Tap Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Once your kids are old enough to not believe in Santa.....do you still put out some presents on Christmas Eve (or whenever your Santa arrives)? Or do you still carry out the same traditions, just with them on it? I really, really wish dd9 didn't believe any more. It would make it so much easier to just put out everything at once and be done with it. I would probably still do stockings, but to not have to hide presents would be lovely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 (edited) I still hide everything, and my ds is 15. I still stay up most of the night on Christmas Eve, arranging the packages under the tree in a certain way until I'm sure it looks perfect, and ds loves getting up on Christmas morning to see it. :) I loved it when he still believed in Santa. Those years were amazingly fun. Edited to add -- We do at least one fairly big gift on Christmas Eve, so that goes under the tree sometime during the day on Christmas Eve for torture purposes. (Hmmm... what could possibly be in that box? Probably you wish you could pick it up and shake it... 😈) Edited December 10, 2015 by Catwoman 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 My parents hid things up until we left for college. :-) We would sneak presents under the tree for them too. What we do is one present and a stocking is from Santa, everything else is from mom and dad (or whoever else has a gift). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 We've always done the one present and stocking from Santa but everything else is from us as well. Mine haven't believed in many years but still get one Santa gift and a stocking. I will continue it until they move out just like my parents did. Dds look forward to it still. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Santa only brings one presents and stuff for stockings. We have presents under the tree otherwise from DH and I and other family that sends stuff. Well, they are under there after getting wrapped, which I supposed I need to get around to. I think at this point my kids have all figured it out, but we like make believe and it keeps things fun. We probably won't stop until the kids are moved out on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Mine never believed in Santa, but we still did the presents-appearing-"magically"- overnight thing. They knew perfectly well who brought the gifts, but we all played along together. Our routine has always been that one present appears under the tree in the middle of the night beginning the day we put up the tree (usually soon after December 15). Then anything left over arrives and stockings are filled sometime between bedtime on the 24th and Christmas morning. We purposely hold back large items to put out the last night to increase the illusion of "explosion." Even now that my kids are adults/nearly so, we follow the same basic pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 It's tradition here for gifts to magically appear for Christmas morning. sometimes mom preferred opening gifts Christmas eve, let us stay up later but they got to sleep in Christmas morning while we would get up and play with a new things. Funny story about traditions and kids who do no longer believe in Santa clause. When middle son was 16 he was up while the little ones had gone to bed. He came out while I was filling stockings and he said something like "Now you have ruined Christmas for me" :lol: He has gone to bed the same time as the little ones the past few years. I guess he likes our traditions. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 My 13 year year old son still BELIEVES. He just wrote his letter to Santa. I have no idea when he is going to figure it out, but even after he does, we'll still continue the same traditions. My parents continued the traditions of Santa even after we figured it out. Only problem was, as my Mom got older, she'd forget where she hid stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmvaughan4 Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 We've never done Santa, but still wait to put out presents on Christmas Eve night. It's just the special moment of going in the living room and seeing the presents under the tree. Plus, with a cat and a toddler, they'd be destroyed long before Christmas! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 In my family, Santa gifts are unwrapped and put out on Christmas Eve after the kids went to bed. Once the youngest didn't believe anymore, we lost the Santa tradition and everything was wrapped and from us. The ones who knew the secret still got Santa gifts because the youngest still believed. We just stopped doing that when my youngest knew, which was when she was fairly young. We still do stockings and I put those out on Christmas morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilma Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 We've always played the Santa Game, but all of our kids have understood that Santa is just a game. I put the presents under the tree a week or so before Christmas, having kept them hidden before. And the ones from the huz and me say To: Name From: Santa and the kids know it's from us. And goodies turn up in the stocking on Christmas morning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 We put a few gifts under the tree, but hide the rest, even though we don't do Santa. It's just fun to come in the livingroom on Christmas morning and see a pile of gifts. Stockings "magically" appear in your bed at the foot sometime in the night after Mass on Christmas Eve. There have been many occasions when the person putting the stockings in the beds let out a few choice words--clean up the floor before bed on Christmas Eve so there's no toe stubbing! