Is it even Christmas if you don't prank your kids?

So my brilliant wife hatched up this idea a few weeks ago. We got our four little angels four little stockings and filled them with genuine, high quality Eastern Kentucky coal and set it out under the tree.

Now, that's not even the best part. We moved *every* present to the kitchen.

Now, not only does it look like they're only getting coal, but that Santa has stolen all their gifts to give to other good boys and girls.

The reaction videos in the morning at going to be priceless.

Merry Christmas!!!

That's the best! 

Lil Stampie really wanted a Note 8 phone for Christmas. His mom is known to be a little airheaded so we came up with a plan. I handed him a package with a Note 8 case and his eyes lit up when he opened it. Then I told him his mom found a really good deal on his main present and that's the only reason he was getting it. She then handed him a package with a phone identical to the one he already had inside. He tore it open and then looked confused as he saw not a Note 8 but what he already had. The conversation went like this.

Lil Stampie mom "That's not what you wanted?  That's what Dad told me to get!"

Me "No I told you that's what he has. He wanted a Note 8!  Is that really what you bought?"

We let him squirm until he was resigned to get nothing he already didn't have. Then I handed him a hidden package with a Note 8 inside. I truly believe we were gifted kids just so we can berk with them. 

My son was desperate for a gaming laptop. On Christmas day, his main present was a series of nine gift boxes, each individually wrapped, nested inside of each other. Think of Russian nesting dolls.

Each time he opened a box, there was a gift wrapped, slightly smaller box inside of it.

As he got down to the last, very small box, it was obvious that there wasn't going to be a computer in it. 

The final box held a facsimile of a laptop, which I painstakingly made from paper the night before. It now lives in a Christmas ornament and decorates the tree each year.

Kerbal space program is the game that was the hot thing for him at the time. I went online and copied the logo to reproduce on the "screen".

It took a couple of hours to make (it was difficult due to the small size), but he loved it, and held on to it for years until we put it in the ornament this year.

I had the actual laptop hidden within arm's length, so as soon as he turned over the paper, I pulled it out and handed it to him.

I like this one that backfired:  https://twitter.com/iamlgndfrvr/status/1207832840911478785

I did not come up with any pranks for my son this year, but I'm not sure he's old enough to appreciate one.

I used to climb out on the snow covered roof in the dark and stomp around and ring sleigh bells. 

I’m not sure if they thought there were reindeer on the roof, or if Dad should be committed.  

My sons would barely sleep Christmas Eve and would be out of bed at a stupid hour in the morning. So we told them Santa wouldn't come until they were asleep and he would signal that he had visited our house by turning on the Christmas tree lights. The tree was visible from the doors of their bedrooms. In the morning we would hear the doors open and then an audible sigh when they saw no tree lights. At 7:00 AM every Christmas morning the timer would turn on the tree lights and we could start opening presents. They never figured it out.

SVreX said:

I used to climb out on the snow covered roof in the dark and stomp around and ring sleigh bells. 

I’m not sure if they thought there were reindeer on the roof, or if Dad should be committed.  

When I was a kid we always went to my grandparents on Christmas eve. We came back one year, late for me, like 9 or 10 o clock and there was a good 4 inches of snow on everything. Across the roof of my house was a set of what looked like deer tracks. Nothing in the snow on the ground, no easy way to get up there without leaving tracks. It blew my mind, and I don't think I ever got the story on it. 

When my daughter was two, we wrapped a banana to see how she would react. I've never seen someone so delighted to receive fruit before.

We've continued doing it for the last three years now. She's been excited to see which present contains the Christmas Banana ever since.

When I was about 12, we went to my uncle’s for Christmas. Of course the kids wanted to get up before dawn, and the adults wanted no part of it. After deep negotiations, we kinda won. The adults agreed we could wake them at 6:00 AM. 

We woke up at 4. All of us kids.  We were chomping at the bit, but knew we were not allowed to leave our bedroom until 6. 

The clock seemed to drag on FOREVER!

4:15. 4:20. 4:21...  It was INTERMINABLE!!

Finally about 5 AM, I realized there was something wrong. It was daylight. WTF??

We weren’t supposed to leave our room, but something was wrong!  I was the oldest, so I volunteered to sneak out into the kitchen. When I looked at the clock on the stove, it was 8AM!

My uncle, the bastard, had changed our clock by not 1, not 2, but 3 FULL HOURS!!

We charged his room and jumped on him, but he definitely considered it a win!

This guy (and Lamborghini) win

https://youtu.be/c58s1mYmkKw

Years ago, I found a bag labeled "COAL" and was filled with black gum. Got 1 for each daughter. They both felt real bad till the real presents came out. They still get after me for that.

Our tradition was to see a movie Christmas week.  Ian was about 5 and my brother was in town so all 4 of us went.

Kids' movie, lights dim, everyone settles in, curtains open, a preview AND a few cartoons.

After the cartoons, Mark bounces up and heads out "Wow, that was great wasn't it?"  Ian is all giddy and backslappy "Oh yeah, can't wait to come back."

Mark told him there's a whole movie coming.

"THERE's MORE?!!!!"  The look on his face....

When rereading this to share with my wife, she reminded me how we solved the problem of the kids getting up too early on Christmas morning.

When they wake up in the morning, there is an extremely desirable book in the bed next to them.

The first year, we told them that their first present was going to be a special book, and they needed to stay in bed reading until we called them. The youngest was in second grade. This year, all she wanted was books.