Last year Charlie got one gift from Santa and Olive was too young to ask for anything. This year they both asked for 1-2 things, so I figured that we'd keep it a tradition to have their one big gift to come from Santa. That way they get what they ask Santa for in their letters, and they don't have a miles long list. 
How do you decide? How did it work when you were growing up?
blogger / coconut / 8306 posts
We really struggle with this. Santa always gets the credit! We (okay, DH...) built Chloe her big gift this year then Santa got to take credit for it!
I claimed credit for some Frozen stuff though
pineapple / 12053 posts
In our house growing up, Santa stuffed our stocking with small trinkets like socks and candy and then gave us one bigger gift.
honeydew / 7622 posts
@wheres_c: yup. @mrs. bee with baby coming I've spent some time thinking about this. We will do stocking, but not go out of the way to say they are from Santa, and no gifts under our tree from Santa. If Grandparents want to do it that's fine, but honestly I want the credit for my hard work 
nectarine / 2220 posts
Growing up Santa usually got us something we wanted, but not necessarily the most expensive gift.
We'll probably do similar. This year Santa is bringing her nothing, since she doesn't understand the concept yet.
persimmon / 1171 posts
I want the credit for whatever we gift LO. If we do Santa, he can get them something small. Or a stockings stuffer.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
We won't do Santa this year, but maybe next. I've also seen what Where'sC posted, and I agree with those sentiments.
cantaloupe / 6923 posts
I grew up where Santa gives the majority of the gifts and then my parents each got us 1 thing special. Like jewelry or a jewelry box or doll. So we're taking the same approach. Santa is giving Zuma most of her presents and I got her a doll and some Outfits and my husband got her a bouncer horse thing.
bananas / 9227 posts
I have no idea how to incorporate Santa gifts since we're juggling 2 different Christmas traditions. The local tradition (I live abroad) is to celebrate Christmas on the 24th. After dinner, a member of the family dresses up in a not-realistic-at-all Santa outfit and hands out the presents.
We go home on Christmas day to our stockings with gifts from my mom and and my side of the family. This is when I add some gifts from Santa.
LO is too small to know the difference, but when she gets older, I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to explain the first Santa she meets at the ILs vs. the Santa that stuffs our stockings. For now it's the best of both worlds, but it'll be tricky when she gets older.
cantaloupe / 6885 posts
Whatever is easiest to wrap goes under the tree from us
Her broom set will be from santa ... It would be a pain to wrap!!
watermelon / 14206 posts
Santa gives all the little stuff and we get credit for the big gift.mm
grapefruit / 4817 posts
We'll do 1-2 gifts from Santa, and they'll be what he actually asked him for. This year he asked him for a big truck, so Santa's bringing him a big truck!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
My son specifically asked for some wooden railway pieces from Santa, so we went with it.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@wheres_c: Seriously! I think it's crazy for parents to shame/ school/ scold other parents on what they do for their children for Christmas. Gift-giving is a personal thing and should not be made into a group sport with rules.
@anonysquire: my Christmas was similar. Santa brought most of the toys...aka the fun stuff, and he stuffed the stockings too. My parents (mom) usually gave us clothes and personal keepsake type gifts.
grapefruit / 4089 posts
Growing up Santa filled our stockings and gave us one specific present that we asked for. The rest came from mom and dad. I think we will take the same approach.
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
We didn't do any gifts from Santa in past years. This is the first year I am filling the stockings so I was thinking that the fillers could be from Santa. Here's to a new tradition!
@wheres_c: I like this! I'm glad our new tradition will fall in line with it.
nectarine / 2521 posts
We struggled with this because I grew up in a household where we didn't do Santa, and my husband's gifts all came from Santa. And my husband is never home on Christmas day due to work.
We decided our LO will get one gift Christmas morning from Santa, and then all other gifts come from us on the day we celebrate Christmas together. It's the only way I could think to do it!
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
Growing up all DH and my gifts were from Santa. I remember getting one gift (like a board game) with my siblings from my parents. We aren't sure what we are going to do. This year everything is from Santa cause I was lazy and just used that paper for all since she won't know the difference.
pomegranate / 3872 posts
My parents always just split up the gifts, half and half, making surr some things we had on our lists came from Santa. We're doing the same.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
Also my SIL reminded me that while 4 gifts from santa can be pretty cheap when they are young, when they are older, 4 gifts can add up to be REALLY expensive.
cantaloupe / 6923 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: ya... I'll be honest. Santa will probably always go overboard. No guilt here! I mean Santa doesn't give every child the same gifts. But growing up I never remember being jealous of what friends got. I'm not going to feel guilty for giving my child presents. This year my sister finished their basement so she doesn't have a lot of extra money for Christmas so my nephew is getting just a couple of things. So does my baby need to not get a full Christmas because we will be spending Christmas as a big family?