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I'm 34, and Santa still comes and puts out presents for me at night :-) But, yes, presents have always appeared over night on Christmas Eve, even when we no longer believed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 My kids are young adults, and even though they haven't believed in Santa for several years, I will not confess that he doesn't exit. Like I tell them, "I still believe in Santa. If I stop believing, maybe I wouldn't get any presents." Even so, most presents go under the tree and stockings are filled usually after midnight before Christmas morning when most are at least in their rooms. I think it makes for a fun Christmas morning to see what has appeared. I have to say, though, that Christmas morning comes later and later as the teenagers like to sleep in later and later! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I continue the same traditions. I don't hide the gifts as stridently and I don't wrap them with as much secretivity, though. If any kid goes looking in my closet with his eyes half-open, he will see the Christmas gifts are in there. Also, they see Amazon boxes and what-not arriving; they know they are gifts and I have told them plainly any arriving deliveries are none of their beeswax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Yes, we still put out Christmas pillow cases ( it's an AU thing ). This is dd's first adult Christmas, and she's getting downgraded to the adult sized - smaller! much smaller! - bag of goodies from 'Santa'. I like the pillow case idea! That sounds very fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 My parents still did the Christmas presents put out late Christmas Eve night so we could come into the room to get them on Christmas morning until we were grown and out of the house. I will do the same with my kids. It's fun. (I have one who wholeheartedly believes, one who I know knows the truth, but chooses to believe, and two who have known for years.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 (edited) I have one staunch believer and one non-believer. It's hard. Santa fills the stockings and leaves group gifts (ex. board games) and one special, surprise item on Christmas Eve. My non-believer will be getting coal from Santa this year. The edible kind. Edited December 10, 2015 by Sneezyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 We only do one medium sized gift from Santa each...right now those are wrapped and hidden inside a packing box in the garage LOL. The rest are all wrapped and hidden in my closet. All the kids know they are in there but are good about not touching..although there has been some looking . All mine still believe but I will still put the gifts out Christmas Eve. It's no fun on Christmas morning if you have already seen the pile of gifts for weeks. Plus if my kids ask for something they will usually recognise the shape of it and know they are getting it ...which takes away the suprise for both the receiver and the giver. My DH does that if I put his stuff under the tree...he looks at it and says ...that is this..that is this...and he is always right and it always makes me feel let down and like throwing his gifts in the garbage. The only gifts we keep under the tree are the ones the kids get for each other and for mom and dad. We open these on Christmas Eve. Santa gifts and mum and dad gifts come out when they go to sleep so they can walk out and say WOW... going from nothing to something always creates the illusion of tons of gifts...even if there aren't lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 As someone said above, we've always done Santa as a game--the kids have always known it's dh and I. They wake up Christmas morning to find their stockings full and a "big" gift from Santa. But everything else gets wrapped and put under the tree as the gifts arrive and as I have time to get them wrapped. We all love looking at presents under the tree most of December. Some tags say from Santa, some say from the cat, some say from mom, some from mom and dad, some from dad--they know they're all from us. They like to have things to unwrap--all relatives now just give money, so they want me to wrap each item separately instead of putting all of the books together, etc. So I try to think up different things for the tags to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caclcoca Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Santa leaves unwrapped gifts at our house after everyone is asleep Christmas Eve. I still have two that believe, but we will still do it this way as long as kids are here. Santa left me gifts until I got married. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 I am 40 and still get a Book of Lifesavers from Santa every year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Our household doesn't do Santa, but most of my relatives do/did. The only present that was hidden until Christmas Morning was Santa's. The rest of the presents showed up under the tree in the week or two before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Yes, we still do everything the same way, except that the kids know Santa is me. The suspense / surprises are my favorite part. My parents still do it all too, and their youngest kid stopped believing in Santa about 30 years ago. