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February 2014 Moms
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Follow up question: In your family, who gets to label the presents "From: Santa"

jpoindahousejpoindahouse member
in February 2014 Moms

A couple of days ago I posted about my MIL buying tons of presents and, essentially, sort of trying to usurp Christmas. (https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12479236/mil-has-already-purchased-all-the-christmas-gifts-and-informed-me-i-dont-need-to-buy-any-gifts#latest)

At the suggestion of you ladies, I talked to Dh and DH and I are both going to talk to his parents and attempt to nicely set limits. One other topic crossed my mind, though. Who do you feel should "play Santa?" In other words, who in the family should be allowed to label presents "From: Santa"? Is this limited to the parents or are other family members well within their rights to play Santa?

Typically, I wouldn't even care who labeled Christmas presents "From: Santa" but MIL's pathological need to upstage and be in control makes me wonder if I should request that only DH and I are allowed to "play Santa."

I often have difficulty determining when I am being a pushover versus if I am requesting too much, so I would love to hear the perspective of the board. I am not trying to bulldoze over the in laws, I just want to set this up fairly. Thanks!

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Re: Follow up question: In your family, who gets to label the presents "From: Santa"

  • shellbell3845shellbell3845 member
    Santa gifts come from DH and I. Period. Unless we specifically ask some one else otherwise. (And Santa gifts won't be wrapped or labelled, but that doesn't change the policy.)

    This year LO will not get any gifts from "mom and dad". They'll all be Santa gifts.
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  • JackieP1023JackieP1023 member

    We will probably request that DH and I are the only ones that get to play Santa. The main reason for this is we do Christmas with my ILs on Christmas Eve. My family, we usually don't get to spend Christmas with at all, but I really want the "Santa" experience to be Christmas morning for DD.

    As a kid, we did the Santa experience on Christmas Eve, but Santa came while we were at midnight mass. It's what worked out for our schedule, growing up on a dairy farm. I just really want the Christmas morning experience for DD.


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  • magentawarpedmagentawarped member
    We do the Santa gifts. All other gifts are from the family members. Also, I label them, because my H's handwriting sucks. ;)
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  • jpoindahousejpoindahouse member
    magentawarped said:
    We do the Santa gifts. All other gifts are from the family members. Also, I label them, because my H's handwriting sucks. ;)
    LOL I'm picturing a confused child reading a messily labeled gift and saying "From Satan? That doesn't make sense."
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  • boogerbearoriginalboogerbearoriginal member
    No one....not because we're opposed to Santa, just it's never come up lol. We are kind of bad at that sort of whimsical magic making stuff. And I feel like this is the first year LO1 will even get the concept of Santa.


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  • FlyingtoastFlyingtoast member
    Santa filled our stocking and one present. We plan on 'maybe' allowing a Santa present from each set of grandparents, but it really depends an family dynamics.
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  • magentawarpedmagentawarped member
    edited November 2014
    jpoindahouse said:


    magentawarped said:

    We do the Santa gifts. All other gifts are from the family members. Also, I label them, because my H's handwriting sucks. ;)

    LOL I'm picturing a confused child reading a messily labeled gift and saying "From Satan? That doesn't make sense."


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  • magentawarpedmagentawarped member
    jpoindahouse said:


    magentawarped said:

    We do the Santa gifts. All other gifts are from the family members. Also, I label them, because my H's handwriting sucks. ;)

    LOL I'm picturing a confused child reading a messily labeled gift and saying "From Satan? That doesn't make sense."


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  • hammysmommyhammysmommy member
    repost from the poll about wrapping: "H's family's always done that the Santa gifts are wrapped in one paper with Santa on it, and the to/from is written right on the paper with Sharpie.  Since I've been with H, I've been Santa's secretary, and started using silver Sharpie.  The problem with this is MIL, who insists on buying Santa gifts - which we do appreciate bc $$ - but won't/can't remember to use different paper than the gifts that she/FIL are giving, and never remembers not to use a tag..." 

    Maybe since we're starting again with a new LO (DSD will be 12 this Christmas), we can change it up/firm it a bit...  With DSD it worked to have Santa gifts at both places because there's already a split custody thing going on (switch at noon on Christmas Day which STINKS for all of us...) so Santa was already leaving things for her at 2 houses, so why not three?
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  • hammysmommyhammysmommy member
    Oh crap, did I just realize that MIL and I should go shopping together for wrapping paper?  Or maybe I'll just buy some extra and give it to her at Thanksgiving....
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  • iwubroryiwubrory member
    Santa gifts are from dh and me. That's all there is to it.

     

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  • greer14greer14 member
    I haven't even thought about this. But MH and I have been together for 5 years and all 5 Christmas' we've had his grandparents have labeled one gift to everyone in the family as "from Santa". When I was younger, my dad and stepmom left Santa gifts unwrapped for Christmas morning. My mom wrapped all gifts and labeled some "from Santa" (we went to her house the day after Christmas). For DS I want to leave Santa gifts unwrapped. But I would be okay if one or two was labeled "from Santa" at the in laws.
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  • RondackHikerRondackHiker member
    Santa from us.

    We brought this up when dS was a baby so that any pushback would happen before he could remember.


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  • narcissticbeautnarcissticbeaut member
    i don't mind santa gifts being from other people. growing up all of our gifts were from santa except our "big" gift, my parents made sure that we knew that was from them. I know in your case its different with your MIL. so i would definitely say that only you and yh can play santa.

    but yeah, in our case, if the ILs or my parents or whomever wants to get santa gifts for LO then thats fine with me. ill figure out a way to explain it all to him. i like the idea of santa dropping off gifts and grandma and grandpas house because he knew they'd be there. thats cute. 

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