Remedial xmas help needed

[tracilicious]

First of all, Indi really wants an airplane. Not just any airplane, but one that you put together that has a propeller. Ok, so I was thinking model airplane, but you can't really play with those once they are built. Santa is a last minute shopper, so Santa really needs this to be sold in an actual store nearby as it probably wouldn't get here in time if he ordered it online. He's convinced that Santa knows exactly the right kind to get him, since he told him at the mall. What the hell have I gotten myself into?!

Secondly, what's up with stockings? When do you get the stuff in them? What the crap do I hang them up with?!

[€uroMeinke]

I still think you should get him the spoon

[Cadaverous Pallor]

If you don't want to knock nails in a wooden fireplace mantle you can buy weighted stocking hanger things. Don't they just put candy in stockings?

Good luck on being a last minute Santa. ;) For the airplane I'd just hit every conceivable store until you find it.

[Not Afraid]

Put small treasures and candy in the stockings - unless he's been bad, then he gets a lump of coal. :evil:

As for the airplane - I have no idea. Maybe a wooden toy one. But, I live in a child-free universe.

[Alex]

Go to a hobby store for the airplane. They'll have some cheaper beginner ones that you can play with.

When we did Christmas, stockings were stuffed overnight at Christmas when the presents were put out.

[Not Afraid]

http://www.bearpawtradingpost.com/airplane.jpg

[tracilicious]

If you don't want to knock nails in a wooden fireplace mantle you can buy weighted stocking hanger things. Don't they just put candy in stockings?



I have a tile fireplace. I saw the hanger things, I just am cheap and didn't want to drop the $$$ for something we'll use for one night. What do people without fireplaces do? Target dollar section had lots of cool little wooden toys that I got for the stockings. I got myself a cool old timey egg beater for $2.50 (because in my sad world I stuff my own stocking) and Michael a flask (that he'll never ever use except to crack jokes with). I still need to get candy.

Alex - that's a good idea about the hobby shop. There's one right across the street too.

I was talking to Indi earlier trying to figure out exactly what he was expecting Santa to bring him. The end of the conversation went like this:

Me: What if Santa can't find an airplane with a propeller? What if he brings a really cool one that doesn't have a propeller?

Indi: Santa sees you when you're sleeping. He knows where to get stuff.

[tracilicious]

I still think you should get him the spoon


Lol, I asked him about the spoon the other day. He said, "You can have the big spoon, Mommy. I'm getting an airplane." :p

[Not Afraid]

Big Spoon (http://cgi.ebay.com/LARGE-DECORATIVE-CARVED-WOODEN-FORK-SPOON-COMBO-NICE_W0QQitemZ280056096358QQihZ018QQcategoryZ38238 QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem)

[LSPoorEeyorick]

What about the fly, though? :)

In our house growing up, we had no mantel. My parents tacked the empty sockings to the bannister (which had been wound with fake pine garland.) When we woke up, they were no longer hanging-- they were laid out with the presents, splayed at the outer edge.

Fruit is also a traditional stocking-stuffer. We usually find a very nice apple, orange or pear in the toe, along with some other edible goodies (do the kids have little snacks that they like?) and little toys or trinkets.

[Not Afraid]

More Airplanes (http://chickorywoodproducts.com/airplane%20product.html)

[lizziebith]

We have no fireplace so I just put the stockings under the tree, in front of the gifts. Inside are nuts and candy (canes, kisses, bars) and the obligatory minneola. Also small gifts: decks of cards, lip gloss, and, this year: wind-up planes! I got them at the hardware store months ago. They are made of balsa wood, and you assemble them with rubber bands. Yes, they have propellors. You could probably get them at any hobby shop...I've even seen them in the toy aisle at most major supermarkets. Where do you live? I might have an extra!

[CoasterMatt]

Air Hogs are great airplanes with propellers...
this (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2316759) particular model is good for younger fliers.

[lindyhop]

When I was a kid there was no fireplace but Santa managed to sneak into our bedrooms and hang the stockings on the end of the bed. Sounds a little creepy now...but it meant we would spend time looking at the goodies we found there and let the parents sleep a few minutes longer.

[BarTopDancer]

Target has stocking hangers for the mantle for $10 (set of 2).

[Prudence]

When I was a kid there was no fireplace but Santa managed to sneak into our bedrooms and hang the stockings on the end of the bed. Sounds a little creepy now...but it meant we would spend time looking at the goodies we found there and let the parents sleep a few minutes longer.

This is similar to what my folks did. We hung stockings on the mantle at night (and put out the cookies and milk for Santa), and in the morning we woke up to stockings at the foot of the bed with all sorts of goodies to keep us occupied.

And my mom is the queen of stocking stuffing. Our stockings always included oversized items next to the stocking. Just an amazing assortment of stuff.

