including xmas eve hampers. We just do a list of idea that get sent to santa and he choses .

 

[jensonsmummy]

We done our santa lists today ������. Basically worked same as usual. I put ideas into their head. Most stuff they asked for we have already got so not too bad. Only thing we havent got that they defo want is captin america and iron man nerf blasters.