This is How We Settle Debates Around Here
Though we are three years into this whole Parenting at Christmas Gig, Mr. Husband and I continue to find that we don't exactly see eye-to-eye on how various traditions should go. Half of the problem is that we grew up in vastly different environments. The other half of the problem is that one of us is a Christmas Nut while the other could do without the six Christmas trees.
Blasphemy, I say.
Last year we got into quite the debate over whether or not Santa wraps his gifts. I even asked y'all what you thought. I learned a very valuable lesson from that one--people feel very strongly about their wrapping paper, yo. I totally understand because there was NO WAY I was going to be deprived of wrapping more gifts. Wrapping gifts is my Christmas crack and I'm NOT going to rehab. Mr. Husband and I ended up sort of compromising in that I let him assemble all the Santa toys and remove them from their packaging and then I used wrapping paper that only Santa would buy. It was slathered with the Dora the Latina Whore's face. 75% of you approved.
This year, we have found another point of contention. I don't remember the specifics of how it all came together, but apparently we were home on Christmas morning last year. That's pretty unusual since we're usually on the road visiting family. This year we'll be back to the norm, so the question came up: Does Santa deliver to the house or to the place where we are staying?
Now, there are a whole bunch of other factors that I think sway this whole debate in a particular direction, but I'll save them until y'all have told me what you think. And . . . GO!
Pssst . . . Don't forget, if you've seen some Christmas Crazy (lights that caught your attention, a "scene" that kids created, some serious anal retentive decor of any kind, etc.), please post it to your site and sign the Mr. Linky on December 20th. Or, if you don't have a blog, you can email me photos at burghbaby (at) gmail.com and I'll post them here.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Reader Comments (27)
Whenever we visited the Grans and the kids were somewhere other than home on Christmas morning, amazingly Santa 'knew' where they were and delivered his presents to them there.
Oooops I just did that wrong. The poll was confusing, I meant to say he finds the kid where he/she is.
Honestly, this question makes me think of all your recent shelter fundraiser--those kids live at the shelter, even though it's not "home". Or what about kids displaced from home for other reasons at the holiday? I'd like to think Santa can find them there.
Here is my take - mostly because I'm lazy and it is convenient for me and Santa. Santa delivers his goodies to the place where we wake up on Christmas morning BUT this means that Santa doesn't gift any large or some assembly required toys. Those come with a tag from mom and dad and are waiting under the tree when we get home. My kids are young enough that this works - and as they get older we are going to make a point to be home on Christmas morning to avoid just this type of debate.
I hope this isn't another PBJ sandwich thing where we never hear the result. ;)
Haha! Okay I'm obsessed with wrapping presents, too! I LOVE IT! I used to work as a gift wrapper, many years ago! Best job ever! As for are Santa's gifts wrapped or not (yes, I'm giving you my two cents in case I didn't last year!) the answer is... no, not really. Usually the gifts Santa gives our boys are too big to wrap and I like having them already assembled... i.e. my son's 2nd Christmas, we had the Thomas the table all set up for him, last year, a playmobil train set, etc.. so you can't really wrap those! As for Santa delivring gifts to the home or to where the kids are - where the kids are! :) Santa's magic, after all!
Our next door neighbor puts a life size plastic manger scene in her yard every year. I'm sure you get a lot of pictures of those. When we have people over we tell them to take a right at Jesus and they will be at our house. Pretty sure I'm going to hell for that one....
I don't even know how to vote as this has never been an issue for me. We always woke up at home on Christmas Day (that I recall). Even five years into being a parent at Christmas, I think we've always just had "Santa" come to the house.
Okay, I know how I'm going to vote. You tweeted about the circumstances, so I'm going to go with "a little of both". She doesn't need to get all her gifts away from home, but maybe one or two little ones from Santa would be nice. Or from mom & dad, and explain the Santa gifts are at home. She'll be getting plenty from the rest of the family right?
However you do it, have a Merry Christmas. (And all those presents should be as wrapped as possible. The girls are getting scooters this year that won't be wrapped — I need to find 2 big bows — but everything else will be wrapped up, even stocking gifts!)
ciao,
rpm
I couldn't fit my whole "other" vote on the line, so here it is:
Santa will find a child wherever they live, but I feel pretty strongly about kids being home Christmas morning.
We visit my inlaws Christmas Eve, and stay home Christmas morning.
Of course Santa wraps gifts!
Oh, but I don't think stocking gifts should be wrapped.
