My family is going out of town on Christmas day and our flight leaves around 9am so that means we'll need to leave the house around 630am. I have two kids, 3 and 7 1/2 they both totally and completely believe in Santa. My husband and I are tossing around sending a special request to Santa to come to our house one day early so Christmas Eve morning would be our Christmas morning. It's a long story but we have an elf (The Elf on the Shelf, if you've heard of him) that comes to our house every day and observes then fly's back to the North Pole nightly to report back to Santa. We were going to ask our elf to put in this special request for us with Santa.
This way we don't have get up at 3am to open gifts and get out the door and the kids will have a whole day to play with their new toys before we leave for 2 weeks. We also considered opening the gifts from family on Christmas Eve and only the gifts from Santa on Christmas morning but even with that I think we'll be frantically trying to get to the airport on time.
My 7 year old believes in Santa 100% but he's a smart kid, we're afraid his wheels will start turning and he'll figure it out. We know at some point he'll learn that Santa isn't real but we want to delay that as long as possible. We're not worried about our 3 year old. Has any one ever done this? If you've traveled on Christmas Day how did you logistically manage the travel and opening gifts? Thanks for your suggestions.
So many great ideas and suggestions...Thank you!. We're definitely going to have my 7 year old write a letter to Santa asking him if he could come a day early, have our elf take it to Santa and have a letter from Santa for the elf to bring back to us. I absolutely love the idea of bringing a present for each child on the plane and asking the flight attendant to 'deliver' the gifts. With the cost of checking bags these days, I'd rather not send gifts ahead or ask family at our destination to get some gifts from Santa for the kids to get there. You mamas are awesome and full of great ideas. Thanks again for helping make our Christmas a day to remember.
I think everyone will have a much better experience if you put in for the "special request". Otherwise the kids will want to play with the gifts and you will be trying to get them out the door.
Santa is very smart. We trade off Christmases, every other year we're home, the alternate year we're at my grandparent's. We send Santa a letter (I think macy's even has a mailbox for letters to Santa if they still do that) and he always delivers to the right place.
I love all the suggestions so far but my friend went to Paris on Christmas day with her kids one year and when she went to use the bathroom she sneaked a couple of gifts to the steward and little while later he came on the speaker and said her kids names and could they put there hands up and he brought the gifts to them and said that santa had dropped them off early that morning and the rest of there presents were waiting for them at home. My friend did check 1st that there were no other young kids on the flight. lol
My husband works a 24 hour shift on Christmas day, so this is exactly what we are going to do. You could have the Elf send him the message or have the kids and you write him a letter. In fact, if you tell the 7 year old that Santa does Christmas Eve for kids of parents who have to work that day (firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, etc.) you'll have appeased his intelligence too.
You didn't mention if you are going on vacation (as in a hotel) or to stay with family, but perhaps you could mail the Santa gifts ahead of time to be waiting for the children when you get to your destination? When my kids were little we often flew down to FL to be with my parents for Christmas, and there were at least 2 times we left on Christmas Eve or Day. I was able to have my parents shop for some Santa items and have them ready under the tree, and the rest I just bought and mailed ahead of time. I don't know if that would work for you (it DID require alot of advance planning!) but it ended up working out fine for us. Just a thought.
Actually, I think it would be more exciting to COME HOME to the gifts that Santa left when you werent home. It would be cool if you could set that up. It would create loads of anticipation and a great tool to keep the kids on their best behavior for the entire trip. Maybe sneak a couple of small Santa gifts with you and find them on the plane with a note from Santa stating that he knew they would be on the plane so here's a little something and the rest are safe at home for when you get back.
Other than that, opening them the day before because your Elf on the Shelf managed to get the message to the north pole in time would be an okay alternative as well.
We spent many early Christmas Eves and mornings at my Aunt's house. My son never questioned how Santa knew where he would be on Christmas. He was always more concerned about how Santa got into the house since there was no chimney!!!!
Christmas time is a time of magic. Santa is magical - I mean, really, his reindeers fly!!!!! So tuck your Santa gifts into your luggage, send the kids to wash their hands when you get to your location and sneak out the Santa gifts. They will be thrilled and amazed that Santa found them. Maybe have Santa leave them a card or letter under the tree at home for them to find Christmas morning telling them that their presents were delivered to the alternate location.
Also, have you thought about bringing some small gifts for them on the plane to open? Toast with juice and had a mini-celebration on the plane.
Have a wonderful holiday!!!!
I've never traveled on Christmas Day,but I really like the idea of doing it on Christmas Eve morning. With the extra cost of luggage, I wouldn't want to take anything other than completely necessary. Not to mention, they're already going to be overstimulated from the travel. No need to add to it.
Have your 7 year old write up the letter to Santa and give it to the Elf to take. Make sure that you have someone write your kids a letter back. Put it with the Elf so that they find it in the morning. I don't think it will take any of the magic out of Christmas. If anything, it will make it even more special since they get a "special" early delivery. :)
I love my Elf on a Shelf!!! Another idea is for one of you to get the kids out for the afternoon on Christmas Eve and set up Santa that evening. Then you could take the kids to eat or look at Christmas lights and when you get home they will have a Santa Surprise. Im sure they would enjoy whatever you decide. I could not imagine doing Christmas and trying to get on a plane by 9!
I think that is exactly what I would do.
I love the idea of telling the 7 year old that Santa does this for other families as well.
You could even say that you were talking to so adn so and they said that you just had to send Santa a message so you are put on the early delivery list.
I'm sure your son knows (or can understand) that exceptions can be made. Opening presents on Christmas Eve sounds good to me! It's just 12 hours earlier - that is nothing! Do exactly what you said - you will tell your son that the elf made a special request to Santa (only because your son has been such a good boy) to come on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. No big deal. It will work!
I would just do it like you stated a day early. Put the request into the elf. :)
How long are you going to be gone? If you will be home a day or so after Christmas...why not take some small gifts in your luggage for them to open at your destination...and then the big gifts could be "delivered by Santa" while you are gone...and be waiting under the tree for them when they get home? That way there is no whining about wanting to take a new toy with them on the plane that there is simply no room for. I don't know if it would work...but kids can be pretty flexible. I remember when our oldest was about 12 and had to be in the hospital because of an emergency appendectomy...our others ( 3 and 5 at the time) were so understanding about putting Christmas off for the most part until their big sister came home from the hospital!!
We said that we had entered an online contest for Santa to do a test run and won! All the kids in the neighborhood believed it as well!
We had to travel to another state one year after Christmas, so we had Christmas at home, with Santa visiting and then we told them to write a letter to Santa about being in Oregon and Santa visited them there too.
I know several people who have successfully requested that Santa come a day early.
