If you don't open presents until after lunch...

[Amandine29]

...what do you usually do on Christmas morning?

Aside from preparing lunch of course.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Stocking presents get opened in the morning, and give something to keep people entertained until after lunch, and the opening of the presents that aren't from Father Christmas.

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

wot lovely SDTG said :)

[SauvignonBlanche]

Go to work.

[MrsOakenshield]

we would do stockings at the crack of dawn, and what was in there would keep us occupied for a fair amount of time.

Then church, and helping set up for lunch - we had quite a formal table setting for Christmas which we loved getting ready, all the beautiful things that only came out once a year.

Then either we would go round to neighbours for a drink, or they would come to us.

Then lunch!

Then helping tidy up and watch a bit of a film.

Then everyone into the living room then - gasp! The doorbell would go! Dash to the inside front door, open it - second gasp! - a huge sack of presents in the porch! That wasn't there before! Drag it into the living room and away we went.

This went on for a long time. We never noticed that my mum wasn't in the room when the doorbell went, nor recognised her duvet cover.

I have only once done presents in the morning, as an adult. Hated it. It was all over in 10 minutes. The way we did there was always something happening and the expectation and anticipation of what was to come was great!

[minsmum]

we get up have a lovely breakfast. start dinner, get dressed, meet all the family and all the dogs and go for a lovely long walk. Then we all go back to our respective houses, shower then change. They then all come round to mine for an hour and we drink champagne. They then all go were ever they are going I finish making lunch. We start at about 3 and by the time all the washing up is done its 6. We then sit around and open our presents. about 9 we have nibbles . We have always done this even when the kids were small. It makes the fun last all day

[jamtoast12]

Wow I have never heard of this waiting at all! We open everything the minute we get up so the rest of the day is about playing with toys and enjoying the actual day. I can't imagine getting my kids all excited throughout December for Santa and then making them wait to open the presents...knowing they're in the next room!

We open extra presents later with relatives who bring stuff but dds run downstairs to check 'he's been' ...thes no way I could say you can look but we'll open later?!

[mrscog]

Jam toast I've never heard of anyone waiting to do FCC presents. We always did stockings with breakfast then family presents from around 6pm. Was always do grateful to my DM for stretching the fun out all day :)

[cazzybabs]

oh yes ... we do fc before breakfast, go to church, cook lunch, eat lunch (about 2ish) and then do presents about 6pm

[jamtoast12]

Ah I see...in our house everything is from Santa hence my confusion!

[LEMisdisappointed]

I can see the attraction of waiting, but then we only have one dd at home so it would be a bit crap to make her wait, especially as we tend to be pretty busy in the kitchen, my mum and DD1 come round about 2 then we have dinner, watch some crap tv fall asleep - tis a bit overrated really

[MrsOakenshield]

jamtoast - ah well, one difference is that the presents aren't next door under the tree, they are initially stashed in my mum's bedroom and then, of course, they are in Santa's sleigh! Also, I think if you've always done it like this, it's not a problem.

I just love spreading it out over the whole day. DD is only 3 but has been totally absorbed by her stocking presents (and she doesn't get all that many!), and by playing with her cousin, and doesn't seem to mind the wait, or even see it as a wait.

[HappyJustToBe]

Stocking presents in the morning then breakfast and long walk. After lunch we watch the Queen's Speech (in honour of my DGM rather than anything else) then pressies. It has been that way all my DM's life and mine and now DD's. Wouldn't change jt.

[ApplePippa]

We've always done presents after lunch in my family. It's what I grew up with, and don't ever remember it being a problem when I was a child. DS (4yrs) manages it just fine too, as do his cousins. I love having the anticipation last throughout the day.

We do stockings first thing. Everyone including the adults gets a stocking, and we open them all together in one bedroom. This can take quite a while and there is usually a pot of coffee on the go for the adults.

Then a leisurely breakfast in pyjamas, followed by church. We get back from church around mid-morning (love opening the door to the smell of roasting turkey), and have coffee and nibbles. The rest of the morning is spent preparing dinner and for the children, playing with stocking things.

Dinner is around 2pm, and then everyone helps with the washing up. The rule is no presents until it's done, so the children get pretty motivated to help too!

So its often 4ish before we start opening presents. I wouldn't have it any other way

[Rubybrazilianwax]

My dc wake us up at 5am, one year it was 3am! No way would they wait. Although family all visit later and it is spread out a bit. Also I don't wrap the Santa presents. There are 5 of them and I couldn't imagine starting to wrap bikes, air hockey tables, go karts etc

[accessorizequeen]

I waited until at least 3 for my entire childhood and so do my 4 dc. It's the way it happens, they've never questioned it and I fail to see why it's a problem! They get stockings and present from Santa when they get up. We have breakfast, go for a walk, watch Xmas film, read stories, then lunch at 1 ish. I don't want the whole day to be about presents.

[MissMalonex2]

Stockings in morning (FC) then big brunch, then big walk, then big lunch, then we have to waaaaiiiitttt for lunch to be cleared away and DM (now Granny) to get a cup of tea then we exchange family and friends presents - lots of us, takes a while, you have to open them one at a time...then it's time for big supper! Then a big sleep :))

[ZingWantsCake]

stockings for kids

Special breakfast

Church

Lunch

Queen's Speech

Presents

Play with presents

Food

Play Scrabble

Bit more food

Film

Just a tiny bit of breadsauce with some meat and spiced cabbage

Sleep

[cece]

Another one here who does stockings and FC presents in the morning.

Tree presents in the afternoon. These are the ones that our friends and family have given us. They get put under the tree as soon as they are given to us. FC doesn't deliver those ones.

[tory79]

We always did that when I was growing up.

Stockings when we woke up, get dressed, have breakfast, then we were allowed to pick one present from unfer the tree to open. Then it was off to church, back to sort lunch out, watch the Queens speech, then open the rest of our presents.

I loved it then and still love it now - really spaces the day out well. Unfortunately DH and I come to blows every year as he is very much STILL an open presents the second you wake kind of person.

[SoYo]

Presents from Father Christmas are in the morning and Tree Presents (family and friends) are in the afternoon. So for the little ones they get their big presents in the morning and then smaller family ones in the afternoon and for bigger ones its a stocking and small Santa present in the morning then the rest in the afternoon.

We then have a fancy breakfast, start cooking the dinner and my DF and DH or me (alt) go to the pub. Dinner's at 2.30 then after its presents and then a film or board games.

I love it! It lasts all day, is the same every year and for me it's exactly how Christmas should be. I've never been able to get over having Christmas at the ILs, it's just not the same I know I'm an adult and should just get over it

[Chubfuddler]

When we used to have massive 20+ people in a 3 bed semi family Christmas the children opened presents at dawn, adults about noon, then lunch then tree presents at about four.

Now it's me, kids and my mum we open them all together then tree presents after lunch.

I think our tree presents are like other people's stockings - hand cream, key ring, chocs, that sort of thing.

[Chubfuddler]

SoYo I x posted. I suspect we may be related.

[loubielou31]

Presents were always after lunch when I was little. Stockings and FC presents in the morning, breakfast, church, my Grampy would have to go round all the animals so we'd wait for him to have done that before opening the other presents, after lunch seemed to be the right sort of time.