[wendybeth]

Geeez, Traci- I had no idea how new this was to you until the stocking query.... Basically, in our house, a stocking magically gets filled with mixed nuts (in the shell) , tangerines, candy and small novelties such as trial-sized sundries, DVD and CD's, gift cards, etc. We don't have a mantle (we do have a Blaze-King, but no mantle) so we hang them on the wall and when they are filled we lay them near the tree.

Oh, and Indi has taken a bit too readily to this Santa thing. You're totally going to have watch your step around this little one- he's sharp! That's the magical thing about , well.....magic. Kids get it so much better than we grown-ups do.:)

[Morrigoon]

My stocking never got candy and fruit (well, maybe occasionally candy, but not on a regular basis). We always just got small gifts in there. If I'm getting a gift card, that's usually where Dad puts in (yes, even now we do stockings). But we'd get trinkets, small toys, one year we got cans of silly string (note: ONE year!), jewelry, anything small enough to go in it.

My parents always put out a gift from them, labeled to us from them, and then the "Santa" gifts were put out overnight, and only had our names on them, no "from" filled out on the tags (tradition now, but I'm sure it started out as not wanting to write "from Santa" in mom's handwriting on everything).

Good stocking fillers could include things like travel games, action figures, small dolls, wooden toys, CDs, candy or fruit (or if you wanna cover all bases, you could use the "chocolate orange"), maybe some fun quirky pens or other "party favor" type gifts (go check the favor aisles of Party City to see the kind of toys I'm talking about. Things like Chinese yo-yos, heck, real yo-yos, slinkys, tops, ball-in-maze games, that kind of thing.)

Traci... perhaps you can explain to Indi that while Santa listened to him, he forgot to write it down on his "list", so it would be best for Indi to pen a letter to Santa, to make sure he remembers, and because Santa likes to get nice letters too. Maybe use the opportunity to instill a discipline for sending Christmas cards by having him send Santa a Christmas card and stick his letter in it? You can get cheap Christmas cards at stores like Walmart or Target, or also at the 99-cent store. Bulk boxes are WAY cheaper than individual cards, and some box sets include mixed cards so you can still select cards that work for the recipients.

Also, if you have not done so already, I suggest you introduce your family to the fine collection of holiday films by Rankin-Bass.

[3894]

Secondly, what's up with stockings? When do you get the stuff in them?

This is why God made the dollar section at Target.

[Betty]

I'm going to second the vote for the air hog. It has my husband and kids under it's spell - pretty easy to fly - although it's a tree magnet so bring yourself and pokin' stick to make the tree let go of it. Oh - and I hear that if the base runs out of batteries the plane will just continue to fly.... away....

[BarTopDancer]

I highly suggest you also take this time to educate yourself in after xmas sales (for stuff).

Target after xmas sale = wrapping paper, ribbon and bows for >$1, boxes xmas cards for >$3. You can find neutreal paper (for birthdays and other events).

[katiesue]

I had a similar problem with Maddy one year. After her visit to Santa, in which she whispered in his ear what she wanted, I asked her what she'd requested. All I could get out of her was "you'll find out".

Our stockings were usually put out on the ground by the fireplace after stuffing, too heavy to hang. We always had an orange and ribbon candy. Then other misc smaller stuff. My mom ususally still sends me little things to put in mine.

[Strangler Lewis]

Stockings are for after shave samples, soap-on-a-rope and Esquire. (Or is this no longer the '80s?)

I walked into our local hobby shop, and my jaw dropped. You can buy planes and helicopters that have fuel tanks and that they make you take classes in order to buy. I went for the balsa wood gliders. They lasted two days, which is about how long Christmas enthusiasm generally lasts.

[tracilicious]

Oh, and Indi has taken a bit too readily to this Santa thing. You're totally going to have watch your step around this little one- he's sharp! That's the magical thing about , well.....magic. Kids get it so much better than we grown-ups do.:)


The funny thing about the Santa thing is that last year I told him he wasn't real. This year he would talk about Santa and ask questions and I would give him the, "Santa is the spirit of giving" line (which sounds lame, and feels lame saying it), and he would keep talking like Santa was a real person. Yet he remembered me saying Santa wasn't real. Finally I asked him if he wanted me to pretend that Santa was a real person and he said yes. He's forgotten all about the pretending stuff. Kids are funny.

I picked up some $1 stuff from the children's museum this morning when we went. Between that and the $1 stuff from Target, I think we're all set for stockings. I'll pick up some fruit leathers from TJ's to put in there too.

I'm dying some play silks tonight for the kids and dropping by the hobby store for the plane. Then tomorrow I'll hit Target again for my sis's crock pot and some candy. Saturday I have to go to Ikea and get Jade a rocking moose and go to the grocery store for stuff to make Santa's cookies and fudge. Sunday I'll hopefully be done with everything as it's lunch with my sister's family. Then a flurry of wrapping Sunday night.

