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Original poster

How do you present the presents?

64 replies

Stabbitha · 17/12/2019 18:52

We have all the kids this year! My kids and DPs will all be here on Christmas morning.

We can't decide how to do the gifts. When I was little me and my brother came downstairs to two separate piles of gifts on opposite sofas, with one type of wrapping paper for me and one for him.

I've always done it as one type of wrapping paper for each child but all the presents jumbled together under the tree.

DP wants all the presents wrapped in mixed wrap all jumbled under the tree and the chaos of having to read all the labels.

How do you do it?

OP posts:
Original poster
Stabbitha · 17/12/2019 18:54

I'm aware this is in totally the wrong topic. I've reported it.

OP posts:
ThisBear · 17/12/2019 18:57

Mixed paper, separate stacks and gift bags around the tree in our house. Sometimes Santa helpfully leaves each person's stocking at their gift stack, but it depends if he has time. Very busy chap, obviously.

MNHQ
LilyMumsnet · 17/12/2019 18:58

We've moved this to chat for you now, OP. Flowers

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Events & celebrations
TokyoSushi · 17/12/2019 19:00

Each person has a couple of types of their own paper, 2 separate piles on the floor but nicely presented!

I don't label anything so it prevents chaos!

Justmuddlingalong · 17/12/2019 19:02

Will DP be helping wrap the parcels, or is he saying what he thinks you should do?

myfuckingfreezer · 17/12/2019 19:07

We do it like your DH and it adds to the fun! Also stops kids from tearing through their piles in 10seconds flat

ScrummyDiva2 · 17/12/2019 19:16

Each child has their own (small!) sack of gifts under the tree

WhereDidTheOddSockGo · 17/12/2019 19:17

Variety of wrapping paper/ gift bags/ boxes for everyone. Some recycled from previous years (some of the gift boxes are basically traditions of their own at this point!)... All in a jumble under the tree. Ceremonial passing out of presents to the assembled family is all part of the fun!

CherryPlum · 17/12/2019 19:17

Ooh there's just nothing nicer than coming downstairs to your own little pile of presents, it's a feeling I still remember from childhood and that's how we do it for our DC.

Of course, I'm sure they will love either way though!

muddledmidget · 17/12/2019 19:21

All wrapped up and muddled under the tree. Everyone sits back and the littlest who can read the labels plays santa and delivers them one at a time to each child in turn, where present is opened and admired and then the next present is handed out. Every so often someone will decide its time for mum or dad to have one (they have fewer under the tree so can't be in rotation). Seems convoluted but we've done it like this for 30 years!

KipperTheFrog · 17/12/2019 19:24

Mixed paper, mixed up under the tree. Presents are spread through the day, not opened in one sitting, so a different person each time picks out a present for each person to open.

wonkylegs · 17/12/2019 19:35

Mixed paper, mixed up under the tree.
We open each present one at a time and small children act as runners delivering presents to everyone with big ones helping them read the labels.

ineedto · 17/12/2019 19:37

Exactly like @wonkylegs. I love it.

Original poster
Stabbitha · 17/12/2019 19:38

DP is quite adamant he's wrappng his own kids presents ..(I don't think he trusts me not to muddle them up)
😁

This is the first year we have ended up with all of them and we weren't expecting it but there has been some last minute changes to plans and we feel like we have won the lottery.

We were trying to decide how to start lovely traditions for us to carry into our future.

I think we are going to go with DP's suggestion. It sounds really nice.

OP posts:
troutknickers · 17/12/2019 19:46

Ah sounds lovely OP!

As kids we all had mixed paper all jumbled under the tree. Usually mum would sit passing out presents one at a time, and we'd all wait for the person to open it before the next one was handed out. Sounds boring written down, but it was lovely and really made the present opening a big part of the day (1-2 hours) and means we would all remember who was given what by whom.

I've bought separate paper for my dc this year (but they are very small, I'm hoping to avoid confusion) but I do like a mixed pile under the tree it just looks lovely

TheWayOfTheWorld · 17/12/2019 19:49

Stockings they have separate paper but presents under the tree the wrapping paper is mixed and the presents have labels Smile

PiggyInTheMiddle19 · 17/12/2019 19:49

Varies. Sometimes I do seperate paper.. This Yr I had so much leftover I have done all jumbled and labelled will all go under or in front of the tree

geeraf · 17/12/2019 19:53

Always been all mixed up in my family. As soon as I was old enough I wanted to be the one to read the labels and hand them out, although had to share the honour with my little brother when he was big enough. Still goes exactly the same when I get to my mums for lunch now, and I'm 40 now. Love it this way.

DappledThings · 17/12/2019 19:54

Whatever paper we have around, so some left over from last year, some new, no further thought given to it.

Presents go under the tree whenever they are received/wrapped so no pretending Santa delivered them, that's just stockings.

My mum says she used to always make sure our stocking presents were in paper that wasn't used for any other presents so we wouldn't guess Santa wasn't real. I can't say I or my brother ever noticed that level of detail.

Natsku · 17/12/2019 19:58

This year I putting the big things unwrapped under the tree (dolls house and parking garage, ready built so they can play with them straight away) and the presents for the whole family and me and OH, and then the rest of the kids' presents are going all mixed together in a big santa sack for our hired Father Christmas to bring in the afternoon, he'll then hand them out one by one.

Emmacb82 · 17/12/2019 20:05

We had stockings but all the other presents were under the tree and as the youngest it was my job to dish them all out to everyone. Chaos but I loved it

Breathmiller · 17/12/2019 20:07

We do each person has a certain kind of paper. I found it easier than writing labels for 4 kids.
Santa leaves a bit of paper for each of them taped to the living room door with a message "to DD love from Santa ". They love seeing the paper on the door and looking out for their style.
Then it's a bit of a free for all getting the presents from under the tree.

Smallnmighty · 17/12/2019 20:09

@Natsku - please tell us more about your hired Santa (I've wondered for years if people who could afford it would do this, having assumed it'd be quite expensive) Also wished I was a big, fat man with a beard, as I could see it being a good earner GrinThanks!

Celebelly · 17/12/2019 20:09

@muddledmidget This is exactly what we've always done. It can take a while when there's a lot of you, but I think it's much nicer than everyone just opening presents at the same time and no one seeing what anyone else has got, etc.

WellTidy · 17/12/2019 20:13

Depends on ages, I think.

To date, each DC has had their own separate pile of presents from us and from the set of grandparents that stay with us over Christmas, so are there for the unwrapping. Different wrapping paper from grandparents just in case the tags fall off. Everything else for everyone else has gone under the tree.

Now that the eldest DC is 11, I think we could put everything under the tree and he could be in charge of sorting through and giving the presents to the recipient.

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