Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Sept 29, 2014 14:56:11 GMT -5
We're fresh out of the usual parenting battle topics so I thought this one might be fun Do you do Santa in your house? Why or why not? If yes, when do you plan to tell them the truth? Was Santa done in your house growing up? Babybird isn't old enough to get Santa yet, but while I'm all for her going to visit Santa and leave cookies and milk and whatever else, I do intend to make it clear it's just for fun and a pretend story. I'm 28 and I still find Christmas fun and magical even without Santa.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Sept 29, 2014 14:57:49 GMT -5
Yes. Because it's fun. When they figure it out. Yes. We left him pretzels and beer, which happened to be my dad's favorite snack.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Sept 29, 2014 14:58:47 GMT -5
We didn't do Santa but ds has picked up on it which is frustrating. Not sure how we'll tackle it this year.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 15:00:35 GMT -5
yes because it's fun when they start asking (of course they're 21, 19 and 16 now so I think that moment has passed) yes....and Santa still came when I was in college
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 15:06:09 GMT -5
Yes, Because it's fun Never. They'll figure it out on their own. I think oldest was maybe 8 or so when the skeptic bug bit him, but he didn't let on, now he helps create the magic for his brother. Yes, Santa still brings stuff to my parents house for me and I'm 45.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Sept 29, 2014 15:13:58 GMT -5
My favorite Santa story:
Youngest DS was 6 or 7, I thought he was beyond Santa age (he has an older brother and sister). Two days before christmas he see the letter to Santa box at the post office and suddenly needs to write a letter. We go home and he writes it. I ask to see it, and I see the work "football" in the letter, but I was having a hard time understanding all that he wrote. Now, football was not on the list of requests, nor had we bought one, and I'm thinking that I was pretty sure that they already had a football. So I asked DS if he was asking Santa for a football, and he says "No, we already have one but it is stuck on the roof and I thought Santa could bring it down the chimney with him." Okay....needless to say DH had to climb on the roof Christmas Eve to retrieve the football and put it under the tree.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Sept 29, 2014 15:14:55 GMT -5
We do it. DS has known for a while, but is afraid to admit to us that he knows because he's afraid he'll get less presents. He told grandma though.
But we still do it because it's fun. Santa leaves presents for me and DH too.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 29, 2014 15:17:38 GMT -5
Yes, they did, but I also emphasized the "spirit" of Christmas and they saw us buy presents for family. I doubt it was traumatic when they figured it out.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Sept 29, 2014 15:19:02 GMT -5
We left him pretzels and beer, which happened to be my dad's favorite snack. You wanted Santa to get a DUI?!? Talk about ruining Christmas!!!
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Sept 29, 2014 15:20:11 GMT -5
I think they do. If they don't they hide it well so far. We both grew up with Santa and it is fun for the kids, I think. I am just waiting for them to realize that the present from Mom and Dad and the presents from Santa are all wrapped the same and the handwriting on the cards are the same. My oldest is already questioning logistics of the whole Santa system.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Sept 29, 2014 15:22:06 GMT -5
Are ya'll telling me there isn't really a Santa?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 15:24:14 GMT -5
I did it. It was lots of fun. Interestingly daughter says she doesn't think she will because it's lying, so I'm not sure if she feels I betrayed her or what.. ... But she has at least a decade to change her mind, so
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Sept 29, 2014 15:26:08 GMT -5
No. Our families never did it and we don't plan to start with DD. She knows who Santa is from friends & shows, but that's about it. We don't do any of the other characters either - Easter Bunny, probably won't do Tooth Fairy, etc. Don't worry, we will save enough money from not playing into it that she can pay for therapy later
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Sept 29, 2014 15:26:10 GMT -5
Yes, we did it and it was fun. I can't believe how short the time was. My 2 are 19 months apart and stopped believing early. So we got maybe 6 of those wonderful Christmas mornings when they truly believe and are so excited.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Sept 29, 2014 15:26:52 GMT -5
Yes. We weren't planning on really going for it, but like others have said, it is fun. When they figure it out. We still have Santa at my parent's house. So no Santa never goes away. In fact, when I was in college I was staying up one Christmas and my sister was getting the Santa stuff out for her kids and my mom looked at me and said go to bed because Santa won't come for you! I rolled my eyes and went to bed. Since high school, I've done "santa stuff" for my parents. Putting candy in their stockings, one year DH and I bought a game for my parent's house and left it from Santa. You can make Santa fun and let it be magical without letting it be the most important thing. We try to focus that Christmas is not just about giving gifts and what is really important about Christmas.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Sept 29, 2014 15:28:51 GMT -5
I think they do. If they don't they hide it well so far. We both grew up with Santa and it is fun for the kids, I think. I am just waiting for them to realize that the present from Mom and Dad and the presents from Santa are all wrapped the same and the handwriting on the cards are the same. My oldest is already questioning logistics of the whole Santa system. We always left extra paper out so santa could wrap them. He never questioned it.
