How can I find my old pictures?

[Alis girls]

Last yr YS now 9 got spooked by the idea of an old man dressed in red leaving stuff in his bedroom, we decided to tell him it was really us who did the presents as he was soo spooked by it. I wanted him to have the magic as long as poss but felt his mental wellbeing was more important.

This year he berated us for telling him and he said very crossly that " its some stupid parent buying presents " ie me of course. He has obviously forgotten or chosen to forget the conversation last year. Can't win either way. I felt quite tearful as its his innocense passing all too soon. What do you do?

[chick wiggle]

My kids are 22, 20 and 15 and all still believe! Well, they tell me they do because if they dont believe then Santa wont come! and every christmas morning without fail you can hear one or all of us shouting excitedly 'Hes been, hes been!'

Im sure your son will be fine, and not scarred for life

[Space Chick]

I always shout that he's been aswell. I'm 36 and know that Santa comes to my house every year Probably because I'm a good girl

[Alis girls]

I was wounded by the "stupid parent bit" as OH who works full time leaves must of this bit to me so any present mess ups are mine all mine. Thanks for the replies- I hope he will survive mentally. He knows compared to many hes lucky that he has a stupid mum who trys hard to make his Christmas "merry and bright" - i feel a song coming on

[sadietoo]

My kids also get told if they don't believe they don't get presents...when they were younger we used this http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html to track santa on Christmas morning.....It wasn't quite as flash in the old days, but it was great fun to follow Santa's progress round the world

[Willow]

I know how you feel. My eldest was being bullied at primary school and was about the last to believe in his class and I knew he would be teased mercilessly so I told him and he was devastated and he was very cross with me and frankly it was not a good Christmas and I was really upset over the whole thing so I know exactly how you feel. I was dreading telling my youngest and my eldest had lots of opinions on when would be the least traumatic time to tell him but YS said to me one day coming up to Christmas 'Mum tell me honestly does Father Christmas exists ?' so I answered him honestly. He just shrugged and said 'I thought so'.

 

You are a loving mum who did what was best for him. Unfortunately sometimes they will act like whatever we do is wrong

[Chickvic]

My kids also get told if they don't believe they don't get presents...when they were younger we used this http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html to track santa on Christmas morning.....It wasn't quite as flash in the old days, but it was great fun to follow Santa's progress round the world

 

Thanks for that - we used it last year and will again this year and my children are 10 and 13 Although I'm the biggest kid of all (and I'm 36!)

[Lewis]

Of course he still exists!

 

Parentals keep asking what I want for Christmas but I've already sent my list to Santa

[jlo]

Of course he still exists!

 

Parentals keep asking what I want for Christmas but I've already sent my list to Santa

 

That was the worst thing when mine were litte - "So - what do you want for Christmas?"

"I have told Santa in my list so he knows."

Aaaaghhh!!

 

Actually mine cottoned on quite early on that the handwriting on Santa's pressies was the same as the hand writing on the pressies from mum and dad. I have never been good at lying to my kids so, when they asked, I told them and they were fine. As long as there is something under the tree - they have been happy enough!

[Valkyrie]

Number one son knew because of some little spoilsport at school, but he chose to keep quiet for the sake of his little sister. A couple of years later and an argument and she said I know blah blah blah. After OH went whooping round the room shouting yippee no more waiting till you're asleep (er, it was always ME that waited till 2.30 to put their stockings in their rooms), DS thumped DD for being so stupid. She then spouted off about the tooth fairy. Having got in between to stop a reenactment of Wounded Knee, what with OH still whooping at his good fortune - I said they could still have their stockings but they would have to wait until everyone was up before they could open them and they'd be downstairs and not at the end of their beds. That eased the situation. Oh and letters to Santa were burnt on the fire because as the smoke goes up the chimney, Santa reads it. This was brilliant one year because the letters were sucked straight up - looked like magic. It's sad how they grow up too quickly - it seems that once they stop believing - it stops being fun. I used to love getting little things, wrapping them, leaving mince pies for santa and a glass of milk with carrots and water for the reindeer. Then they'd burst in all excited at some dreadful hour like 5am, jump on the bed and unwrap their pressies. Ah well, I'm looking forward to the grandchildren now - well not toooooo soon.

