Father Christmas or the Three Kings: how to split the presents
What works best is one present to use over the holidays on 25 December and the letter on 6 January, or the other way round, but not two full letters. The child's total should be the same as if you only celebrated one date.
In many homes in Spain both come. Father Christmas (Papá Noel) because the child sees him at school and at friends’ houses, the Reyes Magos (the Three Kings, 6 January) because that is the family tradition. The problem is not celebrating two dates, but ending up with twice the presents without having decided to.
Three ways to split them
| Split | What it looks like | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Father Christmas, big Reyes | A small gift or a game on the 25th and the letter on the 6th | It respects tradition and keeps the excitement of the cabalgata (the Three Kings parade) | The big present arrives with school about to start |
| Big Father Christmas, small Reyes | The main present on the 25th, books and small gifts on the 6th | They have two weeks of holiday to play with it | The Kings lose weight, and the grandparents may not like it |
| One in each house | Father Christmas at one set of grandparents’, Reyes at yours | Each family keeps its date and they do not tread on each other’s toes | It means coordinating who buys what |
None is better than the others. What is worth doing is choosing one and keeping to it from year to year, because children compare with the year before with a much better memory than adults.
What suits each date
On 25 December there are almost two weeks left without school. What works is anything used straight away and by several people: a board game for after long lunches, a building set for the mornings, a book for the trip to the family village (pueblo).
On 6 January school starts one or two days later. Anything that needs whole afternoons, such as a big set or a science kit, only half gets going. It is not serious, but it helps to know: if the star present takes days to build, perhaps it is better for Father Christmas to bring it.
One letter, not two
If they write a letter to each, they ask for double. It is simpler to have one letter, the one to the Kings, and for Father Christmas to bring something that was not in it: a small surprise chosen by you. That way there is no ‘missing’ present on either date.
With children aged 3 to 5 that is enough. From 6 or 7 they ask why Father Christmas brings their friend the bike. The answer that holds up best is the half-truth: each household organises things in its own way.
Grandparents and the other households
This is where the count shoots up. Two dates times three households makes six piles of parcels.
- Share the dates out between the households instead of repeating them: one set of grandparents on Christmas Eve, the other on the morning of Reyes.
- Pass them the letter with the presents already allocated. People who ask what to buy are grateful to be told.
- Suggest one present per household. If they want to spend more, make it one better present and not three.
- If someone wants to give something big, ask them to say so beforehand so that you do not buy it yourselves.
The four-gift rule is useful here: the boxes are shared out between the households and between the two dates.
With siblings
Father Christmas can bring one shared present for all of them and the Kings an individual one each. It cuts down on parcels and avoids comparisons on the 25th. In gifts for siblings to share there are ideas that work across different ages.
If you want to change this year
Going from two big dates to one big and one small is noticeable. Give warning beforehand, in November, with a simple explanation: this year Father Christmas is bringing one thing for the whole family. Said in good time, it is accepted better than discovered on the morning of the 25th. And if you are unsure about the total, see how many Reyes presents per child.
