What do you do if something from Santa doesn't really work the way it should? DD got a sewing machine from "Santa" and it is cheaply made and doesn't really work. Same goes for a planetarim thing DS got. What would you do? Do you just suck it up and consider the money lost or do you try to find a way to take them back?

By Kate on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 05:52 pm:

I would call or write the North Pole and speak with the head elf. Explain the situation (all in your kids' presence, of course) and ask what you should do. Say thank you and hang up and explain to your kids that if they leave the toys in the same spot they received them, Santa will swing by and pick it up and take it back to the workshop and try and repair it. If they can't, they'll bring a new, different one. Then when all taken care of, Santa will come again and leave it in the same spot again. Naturally, you are putting the gift in a hidden spot or trunk of your car and handling the situation with the stores. When all settled, after the kids are asleep put the new toy back. Voila!

By Cocoabutter on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 05:56 pm:

That's a really good question!

I looked at all the Santa websites I know of (Google "Santa") and no where does it say what to do if your gift doesn't work!

What I would do is create another email address on your ISP account or your free email account, but make it from Santa, like sclaus@ yahoo .com, or something. You can send an email to him requesting instructions on how to return your gift and get one that works, and then you can answer it yourself, and be very appologetic about the gift not being of the utmost quality, ;) and then print it out for dd to see.

By Crystal915 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 06:18 pm:

I would follow Kate's idea. If "Santa" got the items from a good "workshop" like Walmart, he should have no problem returning them.

By Annie2 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 07:31 pm:

My dd's chocalate fountain didn't work. I told her that I called Target bcause they carry them, too, and we could return/exchange it there, to make things easier for Santa. Worked for her! She ended up getting a Target GC and she picked out curtains instead.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 07:57 pm:

Annie, I think that's what I would have done, too.

By Bellajoe on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 08:27 pm:

ditto Annie!

By Imamommyx4 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 09:10 pm:

Kate's idea is too cute, but I've done what Annie did and the kid went along with it.

By Annie2 on Friday, December 30, 2005 - 06:44 pm:

BTW, I turned on the garbage disposal today and it started to make a racket. I turned it off and checked inside. What did I find? The part to make the chocolate reach the top of the fountain. It must have fallen in when I was prewashing the parts! LOL The kids weren't around so I chucked it in the trash. The fountain was a big messy thing! I'm glad dd exchanged it for something else!

By Kiki on Saturday, December 31, 2005 - 11:42 am:

I tell my kids that Santa has connections at all the stores and if something was not "elf made" he always gives the parent a slip of paper to let them know where to exchange it if it doesn't work. Gabby, my oldest daughter asked why he did that and I told her that it makes it easier for the parents and it saves Santa money on postage.