Idk it just doesn't sit well with me. I worked really hard this year to get my baby some really cool presents!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
@anonysquire: I totally agree with you, it's a lesson that you don't always get everything that everyone else has. That is just how life is.
Granted, Santa isn't gifting my child a new car, but don't make me feel guilty because he's getting a few pieces of a wooden railway I found on sale.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
I think Santa always brought big gifts and family gifts when we were growing up. He would bring us bikes or the Cabbage Patch Kid. He also brought family game night games.
This year, Santa is bringing our daughter Anna and Elsa dolls.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
Not sure yet, we don't have many gifts for him and he won't know the difference this year just yet.
pomegranate / 3729 posts
Santa does stockings and something that she asked him for. Most of the rest will come from us.
cantaloupe / 6923 posts
@looch: yes thank you! I'm sure every Christmas won't be great for us, but the years that we can, we will provide well for Christmas. And still incorporate service and the real meaning of Christmas and all that jazz. I just don't feel like it's right to withhold from Zuma and future babies because some child isn't getting the exact same presents.
honeydew / 7091 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: We were the same! The boring stuff (clothes, underwear, socks, shoes) were from my parents. Santa definitely got ALL the credit!
I think I'll probably do the same with my kids. Everything from Santa, boring presents from mom and dad
cantaloupe / 6164 posts
We both grew up with Santa bringing a few big unwrapped gifts, and a few smaller wrapped gifts. We'll likely carry on that tradition. This year Sadie has one large unwrapped gift, and it's from Santa. To me, running down early in the morning to find the presents Santa left is part of the magic. I don't need credit. She's still going to love me... I don't need my name on a present for that.
nectarine / 2591 posts
I am not sure what we'll do. I feel like taking the credit for LOs gifts goes against what I feel Christmas is about (giving to give, not to get something back) but I also want Santa to be fair and teach my child about expectations and money. Luckily I have another year to figure it out.
@anonysquire: The post didn't say to withhold presents from your LO it just said to consider how many come from you vs Santa.
pineapple / 12802 posts
We give the boring stuff like clothes and books and santa brings one thing they asked for.
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
@wheres_c: I like this a lot! We're planning to do one or two smaller gifts from Santa each year and the rest from us, and the "big" stuff will be from us.
pomegranate / 3643 posts
When my mom was a kid, she was very poor. She asked her mom why Santa didn't love her as
much as the kid down the street. Her mom was obviously heartbroken.
Santa will bring fun things but some gifts will be from us because I do not want the neighbor kids asking their parents the same question. Also I want to involve my kids early on in angel tree gift buying and I don't think it would make sense for them why we do it if everything comes from Santa.
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
The only thing he actually asked Santa for was a fire truck, but he told us he was going to ask him for a boat. Somehow he forgot about the boat, but "Santa" didn't. Those will be from the big guy. Then we are making him a teepee and I was first going to say it was from Santa, but now I feel like we should take the credit. He is also getting a battery operated train to go with his existing wooden tracks and thomas trains that we will set up around the tree, so that might be from Santa, too. And his stocking stuff is from Santa. So barely anything is from us! Lol. A puzzle, a book, some underwear, PJs on xmas eve...
nectarine / 2115 posts
This is our first Christmas with dd, so things could change, but our plan is to do one gift from santa (nothing huge), plus a stocking, and have everything else come from us. We are choosing to minimize Santa's role and hope that will help us to teach her graciousness and thoughtfulness. We grew up where most of the big stuff came from Santa and there was definitely a sense of entitlement connected to Santa gifts.
coconut / 8472 posts
For as long as DS (and any other future LOs) believe in Santa, all gifts will be from him. I don't really care about getting credit, it's all about the magic and belief while they're little. DH and I will also buy what we think is appropriate, not base it on making sure we're not out-doing other Santa believers.
grapefruit / 4400 posts
Well, I already started putting stuff in our stockings, so I guess Santa's out for that... haha.
I think we'll do 1-2 gifts from Santa each year and the rest from us. Kids are still too young to really get it (2 1/2 and 7 months). Actually, I think the in-laws gave some gifts to C last year from Santa and I didn't even really think about it.
persimmon / 1404 posts
Growing up, Santa got us everything. When I questioned why we got more than friends from Santa, my parents told us that they have to give Santa money to pay for our gits so it's up to the parents to decide how much we are going to get. They then told us that is part of the reason why it's so important to be good for them as well as Santa.
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