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Santa still comes! Sometimes dd helps otherwise I'm up and text my brother on the west coast who used to stay up with me. I miss those all night elf parties . I asked ds 19 if he was about done with Hess trucks . He looked at me and said, "it's Christmas!" Lol help me now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 The kids put their gifts to each other, friends, music teachers, etc. under the tree immediately. We'll also put packages for extended family members out. Everything for the kids goes out on Christmas Eve after everyone is in bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Once your kids are old enough to not believe in Santa.....do you still put out some presents on Christmas Eve (or whenever your Santa arrives)? Or do you still carry out the same traditions, just with them on it? I really, really wish dd9 didn't believe any more. It would make it so much easier to just put out everything at once and be done with it. I would probably still do stockings, but to not have to hide presents would be lovely! We still do stockings, Santa's book basket, and a fun "Santa gift" for each child still living at home. This year, Santa is bringing beach/swim towels. Last year, it was hot chocolate mugs. The fun part is that the boys get to help play Santa on Christmas Eve by filling stockings for their dad or sisters, or now their nephew. :) Then we all share Santa's cookies, they go to bed, and I finish playing Santa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 My mother continued to hide things and put them out Christmas Eve. I assume I'll do the same, but I look forward to the day when I don't have to wait for kids to be sound asleep. "Magical" traditions have definitely taken their toll on me over time. I seriously considered changing a few things in between the first three kids and the last two, but hated the idea of giving that experience to some of the kids and not others. So here I am, with anywhere from 3 to 6 more years ahead of me, judging by experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 We carried on as if everyone believed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Our kids know that when one quits believing in Santa, he no longer comes. My kids still believe... (the two at home are 21 and 20 this year). :coolgleamA: Santa's never hidden gifts at our house. Perhaps we're late on his run or something. He just puts one gift for each under the tree and fills stockings. Then he munches on the cookies left out... There'd better be cookies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 I put everything out after they go to bed on xmas eve. I have no intention of changing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 We put out one gift or so under the tree each night--and sometimes if we can sneak one during the day--so there's always something new and pretty to discover in the morning. It can be for any of us, or a gift for a friend or something to donate. The element of surprise and anticipation of both giving and receiving is fun. DS loves to play elf and surprise us :) We kind of did Santa, although we never actually left anything specifically from him. We put out most gifts Christmas Eve so there's a big pile in the morning, and we always leave out one big, unwrapped gift by the stove. It's implied that it's the Santa gift, though we never said and he's never asked (DS was a very reluctant believer). When DS was little we went through great pains to use special paper and all that, but we never left a tag from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Yes, we still put out Christmas pillow cases ( it's an AU thing ). This is dd's first adult Christmas, and she's getting downgraded to the adult sized - smaller! much smaller! - bag of goodies from 'Santa'. I just upgraded my stocking this year. Bigger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Oh yes! My kids never really truly believed in Santa, but we always put gifts out on Christmas Eve after they went to bed and filled their stockings, and it was still magical. My Scandinavian extended family does most of their celebrating on Christmas Eve, and we still do. That's when we go to church, eat our big dinner, and open gifts to and from each other. But on Christmas morning, there was always a filled stocking and a couple gifts from Santa. Now that my kids are older, we don't do stockings anymore, but Santa still brings one gift each. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 We've never done Santa at our house, but the presents still "magically" appear under the tree on Christmas morning. Mostly because I don't want to deal with the drama of possible premature opening by little ones (My four year old would so still do that!) And I don't want to deal with premature guessing to ruin the surprises. Some things, like Lego sets, have such an obvious sound there is just about no way to hide it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 We've always put all of our presents out during the night on Christmas Eve, whether they were from Santa or not. My kids are 15 & 17 and we still do it that way; any presents for dh and I also. "Magical" traditions have definitely taken their toll on me over time. I seriously considered changing a few things in between the first three kids and the last two, but hated the idea of giving that experience to some of the kids and not others. And they would never let you forget it :laugh: We carried on as if everyone believed. Pretty much this! We still put out milk and cookies, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 We may not do gifts from Santa this year. Instead, at my DD's suggestion (she got the idea because GF used to do this with Christmas gifts for her boys, who are now grown and almost-grown) we are instituting a Yule Treasure Hunt. Their presents will be hidden somewhere around the house and they will have to find them. This will work better this year because we are moving very soon and the house is kind of packing chaos. I don't want to bust out all the decorations in the middle of all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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