I was in my teens when I gave up - desperately hoping that he would still come.

[CatieB]

My son is only 6 and said recently that father christmas doesn't exist in a very factual way!!! I was shocked and asked who told you that but he said he had worked it out himself and was MOST insistent of it. Anyway its not been mentioned again and he's acting as usual, I think because the smart cookie is unsure what would happen about presents otherwise

 

Only 6 I thought I had lots more years of wonder.

 

As a side issue..DH and I disagree about how the presents should be done, as a child our tree got full of presents as December went on (it was overflowing) and they were presents from parents and other poeple. On Christmas day we had presents from parents and father christmas. Whereas DH is adamant that all presents come from FC and so we have to hide them until the day and then they appear under the tree for Christmas morning. Surely son is soon going to wonder why we dont give him anything??? And I dont get the joy of seeing all the presents under the tree and nothing is from us.

 

How do you all do it?

[Chickvic]

We send our presents to Father Christmas and he delivers them, he is very clever and delivers presents from us to other family members or on occasion he has left them at our house so we can deliver them ourselves

[Valkyrie]

Small little things - crayons, toothbrushes, flannels, little wind up toys that go in the bath, a book to read (quietly while parents are still asleep - hopefully!), chocolate santas, cuddly toy, decoration for the Christmas tree (careful if they are too young) which can fit in the stocking. But bigger things - nice toy and clothes from us under the tree to be opened after dinner. Also different wrapping paper. I bought a nice big roll one year and the following year used the rest up. Oooh look you have Santa's wrapping paper from last year. Yeah, I guess he has a lot left over and sells it to the shops. Oh you have to be smart!

[BarbaraJ]

Lots of presents under the tree all from santa made my friends kids suspect a lot earlier than mine that santa was maybe not real. Mine were 9-10 ish when they stopped believing, plucking the (white)cats hairs for santas beard hairs to drop on the plate that we left food on helped

My kids got stockings from santa small stuff like books/socks/sweets/joke gifts etc, different wrapping paper, no writing etc. all the presents downstairs are from mum and dad, otherwise don't the kids get anything from their parents ? My kids still get stockings and they are 24,21 and 19 mind you me and hubby get one each from them now

[Willow]

BarbaraJ wrote

plucking the (white)cats hairs for santas beard hairs to drop on the plate that we left food on helped

 

Wow that level of detail is awesome

 

My YS best friend realised about FC a couple of years before he did. He was determined not to spill the beans and spoil YS fun which I thought was very sweet.

[Lewis]

One of the shops in Sutton, the kids write letter to Santa, post it there and then Santa posts you one back!

[ali-s]

A school friend told DS about FC when he was 7 years old, he wasn't upset at all.

 

A year later DS told DD who was only 3 years old about FC. However he told her that Mummy and Daddy would be upset if they knew he had told her and that it was a secret. I only found out last year that for many years DS and DD would lie giggling on the landing watching Mummy and Daddy struggling to move the presents silently from the hiding place to the tree on Christmas eve.

 

DD told us she knew about FC when she was 9 years old, she kept the secret for 11 years and laughed at us on Christmas eve for 6 years.

[Lesley]

Oooooh! - children can be so cruel

 

Once thay start questioning at around the age of 9/10 then call their bluff if it's close to Christmas - 'there'll be no presents then if you don't believe' - then I told my two in Feb/March time so that they don't have the disappointment at Christmas.

 

My 2 grandchildren know now but know not to tell the younger children in the family.

