I told my kids most of their Christmas presents are from family and not Santa– my husband is mad but I have good reasons

THE HOLIDAYS can be a difficult time for parents with little ones as they try to keep the magic of Santa alive while also keeping their budget in mind.

That's why one mother told her kids that the big presents come from her and other family members, while Santa handles the smaller gifts – but her husband didn't take her tactic very well.

“So I am a mother of a six-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter,” she began in an anonymous post to Reddit.

“This year I want to only give a couple of cheap gifts from ‘Santa’ for each child; the rest of their gifts will be clearly marked as from me, my husband, and other family/friends.

“My thought behind this is it's not fair on kids whose families can't get them big presents to hear of other kids getting big things from Santa.”

Unfortunately, this tactic caused a huge argument between her and her husband, which then included family members taking his side and saying she was “ruining the magic” for her children. 

“I'm not against them believing in Santa and having that childhood wonder, but I don't agree with it being more than a few small gifts,” the mother argued.

She revealed her mixed feelings, though, when she concluded that she doesn’t “want to ruin their fun and Christmas.”

Fortunately for the distraught mother, the internet is largely on her side. 

“Santa doesn’t have to deliver a mountain of presents for the myth and the magic to come across to the kiddos,” one person wrote.

“I was that kid that got some homemade doll clothes and some candy while my friends got Tamagotchis and American Girl dolls,” a second supported commented.

“Feeling like Santa doesn't like you as much as your peers BLOWS as a kid.”

Another parent shared their story of regret regarding how she handled Santa when her kids were young.

“[My kids] were always good with our ‘anything can go on the wish list but there are no guarantees what will arrive’ rule, but one year I commented that most of my youngest's wishes were so so expensive and she said to me: ‘That's okay Mama, Santa can pick from that list.’

“She was six!” the mother wrote.

“I instantly regretted the way we did Santa and we all agreed to do it the opposite way when it starts all over again with their own kids.”

For those worried about the cost of gifts for their little ones, one teacher revealed she rents her kids’ presents and returns them when they’re no longer interested in the toys. 

“I witnessed [my daughter] show interest in toys for a few months and then get bored of them, so I wanted to find a way to not create a lot of landfill,” she explained.

Another mother admitted she won’t be buying her newborn any presents for Christmas to save money since the child is interested in anything you put in front of her, anyway.