Next year I'm starting in February!

[Disneyphile]

Next year I'm starting in February!My mom seriously does that - shops all year, and then relaxes during the holidays.

I grew up in a house without a fireplace, so we had a nifty 1970's cardboard one that had a little flicker light in the bottom that we would assemble each year. Mom would tack our stockings to the front, and then lay them under the tree once they were stuffed.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I had a similar problem with Maddy one year. After her visit to Santa, in which she whispered in his ear what she wanted, I asked her what she'd requested. All I could get out of her was "you'll find out". I thought Santa had a quick whisper with Mom once the young'n was off his lap. Otherwise, how would you not go crazy?

[Jughead P. Jones]

You know, stocking stuffers don't have to be limited to fruit and holiday chocolates. They're perfect for gift cards, or, for me, since I'm a huge creative writer and love crafty things, markers and notebooks were great things to find too.

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a personalized stocking, after all...one that no other kid has!

[€uroMeinke]

I heard this great story about the real Santa Claus AKA Noel Baba this morning on NPR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6655033&ft=1&f=1004). His birthplace is in Turkey and they are capitalizing on the Western Christmas connection by doing such things as replacing the bronze statue of Saint Nicholas
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/stnic/images/myra-newstatue1.jpg
With this:
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/stnic/images/demre-santa.jpg

[katiesue]

I thought Santa had a quick whisper with Mom once the young'n was off his lap. Otherwise, how would you not go crazy?


Nope - it was kind of a problem till I finally convinced her to make a list.

[innerSpaceman]

I miss filling the stockings. It was at once one of the most charming things to do for our daughter, and one of the most romantic things to do late at night with her mom.




Le Sigh.

[Morrigoon]

Oh, those little lego sets are good stocking stuffers too! Two of those is about all you can fit in a stocking! (I know it's too late, just sayin')

By the way: remember not to set out more cookies for Santa than you can eat that same evening (remember, they must be GONE!)

[tracilicious]

By the way: remember not to set out more cookies for Santa than you can eat that same evening (remember, they must be GONE!)


Indi is pretty insistent that we have to make cookies for him and Santa (and he thinks they'll eat them together in spite of my telling him that Santa comes while he sleeps). So we'll just add the leftover cookies to the stash that's to keep at home.

I did a practice stocking last night and they are very full, so hooray for me for buying just the right amount of stuff!

Now I have to go make fudge and wrap some more gifts, and then I'm done! Woo-hoo!

[wendybeth]

I'm having fun watching you have fun with this Christmas stuff.:)

I think Indi is adorable- I hope he has an awesome time Christmas morning!

[BarTopDancer]

And don't forget to have the camera out and ready to take video and photos!

[tracilicious]

Xmas is finally over! Sheesh that was exhausting. We went to my sister's house yesterday for dinner and gift exchange. Brought home gifts and a very sugar high three year old. Came home and had more sugar (had to roast marshmallows!), read The Night Before Christmas, baked sugar cookies for Santa, and decorated/hung stockings before finally getting him to bed (Jade went to bed several hours before).

It was really funny and annoying trying to get him to sleep. He was pretty convinced that if he stayed awake he would see Santa leave his presents. I told him the "only if you're sleeping" line, so he figured he could pretend to be asleep. He lay still with his eyes closed for a few minutes and then broke into a very loud fake snore.

After Indi finally went to sleep, it was time for more wrapping and cleaning and stocking stuffing followed by watching It's a Wonderful Life (Michael had never seen it!). I finally got to sleep at 2am (because I was really excited). Of course, at 6 am, Indi was up. This kid needs lessons in opening gifts. It took him 45 minutes to get through his stocking. Then he wanted to play with every present before opening the next one. He definitely didn't get that from me!

At 9am we were finally done and ready for watching Curious George in bed and sleeping. Then at one, mine and Michael's little brothers and Michael's sister and her boyfriend came over for an afternoon of pizza, more gift exchanges, and them drinking all our rum. The last stragglers left at 6:30. Michael is giving the kids their baths right now, then hopefully it is an early bedtime and watching Miracle on 34th Street.

I'm so happy that the only shopping I have to do in the near future is to use the Barnes & Noble gift cards I acquired today. And I'll never crave chocolate again. I found the plane at a hobby shop for $10, by the way. It's plastic and snapped together. A huge hit and nice for Santa's wallet!

Merry Xmas LoT and thanks for the help!

[alphabassettgrrl]

And I'll never crave chocolate again.


I can't imagine not craving chocolate. I'm glad Christmas went well! :)
**hugs**
-kerry