FERAL xmas day gift opening

If you can’t be feral on Christmas morning, when can you?!

Ever since I could remember my Dad would don his Santa hat and get the presents from under the tree and hand them out one by one. We didn’t even start to open them until all the presents had been given out. My sister and I would often take turns opening a gift so we could watch each other. Mum and Dad usually waited until we’d finished opening to open their gifts. We liked to prolong the pleasure and excitement as long as possible. This wasn’t forced on us by our parents, it was just what we did.

The gift opening happened between breakfast (which Dad always cooked) and lunch.

This - it seems like such a waste!

We have always done one gift at a time. Don't let them open them like that even if you don't put them out, hand them out calmly

Nope. Wouldn't happen.

Because my children aren't feral oiks.

Because of wrangling an elderly relative (wanted to see the children open their presents but didn't arrive until lunch time) we always spread the presents out so that there was something worth opening first thing in the morning and something to play with while waiting for relative. We didn't have an equal number of presents but the older ones didn't care.

I just had a look. The Yule Log is on Youtube.

The DC get the stockings left on their beds and they can open them when they wake up.

We eat zucchini bread and drink coffee or Cremont and open gifts one at a time after everyone is up. We used to put the Yule Log channel on the TV but I don't know if you can get that in the UK.

Unless you procured your children at a later stage, you're the ones who have validated this. You've had 7-14 Christmasses to have stopped this.

I don't allow this and my kids are far younger. No one is allowed to opn anything until everyone is downstairs and ready either. Apart from stocking which can be opened in bed whenever they wake in the morning.
When everyones eaten breakfast amd is ready we then hand out presents one by one in the living room.

You need to teach them good manners. It's up to you as their parent.

I think if it's a blended family then you maybe best trying to do one present at a time from underneath the christmas tree.

I would hate for the presents to be opened in a matter of minutes after spending so much time, thought and effort into what to buy them and then wrapping up and then waiting for them to fall asleep to put the presents out. I would be really upset if it was over before I could even blink.

How many presents are they getting? I wonder if they are getting big numbers of gifts which add to the chaos?

My ex's family used to wake dc up at midnight and make them open gifts then go back to bed.. Who the absolute fuck thinks that's fine?? Glad he's an ex....

If your children are feral it’s your fault.

My children are similar age, you definitely need to set expectations for them.

We've never had to tell them not to do this, what we have always done is, when they open a present, we ask them what the present is and what does it do, or what is it about. So rather than rampaging to the next present, they have always looked at it and spoke about it before opening the next one.

We have never needed to do one present at a time from underneath the tree, that just isn't my thing. I like to pile their presents into separate piles for each child.

I would personally encourage them to tell you about the present before they open the next one. Or as previous posters have suggested, you could do the one by one, although that really isn't my cuppa tea!

We also have cups of tea and snacks etc to break it up so the pace is not too crazy. My kids never complained.

We have always opened them one by one. My teen daughter always ends up with more individual gifts because she likes make up, hair ties, earrings etc whereas my son has a few larger gifts. We just work out an approx ratio eg 2:1 or 3:1 and she opens a couple of hers to his one!

It has always been a relaxed affair and fun but not feral.

Your husband’s way does not sound enjoyable at all to me.

I don't think I would like that at all. Our children take it in turns. They like to see what the others have and it creates conversations too. I can't even remember when that tradition started but it was something the kids kind of just did by themselves.

They would also spend all day downstairs even though 2 are teens.

I think your DH needs to have a think if he truly thinks that the way it is done in your home is really "the normal" and acceptable. Sorry it is such a let down for you OP. I hope you can talk some sense into them all.

It's always been the case in our family that the youngest hands out the presents as it's their job. But this is a DH problem, the teens will understand they get less as the cost more and can open theirs whilst waiting for their next one.