Our daughter is 3 also, and we are always traveling on Christmas. Santa delivers the presents to our home while we are gone. Last year I sent my husband out to the car with her right before we were ready to leave and then scurried to get everything in place. This year I think we are going to pick her up from daycare on the way out of town, so we'll "set up" everything before we leave, and then when we come home, Santa will have come. A couple reasons ... we have a full trunk as it is without her presents; as she gets older, I think it will get much harder to hide the presents in the car from her, much less get them in there; transporting the Santa presents back to our home PLUS all the other presents she gets from grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., again space issue; and coming home to Santa's presents is sort of like the finale, as it should be! It is definitely something to look forward to on the drive home and just a great way to wind down Christmas. Oh, and maybe I'm a tad bit selfish, but I love it being just the three of us! Sorry for rambling! It looks like the poll is showing Santa finds you wherever you are, but I disagree! Good luck, and, of course, let us know what you decide! Justina
Santa finds the kids - as long as it's logistically possible. Sometimes it's hard for Santa to fit large-sized gifts into his car..er...SLEIGH, and keep them hidden from the prying eyes of his kids...I mean ELVES.
I have a Christmas crazy that I haven't been ab;e to get a photo of yet - it's awesome - baby Jesus and Santa and choir boys and reindeer and Steelers logos and animated, flying footballs and a giant D-fence. AWESOME!
It's called the "Magic of Christmas" for a reason. I say if Santa can squeeze his fat ass down a chimney he sure as hell should be able to find a kid on Christmas Eve. I'm a firm believer that gifts should be wrapped as long as they're wrappable - out of the box is something I NEVER thought of. If it comes from the Elves workshop it should be built right?
I also think Santa gets a lot of credit so starting last year he only delivered one or two gifts. Mommy and Daddy got the rest. Seemed more fair that Sam knew we bought her most of her gifts. Of course Santa got credit for the most important items on the wishlist.
I've got to disagree with James Bainbridge's comment about it being more fair that his daughter knew THEY had brought her the gifts and not Santa. Fair to who? Santa is supposed to get the credit. You know you bought them, you don't need your daughter to give you props for that. :-)
Also, when I was a kid, my parents gave me "useful gifts" and Santa brought the toys. We don't do that, because we're fun, too, but a slight majority of the toys, and usually the coolest ones, come from Santa.
1. Presents should always be wrapped.
2. We were always on the road for Christmas as well, but we'd always have a Christmas at home first, even if it was a week early. Nothing replaces waking up from your bed and knowing Santa was there.
Bottom line, whatever you decide to do, Alexis will love it and be amazed.
While I think Santa can find the kids we have decided to stay home. We told our parente last year, our first Christmas with child, that we would spend every Christmas morning at our house. I want my own traditions. The rest of them can just deal with it.
I clicked the wrong button! So I went back and refreshed and voted two more times, clicking my real answer, so I cancelled out my wrong vote.
Me = not smart.
I'm like @james bainbridge up there. Fun or no fun, Santa only brings a couple of things (and some stocking gifts). Mom & dad bring the rest. My reason is because "Santa" simply can't bring everything my kids ask for. And I let them know that. "Santa can't bring you every single thing you ask for..." The wallet is only so big, especially this time of year!
Way to be off-topic, rpm...
as you were.
ciao,
rpm
Santa always knows where the kid is. In this case I would think Santa would leave a special something at home as well for her to come back to. You know, just to reaffirm he knows where she lives too. (Hugs)Indigo
Well, for us, Santa will be finding baby M-dub at his Ninny's house because that's where he'll be Christmas Eve. My family always had lots of presents from mom and dad and then just a few really good ones from Santa. So M-dub will get his mom and dad presents at home before we leave, but Santa will find him at Ninny and Grampy's.
santa should find the kids where they are AND leave presents under (one of) the tree(s) at home. seriously.
santa rocks.
also? OF COURSE PRESENTS SHOULD BE WRAPPED! sheesh. half the fun of christmas is tearing into the wrapping to discover what fantastic present is mine, mine, mine...all mine!
We used to travel at Christmas until the year that an episode of food poisoning at my parent's house led the Mrs. to declare that traveling on Christmas was thereafter banned.
But here is the rules breakdown:
-always at home because the kids are always at home
-big Santa gift and stocking gifts are not wrapped
-Everyone gets a bag of their favorite candy in their stocking
-(most importantly) my father makes eggs benedict for lunch
Santa would be a pretty useless omnipotent dude if he couldn't find the kid, no?
I remember last year's controversy : ) Speaking of traditions, we're using your funnel cake recipe (which is better than any other recipe out there) for our last day of Chanukah celebration. so I wanted to stop by and say thanks again for sharing it.
Do you REALLY want to lug a bunch of presents around? I would say bring the Princess Ball, maybe another something she could play with, and a letter to Alexis from Santa promising the goodies will be waiting for her when she's back.
D'oh! I voted wrong:P Santa finds the kiddo wherever they are...for some reason I voted the other way:P
A - all presents are wrapped. Though sometimes Santa has to borrow some of our wrapping paper...he knows were we keep it.
B - Santa finds kids and delivers their presents to wherever they wake up Christmas morning. What is the alternative here?? Santa leaves a little note saying "I left the good stuff at your house here is a crappy note to let you know that I didn't forget you."
you make me laugh.
a lot.