[Laura & CTB]

Mine were 9-10 ish when they stopped believing, plucking the (white)cats hairs for santas beard hairs to drop on the plate that we left food on helped

 

Bet the cat wasn't keen on Christmas then

 

We had Rudolph drop one of his harness bells one year! Oh the things we do. DS is now 21 and I'm lucky to get him out of bed before noon on Christmas Day

[jlo]

With regards to when the presents are opened - we usually have a bit of disunity in this house.

 

HO's late father was a vicar so, understandably, was pretty busy on Christmas morning. They had their stockings but then had to wait until after the post Christmas Lunch tidying away and walk before opening any of the other presents. We on the other hand would be up - not at silly o'clcok but fairly early. After about an hour, all of the presents would be opened.

 

The compromise now is that we open a couple in the morning. If we are at home and go to church, they will open a couple more once we are home. The majority of them will wait until late afternoon. That way - it does spread things out a bit.

 

I have upset my SIL. We knew that they would be down with MIL on Christmas afternoon so we took down our presents for them last weekend. She would prefer that we send them by post so that they can have them to open on Christmas morning - her youngest is 6 and is the only one who still believes but I took the view that FC is clever enough to know where she would be and to deliver the presents there instead. There are four children and it would have cost a fortune to send them and, given current weather conditions - not guarantee that they would have got there anyway. The Post Office doesn't have reindeer as far as I know!!

[Old Speckled Hen]

My DD had prezzies from Father Christmas until she was 7 when she worked out that he wasn't real.

I keep telling her he is.

Of course he is

 

Santa baby, just slip a sable under the tree, for me

Been an awful good girl

Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

 

Santa baby, a '54 convertible too, light blue

I'll wait up for you dear Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

 

Think of all the fun I've missed

Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed

Next year I could be just as good

If you'd check off my Christmas list

Boo doo bee doo

 

Santa baby, I wanna yacht and really that's

Not a lot

Been an angel all year

Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

 

Santa honey, one thing I really do need, the deed

To a platinum mine

Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

 

Santa cutie and fill my stocking with a duplex, and checks

Sign your 'X' on the line

Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight

 

Come and trim my Christmas tree

With some decorations bought at Tiffany

I really do believe in you

Let's see if you believe in me

Boo doo bee doo

 

Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring

I don't mean on a phone

Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Hurry down the chimney tonight

Hurry ... tonight

[Valkyrie]

Don't forget to growllllllll or purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

 

Well I managed to get out today, finish the pressy shopping, came home to find that instead of collecting mother on Wednesday, little bro has now picked her up this morning. So they have no cards or pressies. I can understand the reason because of the uncertainty of the weather, but it would have been nice to have been prewarned so I could at least get the cards dropped off. OH says I will look a meannie now.

[jjmack]

My eldest still believes of so she says, she is 11. I am sure she is just playing along, same about the tooth fairy! We used this last year Portable north pole it is fab and the kids were amazed that FC sent them their own personal message. we then follow him on Norad on xmas eve.

[Yorkshire Pudding]

I think he's quietly gone from this house too - but that won't stop me doing the full mince pie and drink ritual, and creeping around after the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve.

 

DS1 is 11 now and hasn't been convinced for a couple of years. He has been brilliant about not discussing it in front of DS2. This year though, DS2 (just 9) has started the 'he's not real' conversation.

 

It is sad, the end of an era, but they are playing along with all our Christmas rituals and enjoying the buildup.

[Becka]

Three of my four children still believe. They write a letter and which we burn generally asking for a small gift along the lines of a DVD or book that they would like. We are then responsible for the other presents that they receive. The gifts from Santa are laid out on the hearth on Christmas morning. We fill a stocking for each child and then we start out treasure hunt. We have a quiz and for each round of correct answers the children are rewarded with a riddle that will lead them to a place where a present is hidden for each of them. We have around 20 riddles prepared and the presents to match. Some of the presents are big and some are small like the toothbrushes that are wrapped and hidden in the Bathroom vanity unit. The children love this part of the day and we find it really takes it away from the present ripping frenzy that it used to be - this may just be my children, I'm sure other peoples are far more restrained!