In our Family, Santa only brings one gift(usually a bigger gift) and its unwrapped. The rest of the gifts are from us. Well my daughter has a friend and they do it differently. In their house, all the gifts are from Santa. Well today my daughter came to play at our house(her poor mom ended up with a stomach virus during the night). My daughters friend asked my daughter why she only got one Santa gift, because all her gifts were from Santa? Of course my daughter said "I dont know"
So how do you handle Santa gifts, does he give one, or the whole lot? Are they wrapped gifts from Santa or unwrapped?

By Jackie on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 03:44 pm:

oops., I meant to say my daughters friend came to play at our house...

By Kateg on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 04:16 pm:

A portion of them are from Santa & a portion from us. They are wrapped one way or the other. We tried to really equal both out.

By Annie2 on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 04:26 pm:

Santa brings most of them. I do wrap them all now that the kids are older.

By Melanie on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 04:42 pm:

Santa brings most of them to our house. All of the presents are wrapped.

By Crystal915 on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 04:52 pm:

We decided to have Santa bring a couple of small gifts, and they are unwrapped. Santa brought the kids slippers, some play doh, a doll for Madison, and a tractor for Shane.

By Pamt on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 06:11 pm:

Santa brings 3 gifts just like the 3 gifts the wisemen brought. He doesn't wrap his gifts because the elves are too busy making toys to spend time wrapping. The boys each get one gift from us (or a big gift together), plus books, clothes, pajamas, and a new ornament from us.

By Heaventree on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 08:04 pm:

Santa brings one gift and it is placed at the foot of the bed, DH's family tradition. When the child awakes in the morning he has his gift from Santa (it's wrapped). All other gifts are from us, friends and family.

By Paulas on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 08:14 pm:

Probably about half and half here although I would really like to tone things down in the next few years. All presents are wrapped b/c for my kids, part of the fun is the unwrapping. Santa uses different paper though.

By Kate on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 08:49 pm:

It's equally half and half and I have a terrible time remembering which gifts Mommy and Daddy gave, and which ones Santa gave!! So many times I stumble thru unwrapping, acting surprised at something *I* gave, and knowing allll about something Santa gave!! Oops! All are wrapped, unless there is a large Santa gift and that would be unwrapped. Santa also fills the stocking. Santa uses the same wrapping paper we do. They've never questioned it and if the did, I'd just say he wraps when he gets to our house and so he just uses our paper.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 01:06 am:

Santa brings all the gifts, all gifts are wrapped and none are put out until after everyone is in bed Christmas eve. Santa wraps at our house, which is why the paper under the tree might be the same paper they use to wrap their own gifts. We have never given a personal gift from us. The older two know it is us, of course. The younger two are still wanting to believe a bit longer. Once the girls fully understand Christmas then we will be doing one surprise gift from Santa to all the kids each year. DH said that when the kids move out he would like to continue the Santa tradition with the them. Meaning we will surprise them with a special gift from Santa every year. Those ones will go out through the mail from Santa to our babies and then we will buy other gifts from us to them that we give them. He said he would like to do something that would be a reminder to them to slow down and remember what the holiday is about. But we have a couple of years to come up with our plan of action.. Seeings that our oldest will likely be on her own in another year.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 01:47 am:

I wrote Santa on the tags, because it was quicker than writing "mom and dad!" All presents were wrapped. They didn't go under the tree, until after the kids were in bed, because they only got wrapped last night!

I wrapped their iTunes gift cards and put them in their stockings. It's so funny, since they both glanced at their stockings and thought there was nothing in them! LOL! They were both happy, though, when they found out!

By Unschoolmom on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 08:09 am:

Santa brings one big gift for each child, one or two 'family' things and fills the stockings.

By My3cuties on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 10:23 am:

Santa brings 1 big gift for them to share. It helps with the reminder about sharing...and for some reason my girls will listen to "santa" telling them to share more than they will listen to me about it. Like this year santa brought the girls a Dora TV/DVD. and thats it.

By Luvn29 on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 11:11 am:

It's been different for us in years past, but now that the kids are a little older, we definitely get them more gifts from us because they know that mommy and daddy would never get them nothing for Christmas.

Santa used to get the kids a big gift to share, up until last year. But this year, there really wasn't anything that we could think of. Having a boy and girl make it a little more difficult.

So Santa brings a couple of smaller gifts, and a couple big gifts each that they specifically ask for just from him. My son received T-Rex Mountain and a children's size plush recliner he has wanted forever. He never could have one because he didn't have his own room to put it in, and this year he does. But he didn't even ask for it so he was thrilled! DD received a very nice big screen microscope (she has very bad eyesight, so regular microscopes are difficult for her) with lots of extra prepared slides to look at, and several blank slides. She also received the iChat phones that are pretty much like two way radios, but they have a digital camera on them that takes black and whites and you can send them to the other phone. We have several acres of land, including a woody mountain behind us that the kids will have so much fun this summer outside using them.

Santa also left them a dart game that has an air gun that shoots plastic suction cup darts onto a plastic target board for them to share.

Santa also fills the stockings, and he puts candy in, but mostly lots of small gifts, such as a new character cup, jewelry, nail polish, coloring book, a new sticker book ds wanted of fantastic four, a small care bear each, nail decals, bath sets, fizzy eggs for the bathtub, a new change purse, etc.