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Sept 29, 2014 15:29:07 GMT -5
I think they do. If they don't they hide it well so far. We both grew up with Santa and it is fun for the kids, I think. I am just waiting for them to realize that the present from Mom and Dad and the presents from Santa are all wrapped the same and the handwriting on the cards are the same. My oldest is already questioning logistics of the whole Santa system. I buy different wrapping paper for Santa's gifts every year and address all the tags myself and let DH do Santa's. Smart kids are way too observant for mom's sanity sometimes.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Sept 29, 2014 15:31:14 GMT -5
Smart kids are way too observant for mom's sanity sometimes. Yep, DD asked when she was 5! Just too logical of a little person.
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chen35
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Post by chen35 on Sept 29, 2014 15:31:32 GMT -5
DS10 still believes in Santa, even though I flat out told him it was just a nice story. Hey, if it makes him happy, who am I to rain on his parade?
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Sept 29, 2014 15:33:25 GMT -5
Oh yeah, we do cookies and milk for Santa. The kids like to leave a LOT of cookies so I'd bag them up and put them somewhere out of sight until I could fetch them later. A few years ago, my oldest DS was feeling around on top of our stackable washer/dryer and found Santa's cookies. He was looking for something else up there. Oops. I still get crap about that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 15:36:36 GMT -5
Oh Santa never wrapped in the same paper as mom and dad here!
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Sept 29, 2014 15:41:19 GMT -5
Santa did not wrap presents at my house. That way the kids see the Santa gifts first.
Of course he wrapped them at my house growing up and I remember noticing the same wrapping paper. So when we had kids, we just told Santa to go with DH's family tradition and skip the wrapping.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Sept 29, 2014 15:43:46 GMT -5
Our kids left cookies and egg nog for Santa long after they believed. It was just part of a tradition. They joked with their Dad when he suggested Santa liked brandy in his egg nog.
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steff
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Post by steff on Sept 29, 2014 15:51:34 GMT -5
Yes we did the Santa thing. Because it was fun. Santa always wrapped presents in different paper than the rest of the Christmas presents. And I printed out "from Santa" labels to avoid the "hey that looks like mom's writing" problem.
Santa always brought kiddo's "big" present (the MOST important thing to him on his list) and it was always hidden behind the tree & other presents, so it would be the last thing he opened/found.
He figured it all out when he got up at like 4 am one year & found me wrapping Santa presents in the middle of the living room. He said he kinda thought it was me, but wasn't sure until that point.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 15:54:13 GMT -5
Santa printed out a letter here. He used two different types of his own paper, one for son, one for daughter, so no labels. His letter told whose was whose.
Our Santa was great! Our tooth fairy sucked...
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Sept 29, 2014 15:57:43 GMT -5
My kids get those cheesy letters from Santa with an ornament every year (ordered from Miles Kimball). My oldest got offended the year he got the "believe" letter instead of the standard one. He is still getting the standard one.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Sept 29, 2014 15:58:29 GMT -5
Yes. Because it's fun. When they figure it out. Yes. We left him pretzels and beer, which happened to be my dad's favorite snack. What are the odds both of them like beer and prezels!
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Sept 29, 2014 15:58:40 GMT -5
I don't think any of our cats believe in Santa. They do, however, believe in the "Tuna Fairy"
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 15:58:42 GMT -5
Yeah, but it's been years since they were that young and gullible. Mine would leave out a couple cookies and a glass of milk, and a huge plate of veggies for the reindeer since they must get hungry pulling a big fat guy and all those toys. Loop always made me split the cookies with her, but I got stuck eating the rabbit food. Now that they're old enough to realize that everything comes from mom and dad I've been campaigning to be able to put the presents out early, but Loop and the kids are pretty firm that it needs to happen in the middle of the night while they're asleep. Preserves the magic... or whatever. So Loop and I are up way too late wrapping stuff, putting it under the tree, and I get stuck munching on carrots, celery, and bell peppers the whole time. A couple years ago I got smart and would open a bottle of wine before we started. Makes the whole thing a little more magical. Wrap them ahead of time, then you just need to remember to put them under the tree after they're in bed.
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backontrack
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Post by backontrack on Sept 29, 2014 16:04:43 GMT -5
We have done Santa, but haven't made a huge, huge deal about it. My family buys the kids so much that I didn't want too much coming from Santa. Every year my now 8yo comes up with an unattainable gift and tells me it is ok, because Santa's elves can make it for her. One year my mom took on one of her requests as a sewing project. This year, she is asking for a kid sized hamster wheel. That doesn't exist, does it?
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