What would Santa do?

We are going away over the Christmas period from a few days prior until New Years. What do other people do when travelling at Christmas time and presents? Do you do them before you go? When you get back? Take them with and do presents on actual Christmas day? I would like to wait for the actual day, but the thought of hauling a couple of boxes of presents down when the car is already packed with bags of clothes, swimming gear, sleeping bags etc then bringing them all back again (hopefully with all the pieces)...

Do I just suck it up, make room for them and hope the kids don't see anything?

I'd love to know too! This DD year is so excited about Christmas, she notices anything slightly Christmassy and keeps asking when it is. She tells me she would like to ask Santa for a scooter :)

Our dilemma is that we need to drive 3 hours for Christmas Day. Do we have Christmas morning at our place very early and then leave, making DD leave some presents home (e.g. The jumping castle my parents gave us to give her). Do we leave the night before and do the big Christmas morning with the inlaws? Probably won't work cos we can't take the jumping castle and FIL seems to take a weird joy in making everyone wait til after lunch to open presents, no matter how much the kids are begging. Or do we just wait til we're home again?

Teeki, in your circs, I'd do Christmas early or late, your DD is too little to know much difference - you get to spread the magic over a few days - BONUS!
We had to do this a couple of years back when our house got struck down with gastro at Christmas - i refused to allow anyone near us for a while, so we had our (sickly) Santa Christmas on the day, and then other stuff a couple of days later

Artechim - your six year old makes it difficult to do that sort of thing, especially with the Santa thing - is it possible to take some of their presents - something small and special they can use/play with while away, and some elaborate letter from Santa saying their other gifts are snuggled safely at home (and then make sure the kids are out the door before you or DH, and set up the presents to be waiting for you at home?). Maybe do the same thing with presents from you guys - take one each that is special, and leave the rest at home. perhaps one they open before they go, one on the day while away, and anything else when they get home? It would really depend on what you're getting them as to how that would work though (DD is getting some lego stuff - little things are easily transported, but big sets, no way!)

Santa came to visit us a week before we went on holidays when I was nine. He visited our friends on the same night as they were going away with us.

It would have worked well but I was awake while Santa visited. And half aware of something going on. So when we got up the next morning, well it wasn't quite the same for me.

So if Santa does visit early, triple check the kids are sleeping and that Santa is very quiet! Because there was none of the usual Christmas Eve build up where we HAD to go to sleep because Santa wouldn't arrive if we were awake. When Christmas Day came around we got our presents from mum and dad and we're reminded that Santa had already been.

I remember one time when I was younger we were away for Christmas. We had a few things on the actual day and when we got home there were presents under the tree :) Mum was all 'oh Santa came here too!' and my sister and I were so excited about the whole thing!

Teeki if I was you I would do Christmas earlier, the day before or whatever suits you guys. My DH often works on Christmas Day and we have had it the day before, the day after...they don't know at this age!

My family always takes the presents and does Christmas on Christmas day. Then again they're not into massive over consumption at Christmas so we don't have a trailer load of toys to deal with.
You can buy presents at your destination if you dare brave the Christmas rush (pro tip - get to the shops when they open and you can avoid the worst of the crowds).

We often go interstate and due to parenting agreement, I don't always have my older kids Christmas Day, we do it a week early. If I do have the kids on Christmas Day, I take a few very small gifts to open.

None of our gifts are ever from Santa though, my kids haven't as yet, picked up on that!

Santa only brings one present each to our kids and we generally get DD1 to write a letter with her request. Also, Santa's presents need to fit in his sack, so they'd be transportable if you were looking for ideas. ;) A lot of the bigger things DD1 has gotten (swing set, trampoline, cubby house) need to be set up before Christmas anyway, so she knows she isn't opening those on Xmas Day. This year, she's getting a new bike from Granny, so that'll probably be done before the day too. There's still gifts that are sent from relatives interstate to open on Xmas morning, plus little treats in the stocking.

We only do one gift from each of us to each other too. If you can fit them in, I'd take them with you. Bear in mind, packaging takes up a lot of room, so you'll either have less to bring back, or if you can unpack and wrap before you go, maybe not take up as much space?

Last year we drove 40 hours interstate with all the Christmas presents! We were visiting my sister & her children for the holidays, so we had the option to post them early or drive with them. It was too expensive to post, so we put all the gifts into fabric boxes, placed the boxes inside a waterproof roof rack bag, and up on top of the car they went... For 40 hours, across Australia! Haha. The kids loved it. I couldn't not take something for them to open on the day. They did get a trampoline too, but we opened it up before we left.

We take them with us. We try to keep the numbers down and the size. Not only for the trip, but just for having it all in the house later ;) Getting easier as they get older, as books and DS games don't take up a huge amount of space.

We took ours with us last year. We spend alternate Christmases at my in laws beach house, we drive down Christmas Eve and so we take them with us. Except last year my MIL went way overboard with presents and we had too much to fit in the car on the way back, and some of it still hasn't returned from the beach house.

We are away for Christmas this year 20th to 27th. Father Christmas doesn't bring much and he doesn't wrap anything here, and most is from op shops so no packaging so that will easily fit. We don't do much in way of presents as a family either so they will get something to open but again won't take up much space. They are getting bikes but they will get these before probably in the next week or so, and we may take with us not because is Christmas but just because will be a good place for them to ride. I am really looking forward to being away for Christmas - seems to make it extra exciting to me.

We've travelled over Christmas a number of times and always take pressies with us, usually of the more transportable variety. Hot tip - pack them in a regular kind of bag, preferably the sort that has a padlock on the zip. Then it's easier to pretend it's just like all the other "stuff" in the boot.

We are travelling this year to Shepparton to stay with my Bro, then down to Melbs to stay with PacRacMG. I've just sorted out what we will take present wise, and what we will open before we go. Still have quite a few things to take, so will need to pack light!! (That will be fun). Luckily its summer and we are staying with friends and family, plan to take minimal clothes and wash as needed so we can reduce our luggage as much as possible - we will have 3 adults and 2 kids in car seats so wont have much room for luggage at all

We are going away for Christmas this year, my kids are 10, 8 and 3. We will be dragging a trailer which will be covered in a huge tarp - and packed by one of us whilst the other takes the kids out! We will be able to tell the kids that the trailer has 'stuff' like food and eskies and I think that will go down ok. I have been conscious in my christmas shopping that it all needs to be put in the trailer, so I've tried to keep things on the smaller size. Of course, my DS (8) needs a new bike!! We could leave it at home and he could find it when we get back, but I would prefer to have it on the day so we'll just have to find a way...

Santa only gives one gift in our household and in that case Santa would be thoughtful enough to gift something smaller and packable seeing you're away. We would then give our children their gifts from us early or late... maybe a mix of both.

I think we are going to take the presents with us. They aren't getting massive amounts so it should all fit discretely in a suitcase.
Santa will only be giving one gift to each child, probably the biggest ones lol and they can find it under the tree when we get home. The thought of Santa's present might help us survive the 6 hours of driving and 4 hours of ferry in one day...