Do you tell the dc they are not allowed up before a certain time Xmas morning?

[Bluemonkeyspots]

I hate the idea of doing this

BUT

we have two older dc (12&10) and two younger (toddler and baby) if the older two wake the younger two up in the middle of the night we will all be up and it will be a long miserable crabbit Christmas Day.

Dd1's birthday was 2 months ago and we were wakened up about 10 times between 2am and 5.50 when we finally gave in.

Feels wrong saying "don't dare come through till at least 6.30" but I'm tempted. Was not so bad in previous years but not now we have four of them to deal with all day with excitement tiredness and sugar rushes!

[wonderingsoul]

if they wake let them into your room to watch a movie in your bed?

[Lettucesnow]

We used to put things of interest in the stocking so they could have another hours play before we went down stairs.

We didn't want to catch Santa in the act did we?

[insanityscatching]

I'd say at 12 and 10 they are old enough to stay in their own rooms quietly until a time you say. My dd is ten and has never been up early we are always the last up on the street but I would give her a time if I thought she would think about getting up before 7.30am tbh.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Mine know better than to try and wake me before 7.30

That's the beauty of stockings. We leave them when we go to bed (I used to have bags with battery operated lights in the pictures) which I could see reflecting in my mirror.

Then I can hear them , carefully trying to open the presents (wrapped of course) and whispering without making noise.

We put a fibre optic tree in the hall on a timer and they're not allowed to go downstairs until it switches on.
And the wrapping paper across the doorway to the lounge means they can't sneak in.

Though in the past I've heard DS sneak downstairs and run back up to tell DD "He's been ".

We make DS sleep in DD room on Christmas Eve night (he grumbles like mad, but it's nice to have them wake up and chat together. )

DS is 14 DD 11.6 so I'm sure our Traditions will change.
Last year he asked "What do you call a respectable time to get up, Muvver ?"

He's thinking 5am. I'm thinking 8am

[ThisIsMeNow]

My mum and dad had to do this with me and I'm still terrible now! Can't sleep a wink and waking DP at well before crack of dawn!
Mum used to set me a little alarm clock and I could open my stocking presents when I woke up but had to stay quietly in my room until the alarm went off think they resorted to this after I woke them up at 2am to see what Santa had left me

[Marne]

This is the reason why they have stockings in their room, they can open them in their rooms when they wake up, keeps them busy for a while whilst dh and I wake up. No one is allowed downstairs if its still dark outside.

[supermariossister]

not a set time as no clock in their room to tell but not before 7 or it would be all over by 9am. i make sure there is fun interesting things to do in their bed presents so if i say its a little too early they are happy to play/munch on stuff or put a dvd on.

[Bluemonkeyspots]

Usually we all pile into my bed to do stockings but I think this might have to change this year. That might buy us a bit more time.

[Catsmamma]

i'd definitely say your older two are old enough to wait for a respectable hour

we've only had one mega early christmas ...ds2 woke up early about fourish and he was sent right back to bed cos Santa had not been. About an hour or so later I heard him sneaking into DS1's room to look out the window and they chatted for a bit and we gave up about half six i think!

He'd only have been about 5 or 6 though.

Nowadays it's me waking them up!!

[IamInvisible]

We used to tell ours that Father Christmas didn't finish his rounds until 7:30, so even when they were little they never got up mega early.

Our DC have always liked their sleep so didn't wake too early, the last few years (now they are teens) it's been DH who wakes first. He's not here this year, so heaven knows what time we will all wake up.

At your DC's age I'd give them a time that they can't come in until.

[heymammy]

Tbh my DDs have always just slept until a reasonable time anyway, so we've never had crazy 4am wakings! This year, however, dd1 is 10 and we've just had a conversation that went something like:

Dd1, "I'm going to be so excited on Xmas morning, can we get up as soon as we wake up?"

Me, "of course you can dd1, just as long as its after 7 o'clock."

Dd1, "aw, but I think I might wake up and 5 or 6 or something, 'cos I'm soooo excited."

Me, "if you get up then and wake up toddler ds then we will all have a miserable Xmas day. He will be tired and whiny all day and that's just not happening!"

End. Of.

[lade]

Yes, I do because DD1 wakes stupidly early. On a normal day, she's up by 6am ready to go, so Christmas is even worse. Last year, I got up at 6:30 to find DD had been awake for well over an hour, just sat there with the sack next to her as we have a rule that they bring their sacks into us to open, so this year, I've put less into their sacks and am going to wrap a few presents up into a small stocking, with a note to say she can open them alone. I thought I'd put little things in like a magazine, a small (99p) selection box that she can gorge on, some glittery pens and the like. Just 99p stuff.

[snuffykins]

Yes 8am. It's always been the rule in our house. Some years we've even had to go and wake him at 8am too.

[Milliways]

Ours were supposed to wait until 6:30 or 7 am depending on their age.

Last year was the first year DD did not open her stocking on our bed- she had just got married! DS joined us though - he was 17 then and intends to repeat the tradition this year.

[Coveredinweetabix]

My parents did this after the year me and DBro had emptied our stockings by 3.20am and wanted to go down! We were probably about 6 & 4 at the time. After that, we weren't allowed to open our stockings before 6am and weren't allowed into our parents room before 7.30 although I'm sure they'd heard us before then. It was around that time that cartons of ribena with "drink me" and cereal bars with "eat me" stickers appeared in our stocking whereas the selection box or similar had "for after lunch" stickers. Our stockings always had comics or little toys in which also kept us occupied for the time until the parents woke up.

[HoHoHoMerryMonster]

we used to be terrible for waking up at 2am on christmas morning. cant say my lot are too bad, i am still usually the first one up around 6am, then i have a coffee and wait until around 7am to get the kids up. last year the girls were at their dads and the boys didnt wake us up until 9am.

[NearTheWindmill]

We used to let ours stay up until 11ish on Xmas Eve and that kept them asleep until at least 6ish . If they woke they were allowed to get in our bed and do their stockings but only on condition they had to then be quiet until 7.30 and let us carry on dozing cuddling them

[SatinSandals]

Absolutely- not before 7am. Having said that they were never awake before then anyway!

[Katieweasel]

We had a very early start last year! This year Santa is leaving a DVD and a book with a snack and a note to say not to wake mummy and daddy until 7am.

[SauvignonBlanche]

I used to say not before 05:00 but it's 06:00 now they're older. Remembers the 04:00 wake ups with horror

[ChoudeBruxelles]

Yes. If you get up before 6.30 here Father Christmas might not have finished doing the presents downstairs and you run the risk of not getting anything. I'm mean, but also very grumpy when tired

[SauvignonBlanche]

Shall I go for 07:00 this year, now that they're teenagers?

[hugoagogo]

Not before 7.30 here, but they open their stockings by themselves earlier.

Growing up we had to wait for Grandad to light the fire and Ps and GPs to drink tea before we could go down.

[catwithflowers]

We are going for 12 midday this year!!!! Kids are 18, 16 and 12. The eldest has a part time job in a nightclub, I will be picking him up at 5am on Christmas morning then going back to bed!! The younger two can open stockings but I would like us all to open presents together and a late start seems the only feasible option