So Santa does quite a bit, but so do we...

Santa used to do a lot more than us, but we kind of played it by ear, and realized the kids were happier when they thought mommy and daddy thought of them. I think everyone just kind of has to base it on how their kids react...

My kids like to believe that Santa leaves more for kids who need it, kids whose parents don't have a lot to spend on Christmas. This is why it ended up with us buying more, because they felt bad with santa leaving a lot and us leaving a lot...

By Bobbie~moderatr on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 11:55 am:

I was talking to oldest DD and DS. They actually helped wrap the girls presents this year.. They had so much fun.. But, I asked DS and DD if they ever questioned why Santa had brought all their gifts at Christmas and why we didn't buy them any gifts. And DS said, mom I did think anything of it, you guys buy for me all year around and it made my birthday present special because I knew it was a gift from you.. He said he liked the way it was and that he hoped he could continue the tradition with his children when he has some. He said it makes Christmas all the more magic, thinking that Santa thought so much of him to leave "just what he wanted". But we don't go over board with the gifts either. DS and DD got four gifts this year. The girls got four main gifts and then some crafting supplies (that is what they do) to share.. We donate a lot of time and energy into helping others during the holidays so, worrying about the kids that don't have Christmas has always been something they have done from an early age. This year we went into a nursing home in town and did the Christmas morning service. The kids all said that that was actually the best part of their Christmas. And the whole service except for the opening and closing was prepared and preformed by the youth of our church. We are very active in the home and the kids thought it was great to give to them, the forgotten ones. It was all over a GREAT Christmas and it had nothing to do with gifts...

By Bellajoe on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 12:01 pm:

This year the kids each got 2 things from Santa.

Santa left both kids a scooter that was set up by the tree Christmas morning.

Santa also got DD a stuffed animal that hugs and plays peek a boo and stuff. It's called a Luv Cub or something like that.

Santa also got DS a Rescue Heroes fire truck.

He also left each kid two small things in their stockings.
We tell the kids that Santa only leaves things for kids. So they know that mom and dad leave each other things in their stocking.

By Marcia on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 05:59 pm:

Santa brings one each for my girls, and they are unwrapped. He also fills stockings for all of us.

By Momofmax on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 06:37 pm:

Santa brings some stuff, which includes a "big" thing and it's not wrapped. We give some stuff which is wrapped. A few kids on the block got really expensive motorized four wheelers and golf carts, etc. and I was expecting my son to question why Santa didn't bring him something like that but he didn't. I'm glad and hope not to have to answer that question but I wonder if it occurs to him.

By Tink on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 11:48 pm:

Santa only brings some small things to fill the stocking and they are unwrapped. All of the big gifts are from family and only small items and candy come from Santa.

By Kaye on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 10:22 am:

We do it just like you Jackie. Santa brings one gift for each boy and girl and fills their stocking. We buy them three gifts from us.

My dd noticed that someone elses house was different, they had several santa gifts. She said, she thought it was funny that their parents wrote santa on the tag. When I grew up all our stuff came from santa, but was under the tree for weeks!

By Karefl on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 10:59 am:

We do the same as Kaye. One Santa gift (usually the MOST wanted/expensive item & Santa stuff stockings (there is candy, soap, shampoo, a new toothbrush & toothpaste. They have also come to expect a Disney Collector Pin) Then they get three gifts from mom & dad.

By Groovepickle on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 04:19 pm:

I hate to admit to following in the footsteps of my parents, but Santa always brought the "fun" presents, which I will probably pass on to my kids. The presents were wrapped with special santa paper and a special tag written in block letters. The same block letters every year. I would have never guessed it was my Mom's writing. Christmas is always special no matter what you do. It's fun to hear how santa works at your houses.
Groove

By Mrse on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 04:37 pm:

Hi usually I would buy about 4 or 5 presents each then I would just pick which one was to be from santa, and then when I bought the stocking stuffers I always seem to buy way to much to fit in the stocking so I just put thoses under the tree from santa also. My kids are older now, two of my dd will not be living at home, so I told them this was their last year for stockings, and santa gifts, I will just get a stocking for my remaining daughter who is still at home.

By Conni on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 06:52 am:

ahhhh, Mrse My Mom did stocking for my sisters and I until I was in my 20's! LOL We didnt live at home either. When the grandkids started coming- she quickly shifted her attention to them. Which is perfectly understandable and we wouldnt have it any other way. She didnt stuff them full- she would just get us all a new umbrella and a bottle of perfume or something like that, that she knew we could use...

We do it like my parents did it. Santa comes and fills stockings and leaves piles of unwrapped gifts for each child. He then leaves the stocking in the midst of their pile of toys so that when they wake in the morning they know whats theirs. They get up at blasted 5am and giggle, whisper, show each other what they got, play with their toys.... Then they cant stand it anymore and want us to get up with them. They show us everything Santa left. This yr Blake informed all of us that he DID let Santa in thru his bdrm window since we had the fire going... ;) We cook a lg brunch, eat and then open the wrapped gifts under the tree. It drags on all morning and we all love it this way.

It is fun to see how everyone else does it.