Frustrated moms are signing their own names on children’s Christmas gifts, saying they are fed up that Santa has been stealing “credit” for their hard work.
“I’m trying to foster humbleness and appreciation,” Stefanny Alecon, a mom in New Orleans, tells TODAY.com about her sons, ages 5 and 3.
Alecon laid out her case in a TikTok video:
“We are not telling our kids that all of our big presents are from Santa,” said Alecon, adding, “Big gifts come from mom and dad, small gifts come from Santa because life is hard. Life is expensive. And I don’t want my kid to be like, ‘Santa brought me a bunk bed!’ and then Santa brought the kid next door socks or a ball or something small because that’s all they could afford. So big expensive gifts come from mom and dad, small gifts come from Santa.”
TikTok said “same.”
- “Absolutely. We don’t want them talking about this at school and possibly hurting another kid’s feelings.”
- “Girl, same! But the reason is more because ain’t nobody else getting credit for the expensive stuff but us.”
- “We do the same. As they get older and ask for technology, it’s easier to explain that Santa won’t bring you a phone because he doesn’t bring electronics or big gifts.”
- “My son is 2 but we told him the same thing.”
Other TikTok moms ranted about feeling unappreciated on Christmas.
“How come Santa Claus gets all the damn credit? … how did we all allow ourselves to get bamboozled by Santa?” one TikToker said, explaining that “good presents” in her household will come from parents. “Santa Claus can get the stocking stuffers and the things from the dollar section, because Mama earned the money.”
Another TikToker wrote on a video: “Resisting the urge to tell my kids about the gifts I got them for Christmas but that Santa is going to get all the credit for.”
“Homeboy has been getting credit for everything,” another mom declared, adding, “Then we have our elf. She gets credit for all the fun things that she does … meanwhile, I’m in the trenches over here … trying to make it as magical as possible, getting no credit. No credit for Mommy … I’m about to change it though.”
One mom excluded Santa altogether this year, telling TODAY.com that she leaves cookies and a letter to Mrs. Claus for her invisible labor.
Alecon tells TODAY.com that she puts “Mom and Dad” on her children’s Christmas gifts in 2023 and will do so again this year. Her concerns are raising grateful children who don’t flaunt fancy gifts in front of kids who have less.
“I don’t want my kids to say, ‘Santa got me a 4-wheeler’ … and then another kid says, “Santa just brought me a basketball,’” says Alecon.
“I’d rather take credit for it too,” she says. “It’s expensive, so yeah — I got it!”
As a former teacher, Alecon overheard post-Christmas conversations in the classroom that put inequity on display.
“I was very mindful of these conversations when I was teaching because I understood economics within my classroom,” she says. “When it came up, I’d say, ‘You’re so lucky that Santa brought you a basketball!’ It’s hyping up the little things so they feel it … Because I knew that some kids got ‘better’ gifts, though it’s all perspective.”
In Alecon’s home, bikes, remote-control cars or big-box items that cost more than $100 are from mom and dad. Books, chess boards or smaller LEGO sets, for example, come from Santa. To distinguish the gifts, each set is wrapped in a different type of paper.
Alecon notes that gifts from parents can award good behavior, much like Santa’s “Nice” list.